Tag: fnol best practices

What Benefits Motivate Call Center Agents the Most?

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November 29th, 2022

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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:

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

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

  1. Remote work options
  2. Gift cards, bonuses, extra days off, and other similar incentives
  3. 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.

5 Customer Service Metrics that Define Successful Call Centers

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July 26th, 2022

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Outsource FNOLOutsource FNOLCall center metrics can reveal the overall health of a call center and determine its likelihood of success. Analyzing metrics and implementing data-based changes allows a call center to continually improve its processes and the service it provides to customers. The following customer service metrics characterize top-performing call centers:

  1. Average handle time (AHT). AHT encompasses the total time of a customer phone call and often plays a critical role in customer satisfaction. Shorter calls tend to indicate better service, as the agent is rapidly resolving customer problems. In contrast, ineffective call centers often have a high AHT due to lack of training, knowledge, or efficiency.
  2. First call resolution (FCR). Call centers that answer customer questions or find solutions to customer problems on the first call typically have a high FCR. FCR is essential for customer satisfaction, as frequent transfers or escalations frustrate customers and erode their loyalty.
  3. Average speed of answer (ASA). ASA measures how long it takes for a customer to reach an agent after connecting with the call center. Much like AHT and FCR, ASA directly affects customer satisfaction. If a customer has to navigate a convoluted phone tree or has to wait a long time to speak with a person, they’ll likely be agitated by the time they reach an agent.
  4. Average resolution time (AST). Similar to AHT, this metric focuses on how long it takes agents to resolve customers’ inquiries. Customers expect agents to be knowledgeable enough to answer their questions or find a solution without delay. If the agent has to place them on hold several times or for long durations, the customer loses faith in the agent’s ability to help them. If they have to wait for too long, they may abandon the call altogether.
  5. Customer effort score (CES). CES measures how much effort it took to contact the company and the ease or difficulty of reaching a customer service agent. Customers don’t want to hunt for contact information, and they don’t want to jump through several hoops to reach a customer service representative. CES also measures how much effort it took for the customer to receive an answer or solution to their problem.

All these metrics influence customer satisfaction and are pivotal to securing customer loyalty. Organizations that analyze their call center data can harness that information to improve processes, service capabilities, and the customer experience. Contact Actec to learn how a nearshore call center can elevate your company’s customer service.

4 Best Practices for Onboarding New FNOL Customers

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March 15th, 2022

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Which insurance provider a customer selects depends on several factors. The value of the product and the service quality customers receive are significant factors in overall insurance company customer satisfaction. However, insurance providers have a significant opportunity to secure a new customer’s loyalty immediately after establishing their account.

The onboarding experience can help customers feel welcomed while showcasing the value of their insurance packages. The following new customer onboarding procedures can boost customer retention and satisfaction:

  1. Offer simple tutorials. Logging into a web portal or mobile app for the first time can be overwhelming for new customers. Several tabs and content features compete for their attention and may leave them feeling confused. Including a tutorial can help new customers learn to navigate their products and services without frustration or confusion.
  2. Include an onboarding checklist. Customers may not be able to unlock the full potential of their portals without completing certain onboarding tasks. Including an automated checklist that updates as they complete these tasks can ensure the best experience possible. Automating these tasks can expedite the process as well.
  3. Provide a self-service area. Many of today’s customers are tech-savvy. They want to find the answers to their simple questions without placing a call or submitting a ticket. Offering help documentation and online answers to frequently asked questions empowers customers and allows them to find solutions quickly.
  4. Offer multiple communication channels. Customers want a personalized experience, which includes communicating on their terms. Some individuals prefer to speak to a customer service representative, while others want a chat option. Implementing several communication channels allows customers to use their preferred method to engage with their insurance provider.

Implementing text and chat services provides flexibility for customers, particularly when establishing first notice of loss (FNOL). Customers reporting a loss are often under immense stress. Having the option to text or chat with their insurance provider removes the frustration of waiting on hold or reporting a loss through a web portal. Text and chat services for FNOL meet customer needs during stressful events. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about our text and chat services.

4 Digital FNOL Strategies to Improve the Online Customer Experience

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December 14th, 2021

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

How to Overcome Chat Customer Service Support Challenges

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October 26th, 2021

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Customers expect businesses to offer several channels of communication, including through social media, email, phone calls, and chat support. Chat support is particularly effective in securing customer satisfaction and loyalty when done well. However, chat customer service has unique communication challenges that can damage the customer’s experience and perception of the company.

The following are the most common challenges that can trip up customer service agents while chatting with a customer:

Misunderstandings

Whether the customer doesn’t understand the message or the service rep fails to grasp the problem, misunderstandings can occur on both sides of the conversation. Agents should always ask for clarification rather than making assumptions about the situation. Agents that ask specific questions and use active listening techniques can get the conversation back on track.

Impersonal Interactions

Personalization plays a critical role in customer satisfaction, but it’s easy to lose in chat communication. Compounding the problem, customers can tell when an agent gives them a scripted answer to their inquiry. Using friendly greetings, referring to the customer by name, and engaging in the conversation all show the customer they are more than a ticket number.

Tone Issues

People rely on inflection, gestures, and facial expressions to interpret the tone of a conversation. Without these social cues, chat communication can come across as blunt, cold, or outright hostile. Establishing a company-wide tone for customer communication can help alleviate the issue. For example, a company that brands itself as energetic and friendly can use language to reflect that while chatting with customers.

