5 min
Despite significant improvements in other areas of customer service, many companies are using obsolete technology and methods to provide customer service over the phone. Other channels, such as social networks and email, are often integrated into a single ticket system, creating a unified and optimized user experience. However, too many contact centers operate with isolated software, separated from other service channels, creating a disjointed and often frustrating experience for customers and agents.
The integration of a ticket system with the call center software is now essential for customer service centers.
What Are The Seven Benefits Of Having An Integrated Ticket System?
1) Call Volume Reduction
Call queuing is one of the most effective ways in which a ticket system can reduce the volume of calls. This feature generally involves placing incoming calls in a queue until an agent can answer them.
The call queue is common to all call centers, but with the use of good software, call prioritization is established and callers are given an accurate estimate of the time they will be waiting.
Automatic call distribution (ACD) reduces the volume of calls by redirecting them to specific agents according to predetermined instructions, depending on their department, level and skill set. Generally, this process involves answering a series of questions, which the ticket system uses to generate a routing algorithm. The ACD can also identify inactive agents and, consequently, increase its routing priority.
An advanced ticket system may be able to integrate computer telephony (CTI), which connects the software to the telephone system. This function provides agents with the caller’s account information before answering the call, including their complete history. The CTI can significantly reduce the average duration of calls, since agents do not need to spend time retrieving account information.
2) Management Of Call Volume Changes
The call volume of a contact center can vary dramatically due to factors such as the time of day, the number of agents and the number of active campaigns. An environment in which all agents are always busy can generate a greater amount of short-term income, but does not allow time for activities that offer long-term benefits, such as continuous training.
A ticket system allows you to effectively plan downtime activities at a time when the volume of calls is smaller. These activities may include basic training for new agents and corrective actions for experienced agents. Those well trained are vital for user satisfaction and are better able to assume leadership roles in the call center.
3) Automation Of User Requests
A contact center should provide current and potential customers with a rewarding experience, which consists mainly of responding to their queries quickly and accurately. A ticket system can automate many simple questions from users, which can eliminate the need for them to talk to a live agent. This ability can provide a competitive advantage, especially in those industries that traditionally have poor customer service.
An advanced ticket system must include call routing that allows callers to provide the reason for their call to the system. This feature redirects the user with the most appropriate agent or to self-service options, thus reducing waiting times. This helps you provide better information to callers in real time, which is an expectation for customers today. In addition, it can help smooth the transition between the automated system and live agents by eliminating the need for the user to provide information more than once.
4) Provision Of A Continuous Multichannel Support
Current users communicate with companies through a variety of channels including email, chat, self-service and even SMS, and expect a perfect experience in all of them. When users call the company’s customer service centers, they expect agents to know who they are and why they are calling.
A ticket system facilitates the improvement of the customer experience, providing continuous and uniform support on all channels. In this way, the agents could answer a phone call with the question: “Do you call by email that you sent this morning?” or respond to a chat with “Would it be easier to talk on the phone?.”
5) Programming Improvement
Optimal programming is one of the biggest challenges for current call centers. This task can be done manually with a small number of agents, usually no more than ten. However, the software is necessary for programming as the number of agents increases above this number. The main reason why programming is complex is because it depends on many factors, including expected call volume, key performance indicators (KPIs), requested shifts, and training sessions.
A ticket system can provide supervisors with the information they need to develop schedules within the budget. This information includes the starting and closing time of each shift, and when each agent will take a break.
6) Increase Agent Efficiency
Many contact centers use the reporting capacity of a ticket system to increase agent efficiency. This process involves generating reports on the strengths and weaknesses of each agent, so supervisors can help them allocate their work time more efficiently. In addition, you can shorten the learning curve of new agents by identifying areas in which they require additional training based on their KPIs.
Integrated phone support also increases agent productivity. Time-saving tools, such as automatic ticket creation and customer profile pop-up screens, allow agents to focus on helping users quickly, not searching for information or navigating multiple systems.
7) Obtain Reporting And Analysis Metrics On All Channels
Call data is essential to effectively manage a call center. All contact center software provides collective information, such as traffic and call volume, but supervisors must also understand how the call data conforms to multichannel operations. A multichannel ticket system can help you not only understand how to specifically improve your telephone support operations, but also understand how it fits into a multichannel strategy with centralized reports.
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