Speech Analytics Reveals Companies Aren’t F%!king Listening
Customer centricity has taken over when it comes to competitive differentiation. But if that’s the case, then why are so many companies fueling consumer anger?
Data from more than 82 million calls using artificial intelligence (AI)-fueled speech analytics revealed the use of consumer profanity in the call center is at an all-time high – creating a detrimental impact on a business’ bottom line. And even though more than 40 percent of consumers dial into the contact center simply to be heardo, the research reveals most agents fail when it comes to de-escalating volatile situations.
In fact, nearly nine out of 10 calls with instances of profanity contain cursing throughout the entire call. As customer sentiment becomes increasingly angrier, businesses must consider the underlying issues before it’s too late. So, what are the common triggers for the frustration, and how do we resolve them?
The research points to a few key findings.
- Long wait times — 42% of people agree that long wait times create hostility. Yet, research shows that profane calls average three times longer than non-profane, making it virtually impossible for contact centers to allocate the proper manpower and resources to tackle these situations. Contact centers know all too well that some customers are much more vulnerable than others and agents must adapt by exercising empathy. By using speech analytics, organizations can identify the words and contextual measures that trigger certain types of emotions and suggest an appropriate course of action to keep calls concise and successful.
- Tedious explanations — 35% of consumers resent companies for requiring them to repeat themselves from one contact channel to the next. It’s critical for customers to feel that they’re not only being listened to by the agent but the brand itself. Plus, your customers aren’t only interacting with you on the phone. With web chat, email, social media, and self-service — it can seem nearly impossible to manage CX and all the information that flows within it. Speech analytics provides immediate insight into 100% of your customer-agent communications across every channel to give agents the information needed about a consumer to better serve them.
- Repeat calls — 27% of people cite failure to resolve their issue the first time around as a primary trigger of anger. Lack of first-call resolution (FCR) is a foolproof indicator of a disconnect between your agent and the problem — and it infuriates the individual on the other end of the call. The only way to overcome this obstacle is to provide agents with the training and tools to quickly react and respond to every single customer interaction as well as understand the post-call outcome. From there, they can observe the practices that customers are receptive to, which areas need improvement, and better serve the next caller.
- Unnecessary introductions — 22% of callers tense up over long messages before being routed to the right person. Nearly half of customers say retaining their loyalty is as simple as solving service problems more quickly and efficiently — so your script may be doing more harm than good. Not to mention, callers increasingly crave a more personalized experience tailored to them. For instances where scripts are essential, allow flexibility and provide the feedback that’s necessary to make the person on the end of the call feel more valued. By training agents on empathy and identifying the behaviors that encourage positive reactions, employees will feel more empowered and won’t be as pressured to stay within the constrained walls of your script, and the customer will appreciate a more natural, human conversation.
- Misrouted calls — 21%t of callers become increasingly angry each time they are directed to the wrong person following their conversation with a contact center employee. Clumsy call falls are a key indicator of improper training, but this commonly goes unnoticed if the proper tools and feedback procedures are not in place. Your customers’ time is invaluable, so additional steps should only be suggested when it reduces overall call time. With speech analytics, organizations can track and identify call routing trends, and take proactive measures to improve their processes, such as offering a call back after service restoration or appointment confirmation.
Expectations for superior customer experience (CX) have peaked and with 77% of consumers in agreement that a negative encounter can detract from their quality of life — it’s become personal. The good news is that most of these root causes are completely avoidable, but only if you have the proper technology in place. More and more companies are getting on board with the future of CX, and you F$!#king should too.
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