Customers contact customer support with an expectation to get solutions. However, there are situations when agents are unable to close or remedy the call on the first interaction. According to research, 15-35% of the overall calls received are repeat calls.

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to identify reasons for repeated calls and resolve them as soon as possible. The first call resolution metrics should be added to the scorecards for better analysis and reference. Here are a few tips on how to achieve first call closure:

• Identify the Pattern: Make a note of all recurring callers and the problem statement. Observe agents’ responses to those callers and determine the major issues. Concerns for recurring callers can be classified into categories such as insufficient information, technical difficulties, or unsatisfying response from the agents.
• Invest in the Right Skills: A single agent cannot handle each customer. Therefore, there is a call handling limit. Invest in resources that have different skills like marketing and sales, problem-solving, and technical excellence. A customer should be connected to agents with relevant skills after knowing the problem.
• Monitoring in Real Time: Supervisors should monitor live calls and chats randomly to discover problems immediately. This helps the supervisor to resolve problems in progress without waiting for the analysis and solution post chat.
• Agent Training: Review the evaluations first and draw concrete conclusions. Let your agents know what and where interactions are going wrong and can be improved. Once agents are aware of the opportunities, train them to overcome them. Analyze agents’ performance before and after training to know the impact.
• Set Standards: Supervisors should set an expected performance from each agent. The ideal case scenarios should be made available for agents to refer to when in doubt. The standards set for the agents should be realistic. keeping in mind various situations.
• Enrich the Knowledge Base: To resolve the call in the first interaction, make all possible information available to customers beforehand. The knowledge base for the product should be self-sufficient to answer most of the customer’s questions. Also, the reference knowledge base can be stated by an agent while communicating with the customers.

Never forget to motivate your agents in the process of first call resolution. A great number of customers can be gained or lost through the agents’ responses. The desired strategies and plans can become a reality only if the agents are implementing them. Empower your agents and observe the growth!