Sponsored Content: 5 Ways to Increase Efficiency in Your Call Center

This article was sponsored by Bicom Systems, a leading unified communications provider.

“Time is money” – a saying that we all know well. Airlines only make money when their planes are in the sky, hotels when their rooms are booked and call centers when their agents are on the phone. It is simple mathematics. The amount of calls an agent makes in a shift minus time wasted equals revenue.

The problem with this equation is the ‘time wasted’ aspect. So, how can we fix that? By supplying your employees with the correct tools to be efficient. 

Agent Monitoring 

This feature is extremely helpful for new employees who do not have previous call center experience. Supervisors can listen in on the agent’s active calls and assist if they need help. Bicom Systems ​PBXware Call Center edition​ has a Whisper option where the supervisor can speak with the agent without the caller knowing. This gives the agent the feeling of having a safety net. PBXware also has a Call Barge option, where the supervisor can speak to the agent and caller directly. These features are useful if the agent needs help or the call needs salvaging. 

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Integration 

A proper CRM is a game changer for increasing efficiency and effectiveness. Agents have access to all of the caller’s information, meaning they can effectively manage the existing relationship. The agent can sort all the interactions that were made with the customer and pick up where they left off, even if it is a different agent than the last time they called. A CRM system can also help you find new customers and guide you towards closing deals. Just like Bicom Systems ​PBXware​, CRM’s are useful and scalable for any sized business! And PBXware integrates with some of the most popular CRM applications on the market. 

Archiving Storage

It is handy for agents to have the ability to go back and listen on call recordings and voicemails. This gives agents and their supervisors the chance to review mistakes and understand how to avoid them in the future. Saving everything to a remote location is what will increase efficiency. Not only is the search and retrieval feature user-friendly, but it is more organized and can store as much (or little) as you want! PBXware’s options for remote storage are Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox or your own FTP server. 

Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) System

Having an ACD system will help keep your customers on the line by routing incoming calls to the agent who has the best skill-set for the call. For example, say a caller went through the automated options and stated that they need to talk to someone in accounting. If the system sends the caller to marketing or support, they are going to get frustrated and likely hang-up. Or if the system sends the caller to an agent who does not have the skills to address the problem, they again will get frustrated. This is an extremely important feature for call centers to have. PBXware’s Call Center Edition’s ACD System also included capabilities like priority routing, first in-first out, queue call back, etc.

Statistics and Reports

This last feature will give you in-depth insight into:

● Agent activity

● Queue traffic

● Inbound/Outbound calls

● Answered/Unanswered calls

● Occupancy

● Availability

● Total calls 

● Duration of calls

Having real-time queue statistics and reports give call centers unlimited opportunities. They can use it for record keeping, training, comparing, quality insurance, etc. This data can be used to improve your business’s productivity and agents’ efficiency. 

Remember, time is money. Don’t sacrifice revenue when you have the tools to increase efficiency in your call center.

To learn more about Bicom Systems PBXware Call Center edition, take a look at our ​website​ or send our sales team an email to ​sales@bicomsystems.com​. 

 Laura Kyle is a marketing assistant for Bicom Systems (www.bicomsystems.com).