To increase first call resolution, agents are the first and most crucial line of defense (FCR). Therefore, it is crucial that they are aware of the significance of FCR and have a thorough grasp of what they can do to contribute to its improvement.

So, how to improve first call resolution in a contact center?

Read this article to find yourself the solutions to improve first call resolution. 

First Call Resolution - What Is It?

Commonly referred to as first call resolution (FCR), it merely describes the proportion of requests that your support staff members successfully resolve during their initial contact with clients. In other words, the ability of your team to provide the correct response in a single response is being evaluated here.

You can see why raising your FCR is so crucial now. A high FCR not only shows that your staff offers outstanding customer service, but it also demonstrates that your clients are getting the answers they require quickly, which raises their level of satisfaction. And we are aware that the best predictor of a business' success is client pleasure. Ready to increase your productivity? Let's look at some quick ways to improve your first call resolution rate.

>>> Read more: 8 Essential Call Center Metrics For Customer Experience and Agent Productivity

How To Improve First Call Resolution Contact Center?

Low Level Of Customer Effort 

Contacting customer service ought to be quick and simple. Consider how difficult it would be for your clients to obtain support if you put yourself in their position. By the time you locate someone who can genuinely assist you, you're probably exhausted and prepared to give up. You don't want your clients to feel that way. In fact, the FCR decreases the more work it takes for them to reach you.

Why? Because they are now more interested in venting their grievances over the caliber of your support than in having an open discussion about the problem. De-escalating the call now takes up the time you could have spent solving the issue or responding to queries. Your consumer will probably need to get in touch with you once more to adequately communicate their worries at this stage.

What should you do then? The most important thing is to make sure you are visible where your community expects you to be. The majority of firms would make a mistake if they didn't provide customer support on social media nowadays. On your website and support center, you should also provide a link to your contact details. Additionally, whenever possible, put contact details on the product itself.

Create A Useful Knowledge Base

Your clients should be able to access these articles and discover the answers they require without having to look very far if you have an excellent knowledge base center. You could counter that it doesn't genuinely contribute to improving your first call resolution. 

Customers won't even need to call you owing to these articles. While theoretically correct, oftentimes all it takes to get customers to contact you via email, chat, or social media to fix their problem is to simply share the links to these articles. This way, they won't need to get in touch with you again.

For example, the StringeeX blog page provides informative articles relating to call centers, contact centers, customer service, etc. Potential customers can come to these articles to have knowledge about Stringee’s solutions before purchase. 

Clarify The Issue

Knowledge is power. This finding is particularly pertinent to the field of customer service. You have a better chance of locating the necessary components to offer a prompt and effective solution if the information you collect about your consumers' concerns is comprehensive and precise. Focus on the issue that your consumers are contacting you about when you speak to them. Spend some time listening and making notes as they describe the circumstance.

By doing this, you can obtain the data you require in order to work on their case, removing any ambiguity as it is revealed. Additionally, be sure to validate and repeat every piece of information you get. This empathy approach, also known as "active listening," is employed by FBI negotiators to ensure that all parties are on the same page during the whole dialogue. You can start working on a solution after you are able to thoroughly isolate the problem.

Anticipate Customer Needs 

Having a proactive approach to problem-solving is one of the cornerstones to provide outstanding customer service. Understanding the customer's interactions with the product or service might reveal a lot about any future issues they may experience. You can gain important knowledge by soliciting this client feedback or by just documenting any irritations they have while using your product.

This discovery method might help you predict the queries your client is likely to have after the call. You'll prevent your client from contacting you later if you respond to these inquiries right away. Simply put, take initiative! Your FCR will be grateful.

Empower Your Customers

Encourage your clients to use the tools at their disposal to find the solutions they require. Ask them politely if they'd like to learn how to search your help center for information at the conclusion of your conversation. They are frequently unaware that you have a knowledge base and are relieved to realize that they can use it to conduct research instead of repeatedly calling customer care for assistance.

Giving clear directions and outlining each stage of the solution you offer is another excellent technique to empower your users. Say things like, "Do you see how I am able to __ by taking this action?" or "Anytime you hit this button, this will occur," if you're guiding them through a process. Teach them your ways rather than merely giving them the knowledge.

Encourage Your Agents

Find creative ideas to inspire your employees and boost business morale. Pleased employees typically translate into happy clients. When agents are motivated to help clients, it is evident in all facets of their profession. Instead of hurrying to get clients off the phone, they take their time to thoroughly address queries and resolve problems. Instead, they appreciate and prioritize the caliber of their work.

Although it's a popular KPI to measure how many calls are made in a certain period of time, you should be careful that this doesn't directly clash with your objective of increasing first call resolution. Your FCR can be significantly impacted by agents whose only incentive is the volume of support requests they accept each day. Your employees should prioritize providing excellent customer service.

Train Your Team Frequently

Give your support representatives the product knowledge they need to succeed by training them in a range of subjects. Giving your agents the tools they need to drive calls and resolve issues is essential because it is practically difficult to understand everything there is to know about a product. Knowledgeable staff members radiate assurance and gain your clients' trust, which raises customer satisfaction.

Respond To All Of Their Inquiries 

Make sure you always have a pen and a piece of paper handy when assisting consumers. Not so that you can hone your mandala-drawing abilities while having a chat. You'll want to jot down every single question they'll ask or imply, so this is vital.

Review the list of the concerns you have addressed with your customer before hanging up the phone to be sure you have addressed everything. It's not just a terrific approach to make sure you've got everything covered. Additionally, it shows that you actually care about giving them the responses they require.

How StringeeX Solutions Empowers Call Center

At StringeeX, our area of expertise is assisting call centers in achieving significant gains in their first-call resolution rate. We offer call center agents a 360-degree perspective of the customer through the use of integrated data, records of prior service requests, and more. The more information available to your agents, the better.

Speaking of agents, our unified service desk enables them to access data via a variety of means, such as instant messaging, so they can acquire the most recent information from other agents and resources without having to hang up a call in the process.

For more advice on features and functions of StringeeX’s call center, please contact us.