Cutting in line: 4 tips to reduce customer service wait times

When it comes to providing excellent customer service, wait times are critical. Customers will probably abandon a conversation if they wait for hours for a response. They may even decide to move their business to a competitor. Your initial thought might be to recruit additional agents. But what if there were ways to boost efficiency without increasing the number of agents? If your customers can’t handle the wait, they may vent their frustrations on your agents. This may cause morale to deteriorate, turnover rates to rise, and strain on your staff. Another way of saying this is that a missed engagement could result in a lost sale.

So, what can you do to shorten wait times and provide the quickest support? In this blog post, we’ve put together some tips for you to improve your customer support wait times.

1. Limit or distribute the queue

A robust omnichannel platform allows for the effective distribution of chat requests. Queue management tools enable you to distribute chats to specific agents or departments based on a predefined set of rules. This also enforces chat load limits for agents based on expertise or capacity. And don’t forget setting up redirect rules to backup departments in the event of an overload of conversations. These methods prevent clients from waiting for an uncomfortably long period of time. Desk360 has all the capabilities to let you set rules based on your company’s support structure and the frequency of customer requests. The best part is that it’s very easy to set up. And you can always reconfigure as time goes on.

2.  Utilize chatbots to reduce wait times

A chatbot is a piece of software that communicates with people using a chat interface. It’s powered by rules, artificial intelligence, or it can make use of both. Chatbot software can be programmed to respond to queries that have been pre-programmed in advance. They can also be improved in a variety of ways. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing, and etc. When chatbots are unable to assist the customer, they can elevate the issue to an agent, considerably decreasing their workload.

3. Provide self-service FAQ pages

Some customers prefer to search for the answers to their questions on their own. So, FAQ pages are an excellent resource for that. These pages help decrease costs, as well as the workload on your support team. In the meantime, it helps to provide customers with an additional means of obtaining answers. Providing FAQ pages can ensure that your customers have a smooth self-service experience. On the other hand, it also lowers the stress on your support team. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. Be sure to check out Desk360’s FAQ pages, which are completely customizable.

4. Use quick answers to shorten wait times

The rapid responses you can specify for repetitive are referred to as “quick answers.” They’re like commonly asked questions to shorten wait times. These fast responses assist the team in providing customer support. That way, they achieve their objectives and provide thorough knowledge of the product. And don’t forget saving time for both the client and the support staff. In short, this results in a satisfied customer, increased engagement, and possibly increased sales. According to one survey, up to 80% of the questions that customer support professionals receive on a daily basis are repetitive and low-level in their complexity. Consider how much time can be saved by responding to messages with quick answers. So no more usual responses typed out by the support staff for every single question!

In Conclusion…

In conclusion, only a small number of customers are inclined to wait up to a minute for a response. Fast service is non-negotiable for today’s consumers. And lengthy wait times are unacceptable.On the surface, these ‘missed’ consumer engagements may not appear to be significant. But their influence can extend far beyond a minor problem. Customer retention is jeopardized if a customer’s concern isn’t addressed and their voice isn’t heard. Angry customers may even take to social media to lash out at firms. This leads tarnishing the company’s image and damaging your bottom line. Providing great customer support is the best solution for this. But unless you utilize various strategies to lighten the burden on your support staff, things can go wrong very quickly.

dLast but not least, putting these techniques into action is a terrific way to make the lives of your support staff easier while also lowering your operational costs and boosting the overall quality of support you provide. Visit our website to find out more about all of these options. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about these solutions. As Desk360, we’ll be glad to assist you in any way we can.