Empathy and efficiency are critical for successful chat communication. Customers expect agents to be knowledgeable, friendly, and fast problem solvers. Effective chat customer service can meet all these needs. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about implementing chat services.

4 Ways to Provide Excellent Customer Service

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April 6th, 2021

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An insurance company may offer the best rates with the widest array of products but still lose customers to a competitor. The leading cause for this is poor customer service. Poor service can take many forms, including not resolving the customer’s issue, lacking reliability, or difficulty reaching a representative.

Insurance providers can implement the following to deliver consistent customer service that exceeds expectations:

  1. Knowledgeable representatives. Service representatives can’t troubleshoot or solve a customer’s problem if they aren’t familiar with the products. However, baseline knowledge isn’t enough. Support employees need to be subject matter experts on the insurer’s products. This helps them deliver superior service as well as make other product recommendations that compliment the customer’s existing coverage.
  2. Innovative problem-solving. Resolving the customer’s problem is the primary goal, but customer service doesn’t have to stop there. Customers aren’t likely to share their experiences when the service is straightforward. They are happy to have their issue dealt with, but the experience wasn’t noteworthy. Insurers can take customer service to the next level by offering customers more than they expected when placing the call. Examples include a small customer loyalty discount on their upcoming payment, a personalized card thanking them for their business, or useful company swag (e.g., mugs, water bottles, pens, etc.). The key is to go above and beyond, as that is more likely to drive positive reviews and referrals.
  3. Personalize the service. Customers can tell when an agent reads them a scripted response, and they don’t appreciate it. It demonstrates that the agent isn’t familiar with the customer’s products or isn’t adequately perceiving the problem. Service without personalization leaves customers feeling like they’re file numbers rather than individuals. For example, if the agent sees that a customer’s birthday is coming up, the agent can wish the customer a happy birthday to personalize the experience.
  4. Deliver on promises. When customer service representatives make promises or give their word, they need to make sure they follow through. When an insurance company doesn’t deliver on a promise, the customer feels angry and disrespected. Agents should note the customer’s file with the details, so other representatives will know what the customer is referencing if they call back.

A significant element of delivering excellent service is investing in a high-quality call center. Nearshore call centers ensure that the agents have similar cultural experiences with the customers, which allows them to have greater empathy and understanding for the customer’s needs. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about the benefits of a nearshore call center.

Quality Assurance Strategies for Better Call Centers

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January 11th, 2021

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Businesses rely on call centers to streamline calls to improve customer service, capture leads, and boost sales. If a call center’s performance quality is low, it can lower customer satisfaction and hurt profit margins. Businesses can use the following strategies to cultivate a top-notch call center:

  1. Track all forms of communication. Companies communicate with their customers through several channels. Customer support employees may field inquiries via telephone, email, text, or chat. Many call centers focus their attention on voice calls, but these other lines of communication are important for ensuring a quality experience for the customer.
  2. Incorporate coaching into the company culture. If call center employees only receive coaching following a poor performance, this can create tension and resistance to feedback. Implementing coachable moments or providing guidance on a routine basis can destigmatize feedback and improve customer service.
  3. Track and recognize improvements. Employees may feel pressured or lose motivation if they feel like big brother is always watching. If employees only receive critique, they will focus their efforts on staying off the radar rather than providing superior service. Critiques may help employees improve enough to receive acceptable scores, but recognition helps them reach their full potential.
  4. Use selective hiring practices. If a call center continually fails to meet KPIs despite extensive training and coaching, the company may not be selective enough during their hiring process. Identifying traits and characteristics of call center employees that deliver consistent high-quality services can help ensure a call center’s success.

Call centers that frustrate customers are disastrous for businesses. Nearshore call centers often outperform their offshore counterparts due to familiarity with the customer’s culture. This improves their ability to empathize with the customer and eliminates language barriers. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how our nearshore call center services can benefit your business.

FNOL Is a Customer Centric Process

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March 11th, 2015

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Customers are the very essence of every business. In fact, they are the most important asset for a company so it is vital that your FNOL system grants them the service and support they expect and require. At Actec, we believe that there isn’t anything worse than needing services from an insurer when they are closed.

Actec offers a 24/7 claim reporting system that will not leave your customers stranded in the middle of the road following a collision. We are there to fill in the gaps with experienced and well-informed personnel for the job.

Operating every hour of every day, Actec is prepared to provide top quality service to your customers, and maintain lasting relationships your business has with its customers. We understand the importance of being the first point of contact when notifying a claim, and are equipped with providing your clients with expert assistance in a friendly and professional manner.

To know more about the solutions available to you click here.

Popular FNOL Blogs

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December 11th, 2014

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First notice of loss is a crucial component of loss mitigation and claims management for a wide variety of medium to large-scale businesses. What does your notification and claims handling process look like? How actively engaged are you in your loss control and claims handling procedures?

Most businesses lose money simply by failing to pay enough attention to these important aspects of doing business in the 21st century. Read some of these popular FNOL blogs to learn more.

Catastrophe Reporting: Weathing the Storm

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May 12th, 2014

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How can your business handle FNOL call volume in the event of a catastrophic incident? Outsourcing all specific-incident calls or general overflow to claim intake professionals will dramatically reduce the likelihood of long wait times, missed claims, and other volume-related issues. High bandwidth technology including fiber optics, VoIP switching, and cloud storage allow for greatly increased call handling efficacy. Further, custom scripts that capture critical information and automatically transfer to a central database for access and reporting will mean that your business is never in the dark. These are a few of the many attributes crucial to expert catastrophic incident reporting. To learn more, contact us.