What Benefits Motivate Call Center Agents the Most?

Posted on

November 29th, 2022

There is often a great divide between what call center managers believe motivates their employees and what the employees actually want. As a result, many incentives fall flat because managers don’t know the benefits that appeal the most to their employees. To illustrate this point, researchers asked call center managers and employees to rank benefits and incentives. Managers rated the following benefits as their top motivational techniques for call center agents:

Rewards and recognition from supervisors or company leadership
Gift cards, bonuses, extra days off, and other similar incentives
Team social events and activities
Remote work options

Employees had an almost exact reverse, listing the following as the greatest motivators:

Remote work options
Gift cards, bonuses, extra days off, and other similar incentives
Rewards and recognition from supervisors or company leadership

Team social events and activities dropped to the sixth slot for call center agents, signaling a disconnect between call center managers and employees. Remote work remains a hugely popular benefit, and more than half of call center agents are extremely likely to look for new employment if they don’t have flexible work options.

Understanding what motivates call center employees is critical to providing superior customer service. However, aligning benefits with employees’ preferences is only part of cultivating a high-quality customer experience. Employees need to be able to empathize with customers’ problems, which requires cultural familiarity and language mastery. Contact Actec to learn more about the benefits of a nearshore call center.

7 Reasons Why Businesses Benefit From Texting Their Customers

Posted on

November 15th, 2022

Andrew

Younger Millennials and Zoomers loathe speaking on the phone. The stark shift in communication style from Gen X to Millennials to Gen Z even earned the latter the nickname “Generation Mute.” When polled about this, most millennials replied that speaking on the phone is too slow, too outdated, and unlikely to resolve their problem satisfactorily.

Millennials and Gen Z aren’t the only generations eschewing phone calls. Research shows that eight out of every ten adult Americans don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. Surprisingly, although younger generations dislike phone calls more than preceding ones, they’re more likely to pick up calls from unknown numbers than older generations. Fortunately, two-thirds of American adults will check voicemails left by unidentified callers. However, insurance providers placing these calls are wasting time and failing to reach customers on their preferred communication platform.

The following are several statistics that highlight why business text messaging is a worthwhile investment:

Texting is the top-ranked communication channel for Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.
Text messages have a 98% open rate and up to a 45% response rate, whereas emails average around a 20% open rate and 10% response rate.
Most people take 90 minutes to reply to an email, whereas it only takes them around 90 seconds to answer a text.
85% of people prefer messaging platforms, including texting, messaging apps, and social media messaging, over emails or phone calls.
74% of customers report that texting improves their opinion of businesses that engage them this way.
68% of customers prefer to message businesses than to use any other form of communication.
Customer support tickets submitted via text increased by 28% between 2020 and 2021

First notice of loss (FNOL) sets the stage for the customer’s overall satisfaction with the claims process. Reporting a loss is often a distressing and stressful experience, and customers have an exceedingly low threshold for frustration during this period. Offering text and chat services allows customers to initiate FNOL quickly on their preferred communication channel. Contact Actec to learn more about implementing text and chat FNOL.

6 Crucial Call Center Statistics Businesses Need to Know

Posted on

November 8th, 2022

Andrew

Contact centers are critical for many businesses to ensure their customers receive a satisfactory experience. However, customers often dread calling customer service numbers due to poor outcomes previously. Companies that find ways to reduce pain points and bottlenecks enjoy greater customer loyalty. The following are several call center statistics businesses need to know to remain competitive:

Customers will spend more after a positive experience. Frustrated customers aren’t likely to whip out their wallets for upsells or supplementary services. However, they’ll spend up to 140% more following a positive experience.
Service matters more than the cost or product. Customers obviously want quality products at competitive prices. However, they’re 4X more likely to make purchases from competing providers if they dislike the customer service they receive.
Customers don’t hesitate to sever ties. Customer loyalty is harder to maintain than many companies realize. A whopping 40% of customers will stop conducting business with a company after a single negative interaction with customer service agents.
The cost of poor customer service is exorbitant. Poor customer service costs companies around $75 billion each year.
Customers expect rapid resolutions. Over one-third of customers expect agents to solve their problems during their first interaction. It erodes customer loyalty if they have to call back for updates or repeat their information.
Customers want empathetic exchanges. Canned responses come across as robotic and cold. Customers can tell when agents are reading from a script. It has an immediate and damaging effect on their overall satisfaction.

