{"id":10589,"date":"2018-11-29T13:41:15","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T18:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.specialtyansweringservice.net\/?p=10589"},"modified":"2018-12-04T14:46:10","modified_gmt":"2018-12-04T19:46:10","slug":"top-11-reasons-why-call-centers-have-hold-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.specialtyansweringservice.net\/top-11-reasons-why-call-centers-have-hold-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 11 Reasons Why Call Centers Have Hold Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you make the decision to start using a call center, either 24\/7 or just as overflow support, the goal, of course, is that your callers will never experience hold times, or at least significantly less hold times than they experience when your front desk is overwhelmed. The problem is that most consumers have unrealistic expectations about the level of support that call centers can provide. Does the call center have more staff than you do? Yes. Do they have people working around the clock<\/a>? Yes. But does that mean that hold times are a thing of the past? Realistically, no.<\/p>\n

There are a number of reasons why call centers leave callers hanging. While they are not ideal, some can be prevented, and others are just par for the course when it comes to outsourced answering services. To help you have a full understanding of what\u2019s going on behind the scenes, we\u2019ve outlined 11 issues that contribute to longer-than-normal wait times.<\/p>\n

#1. The service is understaffed.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If the service has recently lost staff, or if they haven\u2019t been able to hire new agents because of rate of pay (which is notoriously low in the call center industry), then you\u2019re looking at a staffing issue with no immediate resolution. It\u2019s kind of hard to answer the phones promptly when there simply aren\u2019t enough agents to manage call volume. However, it\u2019s important to note that unless calls are coming in on a one-to-one ratio of calls to agents, there will more than likely be some hold time, even if it\u2019s only a few seconds.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re looking at things that are out of the call center\u2019s control, such as illness or weather-related absences, those present their own challenges. If the issue is absence due to illness, shift supervisors may be able to call in staff to cover a few hours here and there. And if the issue is weather, this would be an ideal time to utilize any work-at-home staff that the center has on their payroll to improve the calls-to-agents ratio.<\/p>\n

#2. There are unexpected spikes in call volume.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the greatest challenges that call centers face is unexpected spikes in call volume, which, by their very nature, cannot be predicted or prepared for. There are times of day where call volume is heaviest \u2013usually from 7am to 10am or 2pm to 5pm \u2013 and staff is scheduled accordingly to accommodate that increased traffic. But when there is a sudden influx of calls, such as from a promotion that was not brought to the call center\u2019s attention or a product recall, wait times will be longer than the norm. Because there\u2019s no way to predict the duration of the call volume spike, it would not be advisable to call in staff members who are off. This will impact the center\u2019s bottom line and may prove to be unnecessary by the time the staff arrives.<\/p>\n

#3. There are expected spikes in call volume.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Even expected spikes in call volume can be a logistical nightmare. Here\u2019s a for instance. Let\u2019s say that a local retailer is running a radio promotion<\/a> at 1am on a Sunday, and there is an average of 25,000 listeners during that hour. If the call center knows the date, time, and duration of the ad, they can staff suitably to minimize holds. But what if the number of listeners just happens to be double on that particular date? Not only is this unpredictable, but it is unmanageable. Unless management is psychic, there is no way to forecast or adjust for this type of overflow.<\/p>\n

#4. The service inaccurately assessed trends forecasted from the previous year.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Speaking of forecasting, this is something that call centers do, year over year, to gauge the anticipated call volume on any given day. Trends are examined from the previous year, and staff is scheduled based on those numbers. But what if the center\u2019s client roster has increased by 500 over the past year? If the increased call volume is not accounted for in the new forecast, the center may be grossly understaffed, and up goes the queue time. When such a situation is not immediately realized or addressed, it will certainly engender ire in callers and clients alike.<\/p>\n

#5. It\u2019s the middle of the night.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Call centers are constantly working to ensure that they have appropriate coverage for peak hours and throughout the day. Where this becomes difficult is in the overnight hours. Agents are generally required to be available for all shifts, depending on scheduling needs. However, as one might imagine, most aren\u2019t chomping at the bit to come in for a 12am to 8am shift. This can result in call-outs that are hard to cover when you\u2019re trying to get ahold of unscheduled staff at 12am. That isn\u2019t the only issue, though.<\/p>\n

While call trends are examined in advance for scheduling purposes, there is no good way to gauge how many people will be calling in at 3am. What it all adds up to, unfortunately, is extended wait times, for which there is no rapidly available solution. If it gets really bad, supervisors may have to pitch in and start taking calls.<\/p>\n

#6. Some agents are slower than others, especially when they are in training.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As with any new employee starting any new position, training is a requisite part of the gig. Many people might be inclined to believe that answering phones is easy stuff. And in certain cases, that may be true. But when it comes to answering phones at a call center, agents are responsible for way more than simply picking up the phone. First off, there\u2019s an entirely unfamiliar software system that they\u2019ll need to learn. They\u2019ll also receive training on:<\/p>\n