Queuing for operators
When you're in a physical queue you can see the people in front of you and make a decision whether you stay or go.
When you're in a queue to speak to an operator it's much more difficult.
To successfully manage call queues just put yourself in the position of the caller.
Make sure that the caller has an indication of where they are in the queue (position number 1,2 etc) or how long it is likely to take to reach the operator (1 minute, 2 minutes etc).
Make sure that callers can break out of a queue leaving their details for a return call.
Make sure that callers are listening to music and not to silence or even worse to adverts promoting the services of the organisation.
Keep the callers informed and set a service standard about how long a caller should be queuing so that you know whether you are exceeding or not reaching target.
You would think that the number called would have a part to play, but it seems that there is no evidence to support that callers queue for less time if they are paying for the call.
With Leadline you can see the number of callers you have in a queue at any one time and download reports. It's not always possible to avoid call queues, but losing callers and customers can be avoided by taking a few simple steps.
