Position in queue meaning:
Inbound
call centers receive plenty of calls, and sometimes these calls are put on hold
or in queues. When these calls from customers or prospects are put on hold,
they are given specific positions, and this method of designating specific
positions to calls in inbound contact centers is called position in queue. These
calls from customers or prospects are synchronized in an order in queue, and
are answered according to the designated positions. Position in queue helps inbound call centers
in streamlining their incoming call handling functions in immaculate manner.
Why is it necessary to put a call in
queue?
When all
your agents are busy attending to other customers, any incoming call has to be
put on wait temporarily. The client is put on hold until an agent is free to
hear and resolve complaints.
The queue
is necessary because at any point the number of active calls is almost always
more than the number of agents. Which is to say, the customer care
representative is seldom free. Besides, if there was no queue, the calls would
simply get disconnected and the customer would need to dial over and over again
till there is a free agent, which is rarely the case.
How are calls attended to once out of
the queue?
Most
customer contact centers follow FIFO – first in first out – approach while
attending calls. This implies that whoever dials first is attended first. There
may be some priority segments, however, that need to be heard first regardless
of the position in queue. This often implies urgency where there is a significant
risk of life and, in some cases, money. Requests linked to blocking lost
debit/credit cards are catered under the priority segment and are often made to
skip the queue since there is a potential fungible risk associated.
How to position calls in a queue?
There are
plenty of software available for call center companies to position calls in
queues.
Service
providers must invest in those software to ensure efficient call positioning
systems. This will help in monitoring
the overall call handling functions, and call centers can easily get an idea
regarding the number of incoming calls that are put on hold. Using these software, call centers can
designate appropriate serial number to each call, and this further helps them
in proficiently managing and handling all the incoming calls in appropriate
manner. More importantly, these software
also informs agents about the duration of time for which customers calls are
put on hold. These data regarding calls position in queue are highly crucial to incorporate and implement efficient
call center management strategies.
Position
in queue offers plenty of advantage for call centers. Using this technique,
call centers can proficiently handle emergency situations. Sometimes customers need urgent attention and
they require immediate solutions for various issues. Call centers cannot afford to put the calls
of these types of customers on hold for long duration of time, and therefore,
it is quite necessary to designate appropriate positions to such calls. By using the techniques to position urgent
calls or high priority calls appropriately, inbound call centers can ensure
quick, efficient solutions to customers.
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