Customers want rapid resolutions, high quality services, and empathetic exchanges. How well a company’s call center can meet these expectations directly effects the customer experience and their loyalty. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how a nearshore call center can improve your customer service capabilities.

How Does Omni-Channel Communication Win Customers’ Trust?

Posted on

November 1st, 2022

Andrew

The modern consumer has much different wants and expectations than those of a decade ago. Technological leaps, shifting economic situations, and a reassessment of values are just a few of the primary factors driving these changes. Many service providers fall short and erode their customers’ trust. What’s worse is that many don’t realize it. Almost 80% of business executives believe their customers trust them, whereas barely more than half (52%) of consumers report the same.

Building trust is a multifaceted process that relies on the following:

Compassion. Customers want to interact with a real person when they have a problem. Many customers use self-service tools before reaching out to customer support. They have likely already exhausted the limits of a knowledge base or AI chatbot. When they have a problem, they want the company to show it cares about finding the solution. They want to interact with an empathetic human, whether by text, messaging, or phone.
Effectiveness and quality. Customers reasonably expect the products and services they purchase to perform as advertised. If they receive inefficient service or a substandard product, their trust fades. Similarly, they want the best value for their money. They’re more likely to look for a new provider if they feel their current one has unfair pricing for the quality of the product or service they receive.
Consistency. Customers depend on their service providers to deliver a consistent experience with each interaction and purchase. Customers rapidly lose trust in businesses that fail to live up to their promises and guarantees.
Transparency. Customers are leery of providing their personal contact information, such as their email or phone number. While some businesses use that information for legitimate business interactions, others spam customers with unwanted emails and texts. Companies should always outline why they’re collecting the customer’s data, how they’ll use it, and the customer’s options for opting in or out of these communications.

Omni-channel communication can drive customer trust in several ways. Traditional phone calls are more conducive to displaying compassion as tone does not convey over text. Communicating through text messages allows companies to provide customers with rapid updates about their inquiries, open support tickets, or claims. Chat services empower customers to find solutions to common questions without delay. Customers also frequently use social media channels, email, and website forms to engage with their service provider. Meeting their needs on the most conducive platform establishes a foundation of trust that is essential for long-term loyalty. Contact Actec to learn more about the benefits of implementing new communication channels.

How Does First Response Time Affect Customer Claim Satisfaction?

Posted on

September 27th, 2022

Andrew

First response time (FRT) measures how much time passes between a customer initiating first notice of loss (FNOL) and an agent responding to it. Customers want to be able to reach their insurance provider whenever they need them. Losses rarely give customers the courtesy of occurring during regular business hours, and how quickly an insurance agent responds significantly affects the customer’s claim satisfaction.

FNOL, FRT, and Customer Loyalty

FNOL and FRT go hand-in-hand to keep customers happy. FNOL represents 25% of a customer’s overall satisfaction with their insurance provider. In addition, industry research shows that the claims experience influences 87% of customers’ loyalty, while almost 80% will switch providers if their insurers’ responsiveness falls short of their expectations. A short FRT is essential following FNOL to retain existing customers.

Text and Chat for Better FNOL and FRT

The FNOL experience affirms customers’ expectations for better or worse. If they have a positive experience, they feel secure in their choice of insurance provider. If the experience is poor, it may reinforce the customer’s belief that they need a new insurer. Customer’s top complaints regarding the claims process include:

Too slow (25%)
Too difficult (22%)
Too much paperwork (22%)

Text and chat services can address many of these pain points. Text messaging rapidly decreases FRT, as agents can respond within minutes of receiving a claim notification. Agents can also pull existing data from the customer’s file to partially complete the data-gathering process. Filling in known information can also reduce friction during the interaction. For example, the make and model of the customer’s car are already in the system. Customers are often already agitated when initiating FNOL and asking them for information they provided well before the loss will only increase their frustration.

Agents that communicate with customers through text messaging can also close their claims faster. Customers always appreciate an expedited claims process, but it can also net cost savings for the insurer. For example, customers need rental cars while waiting for repairs on their vehicles. Insurance carriers often cover the rentals costs, and closing the claim several days faster curtails that expense. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how text and chat services can improve your customers’ claims experience.

