Customizing Your Call Center To Your Industry: Examining Call Center Best Practices

There are a number of call center best practices that are generally valuable in any industry

. However many companies deal with unique issues and need to tweak advice they receive to fit their clients and their business sector.

Tech Support

The classic problem when running a tech support call center is matching the right agent with the right caller. The level of expertise of callers varies widely among callers. A computer support line might have one caller who is confused by a simple instruction such as double clicking on an icon, while the next one is an engineer who designs computers for a living.

Technical support call center best practices include methods of leading callers through troubleshooting steps slowly enough not to confuse novices but quickly enough not to frustrate experts. Agents have to know when to transfer a caller to a more experienced representative so a level one technical support agent doesn't waste time on a problem he can't solve, but also not to deluge higher level agents with trivial calls that slow down traffic.

Healthcare Industry

Call centers in the healthcare industry deal with callers stressed over their health problems and those clients may take their anxieties out on the agent. They don't want to feel rushed by an agent who's watching the call queue, but a call center needs to keep the call traffic flowing to give good service to other callers. Best practices balance the needs of the current caller against the needs of those waiting on hold, but the situation is especially sensitive in a healthcare context.

Healthcare representatives also have to deal with patient privacy. They need to observe protections from laws like HIPPA but without interfering with patient care. Agents need to have clear guidelines on what information can be given to whom, and need access to a manager for situations that are not so clear cut.

Financial Advisors

A call center at a mutual fund receives calls about basic transactions such as buying, selling and transferring shares. Some callers already know what they want but others want guidance. Agents must know whether they may give suggestions at all, since the company can be held liable if an unqualified agent gives bad advice. If agents are allowed to recommend certain funds, they also must recognize when a caller's questions require an agent with more experience.

Accuracy is essential in financial transactions. Although agents should be aware of call queues and hold times, they shouldn't feel so pressured to resolve a call line that they make mistakes or end the call before the client has given all instructions. Financial call center tips should include instructions such as how to verify a transaction with the client to ensure the orders were understood correctly.

There is no end to resources offering advice on call center best practices, but managers have to take the suggestions and customize them to their industry and their particular organization.

by: Christine Harrell

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