What are Short Calls?
Short Calls in a Contact Centre:
Definition: In the realm of contact centres, “short calls” refer to customer interactions with a remarkably brief duration, typically lasting less than 10 seconds. These interactions, while ostensibly efficient, can raise concerns when their brevity stems from unwarranted or disruptive agent behaviours.
Significance of Short Calls: Efficiency is highly valued in contact centres, where handling a large volume of customer inquiries is paramount. However, not all short calls are indicators of superior efficiency. Some agents employ a dubious strategy of answering calls only to promptly disconnect, with the intention of artificially inflating their call handling statistics.
For customers, experiencing a short call is frustrating, especially when they’ve endured waiting times to connect with an agent, only to be abruptly disconnected. On the other hand, agents may appear to have dealt with a higher volume of calls, potentially influencing their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or even their rewards.
Mitigating Short Calls: The foremost strategy for preventing short calls is to ensure agents aren’t motivated solely by the quantity of calls they answer. Focusing on KPIs or targets based on the number of calls handled is often an ineffective approach to driving improvement in a call centre.
Instead, it is recommended to emphasize quality interactions over quantity. Implementing meaningful KPIs, such as customer satisfaction scores and first-call resolution rates, can motivate agents to prioritize customer service excellence over call volume.
Additionally, regular random checks and monitoring processes should be in place. These checks are crucial to identifying any issues related to short calls, enabling prompt intervention.
Monitoring Short Calls: To effectively monitor and address short calls, modern call centre systems come equipped with essential reporting tools, including the “Short Calls” report. This report allows supervisors to track short calls by individual agents or across the entire centre. It’s a valuable resource for identifying agents who may engage in disruptive call practices.
Modern systems can even determine which party, whether the customer or the agent, initiated the call disconnect. This data can prove invaluable in understanding the reasons behind short calls.
Final Considerations: When assessing short calls, it’s essential to examine trends and averages over time rather than isolated incidents. Regular reporting and analysis are critical. If a particular agent consistently demonstrates a significantly higher rate of short calls compared to their peers, this becomes a focal point for addressing potential issues, whether in training, motivation, or process optimization. By maintaining a balanced focus on quality, quantity, and agent behaviour, contact centres can mitigate the challenges associated with short calls, ultimately delivering superior customer experiences.