Call Volume: How to Anticipate Call Spikes
No one wants to spend the whole afternoon on the phone trying to resolve issues with a product or service. If you want to create a great customer experience, you’ll need to reduce your average hold time. This hold time can increase when you’re caught off guard by high call volume.
So how can you predict when this high call volume will happen? This article lists some effective ways to anticipate customer service call spikes.
Look at Historical Data
One of the best ways you can learn to anticipate call spikes is through historical data. Look through your customer call data and look for patterns.
For example, maybe you get a lot of calls on a specific day of the week? Or, perhaps there are call surges on specific days of the year.
Once you identify recurring periods of high-volume calls, you can adjust your contact center strategy accordingly.
Consider External Factors
There are various external factors that could result in customer service spikes. Maybe you have a new marketing campaign or a new product launch.
These events could result in a high volume of customers looking for information, so make sure you prepare.
Of course, there might also be external factors outside your control. For instance, let’s say you’re selling a product that can overheat. You’d likely experience more calls when the weather gets hotter.
The more insight you have about your company and your products, the better you can consider external factors.
Website Downtime
Chances are you have a company website that has self-service options. If you rely a lot on this kind of setup, you’ll experience a high volume of calls if your website goes down.
Always ensure you monitor your website uptime. If your website loses service, you must ensure your customer service agents are prepared.
Poor Customer Satisfaction
Another reason you may receive a high volume of calls is that your customers are not satisfied. For example, maybe you’ve had a poor product launch, and your product has functionality issues.
In this situation, you can expect to receive a high number of calls from customers who want to know why the product isn’t working as advertised.
Seasonal Trends
Certain industries are a lot busier during certain times of the year. For example, if you’re a toy manufacturer, you can expect to receive more calls during Christmas time.
You’ll need to ensure you’re aware of the seasonal trends. You’ll also need to account for them. You might hire more staff at Christmas. or you may need more staff during the summer months.
Stay on Top of Your Call Volume
In the world of customer service, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by high call volume. This is especially true if you don’t have the right information. The key to being prepared is to ensure you have up-to-date information about the latest trends.
You might also consider working with a professional customer service company. Contact us today, and we can help you to stay on top of your call volume.