4 Insights to Optimize Call Center Employee Onboarding

Posted on

September 13th, 2022

Andrew

Call centers often experience high employee turnover, and insufficient onboarding processes are a driving factor. Companies that optimize the process can save time and money while improving employee retention. The following are several insights to improve the onboarding process for new call center employees:

Pay attention to personality traits and soft skills. Onboarding is useless if a new hire doesn’t have the demeanor required to do the job. Soft skills like empathy, active listening, and coolness under pressure significantly effect customer satisfaction. Unhappy agents that aren’t suited to the job can ultimately damage the customer experience and the company’s reputation. Employers can train new agents on technical skills. However, changing their personality is difficult, bordering on impossible.
Gamification is a strong motivator. Videogames figured out that players responded enthusiastically to unlocking achievements. Gamification in the workplace, such as friendly competition or striving to reach a milestone, can hold the same appeal. It imbues a sense of fun and excitement that ultimately improves productivity and performance.
Simplify knowledge acquisition. Knowledge bases are a must-have for agents of all experience levels. While tenured agents may know how to navigate a convoluted system, it’s likely to frustrate newer employees. A robust and easy-to-use knowledge base is a powerful training tool and allows new agents to begin fielding calls much faster.
Train agents on how to handle angry callers. Phone calls from frustrated customers are common for call centers, and new agents need to know how to handle them. Many of these calls require active listening, repeating information, and avoiding putting the customer on hold. Agents that understand the process can quickly access information to meet the customer’s needs while remaining calm.

Automation and self-service tools allow customers to find answers to many of their questions themselves. However, some situations require human interaction. How well a company onboards new call center agents directly effects the customer’s experience and loyalty. Contact Actec to learn more about implementing a nearshore contact center.

4 Ways Tech-Savvy Competitors are Disrupting the Insurance Industry

Posted on

June 14th, 2022

Andrew

Substantial upfront costs and underwriting knowledge insulated the insurance industry from disruptors for some time. However, startups shifted their focus to other areas of insurance, such as policy distribution, marketing, and merchandising. These companies worked hand-in-hand with established insurance carriers and are harnessing their newfound knowledge to alter the status quo in insurance. Examples of some of the biggest disruptions include:

Flexible coverage. Disruptors offer their customers short-term coverage that can flex depending on their needs. For example, customers that don’t drive very often don’t need as much coverage as the average driver. However, they often overpay for standard policies that carry coverage they don’t need. Rising competitors offer by-the-mile coverage to insure individual trips and allow customers to see the cost of insuring each trip before they depart.
Policy comparisons. Many customers struggle to compare coverage options between individual products. Comparing policies from one company against another is even more challenging, as they don’t always use the same language or formatting. Comparison websites equipped customers with a powerful tool to easily compare policies and quickly identify the least expensive providers.
Connected devices. Customers expect personalized experiences from their insurance providers, and connected devices neatly meet that necessity. Sensors can detect and alert homeowners of water leaks and fires to prevent large-scale damage. Satellite imagery can monitor the home for changes and identify suspicious activities to prevent break-ins and thefts. The companies also offer their customers discounts for preventing costly claims.
Digital experiences from start to finish. Few customers enjoy the idea of communicating with their insurance provider. Many dread the long wait times, multiple transfers, and protracted claims cycle that plague low-tech insurance carriers. Disruptors are digitizing the entire customer lifecycle, from researching and purchasing insurance products to initiating and resolving claims. Some examples include providing simple coverage comparisons, rapid policy quotes, multiple payment methods to suit customers’ comfort levels, and omnichannel communication.

Regardless of how an insurance provider chooses to address the challenges of emerging innovators, solid communication is the cornerstone for success. Contact Actec to learn more about implementing new communication channels for FNOL to improve the customer experience.

4 Blunders Companies Make When Communicating With Customers

Posted on

January 25th, 2022

NickB

Exceptional customer service is essential for an insurance company to succeed. Customers want to feel like a valued client rather than a file number, and they want rapid answers to their questions. They also place a premium on hassle-free claims. However, many insurance companies make several missteps when communicating with their customers. Miscommunications lead to frustration and a poor customer experience.

