For decades, the bane of outbound predictive dialers has been “The Pause.” No matter what industry you’re in, you know that “The Pause” hurts your business because customers would rather just hang up than wait for one of your employees or agents to hop on the line. But, have you ever tried to figure out exactly how much “The Pause” really hurts your bottom line?
In a study we conducted with Harris Interactive last summer, we found that 49% of consumers hang up when there is a delay or pause from an unfamiliar number. That means that businesses that utilize traditional predictive or auto dialers could be losing almost 50% of their connected calls, simply because of their dialer.
For professionals in fundraising, surveys, telemarketing, collections, and related industries, this finding has huge implications for their non-profits and businesses. So, what can you do to improve your outbound communications? Here are 5 steps:
1) Connect Outbound Agents To Customers Instantaneously
For other dialers on the market, this isn’t possible. But, with the NICE CXone outbound solution called Personal Connection™, you can seamlessly connect with your customers without pause-related drops. As we mentioned before, using a predictive dialer that doesn’t have the characteristic pause can significantly increase the amount of outbound connections you make with your customers.
2) Enable Intelligent Call Suppression
Intelligent call suppression software allows you to automatically determine if a number is included in a suppression database. This technology also gives you the ability to implement Do Not Call restrictions and determine whether or not your call is meeting TCPA requirements. For organizations that are conducting a substantial amount of outbound calls, this is essential for maintaining compliance with outbound calling laws.
3) Connect Agents to the Right Data Sources
When agents are on the phone with customers, they need to be armed with information and data that will give them the ability to resolve issues as quickly as possible. Connecting your dialer to CRM data through the cloud minimizes the amount of time customers have to wait while agents track down necessary information, improving overall customer satisfaction.
4) Customize Screens and Scripting for Relevant Communications
With a predictive dialer, agents can handle upwards of 15-20% more calls per day than with a traditional manual dialing program. While that means more money for the business, it also means that agents are tasked with memorizing an increased amount of call scenarios and call resolution plans. Customized screens and scripting minimizes the extra work agents have to do and provides them more time to focus on the customer.
5) Blend Outbound and Inbound Call Traffic
Many call centers are blended, in that they handle both inbound and outbound calls. Having a dialer solution that can switch between both types of calls is imperative when call volumes spike and you have a limited number of active agents.
For more tips on how to improve your outbound calling program, check out our new 1to1 Media Report below.
Five Ways to Make Outbound Communications Roar.