The following are some of the typical blunders insurance companies make when communicating with insureds:

Chronic understaffing. Customers hate waiting on hold. They hate it even more when they have an urgent problem, such as a car accident or loss. It degrades customer loyalty to have consistently long wait times, as they feel undervalued. Call logs can provide actionable insight for staffing needs by determining when call volumes are highest.
Limited communication options. It’s not always possible for an insured to call in a claim, and many prefer other communication channels altogether. For simple policy questions, some insureds would rather contact chat support. Others prefer email to maintain a record of communication. Customers expect to have several communication channels available to them, including phone, email, a mobile app, text, and chat support.
Lack of adequate training. Customer service representatives need to be experts when it comes to the insurance products the company carries, how to answer questions about various policies, and how to navigate the claims process from FNOL to resolution. In addition to being knowledgeable, service representatives need soft skills, such as empathy and problem-solving.
Not providing support 24/7. Accidents and losses don’t contain themselves to typical working hours. Insured need a way to establish first notice of loss (FNOL) wherever and whenever the incident occurs. If an insured can’t receive the help they need during a crisis, they’re likely to look for a new insurance provider. Insurance providers can meet this customer need by investing in a nearshore call center.

Nearshore call centers provide the benefits of an offshore service without the headaches. Nearshore service representatives are familiar with the customer’s culture and can respond with the appropriate empathy for the situation. Contact Actec to learn more about the benefits of a nearshore call center.

How to Improve Call Center Quality and Performance: Five Methods

Posted on

January 4th, 2022

Andrew

Businesses need a call center that answers customers’ questions quickly and satisfactorily while providing superior service. If customer satisfaction dips, companies can implement several strategies to enhance the quality of their customer service. These include:

Ensure call center employees understand the standards. Poor quality of service reflects badly on a company. Without clear guidelines, call center employees will struggle to provide the level of service a company expects. For example, if a company’s culture prioritizes friendliness, call center employees should adopt a friendly tone rather than a strictly corporate one.
Train new employees. Onboarding and training new employees are norms, but how thorough the training is affects the quality of service employees can provide. For example, allowing new employees to shadow veteran employees improves their understanding of service expectations.
Coach employees often. Call centers often record customer calls, which companies can use to coach employees. Companies can recognize high performers to help new employees learn the desired quality of service. Managers can also coach employees that are struggling to meet KPIs.
Ask customers for their input. Companies may believe their call center is performing well, but they can’t know for sure without feedback. Businesses can ask customers to fill out satisfaction surveys either via email, text, or on their website.
Learn from negative feedback. Angry customers aren’t likely to take employees’ feelings into consideration when they leave feedback or reviews. However, it’s valuable insight into weak areas of the company’s customer service.

Providing clear standards, training employees well, mentoring them, and learning from customer feedback are critical to providing quality customer service. If your current call center isn’t performing to your standard or if you’re searching for a provider, contact the experts at Actec to learn more about our nearshore call center services.

4 Digital FNOL Strategies to Improve the Online Customer Experience

Posted on

December 14th, 2021

Andrew

Customers have high expectations of their insurance company. Providing a good customer experience hinges on how well providers understand these expectations. Quality service and competitive product prices are still important, but customers aren’t willing to tolerate friction to get them. Customers need to know they are more than a file to their insurer, and they expect frustration-free interactions. Half of the customers will seek a new insurance provider after a single negative interaction. That number skyrockets to 80% with repeat bad experiences.

Here are several strategies to improve the online customer experience:

Find their pain points. Companies that identify bottlenecks or common frustration points for their customers can take steps to remove as much of this irritation as possible from digital customer service. Live chat is a great way to facilitate these conversations with insureds and allows agents to resolve customer problems in real-time.
Optimize for mobile and accessibility. Customers need to have access to their provider on any browser or device. Having a responsive website for all devices is an established standard, but it’s useless if the webpage can’t function properly on certain browsers. Customers won’t bother to download or switch to another browser. With every abandoned interaction, insurance providers lose some of that customer’s loyalty.
Let them help themselves. Customers are tech-savvy and often want to find solutions on their own time. Some popular self-service options include knowledge bases, frequently asked questions, and community forums.
Offer omnichannel communication. Customers have diverse preferences for how they engage with their insurance provider. Some prefer traditional communication methods, such as the phone or submitting a ticket through their portal. However, others want to reach out over social media, text message, or chat. Many use a mix of different channels depending on the complexity of their problem.

Insurance companies need to provide high-quality service during every customer interaction. Engaging with customers when and how they prefer is a significant step to meeting their expectations. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about implementing text and chat support.