Helping Customers via First Contact Resolution

Posted by ICCS BPO on Friday 3rd of January 2020

Primary goal for every company should be solving customer’s issues on the first attempt. First contact resolution or FCR requires more than just friendly agents, it requires a combination of agent training and an efficient contact center protocol. Here are five ways to achieve first contact resolution for maximum customer satisfaction.


FCR goals:-

To serve customers well agents need to be aware of the goals that are expected of them. An agent on the voice channel must constantly keep the conversation flowing to reassure the customer  that he is present, whereas an agent on social media or live chat may indicate his presence using a real-time feature that shows he is typing a response. Agents training should reflect best practices for every mode of channel that is being used in the business.

Always establish whether first contact resolution should take priority over other operational metrics such as average call handling time. Associates should know that they have the opportunity to spend more time on an interaction if it will help them share first contact resolution for caller.

Give every interaction a human touch:-

Emotional connect with customers is very critical in helping them find quick solutions. This can easily be achieved by keeping a friendly polite tone, showing empathy and listening attentively. Such mannerisms can calm down frustrated customers and install confidence in brand name. Through regular training, refreshers and mentoring, agents can sharpen their interpersonal skills and multiply their chances of achieving first contact resolution every time.

Identification of recurring issues:-

It is imperative to understand ongoing customer concerns. Different methods can be used to determine recurring reasons of customer contact: customer surveys, monitoring calls, analysing social media and chat transcripts and text and speech analytics etc, to gain a clear picture of the issues. Once they have been identified, your company will be better prepared to solve issues before they arise, resulting in higher first contact resolution rates.

Multi-channel approach:-

Traditionally some customers may prefer to interact on a single channel, however, at times, it is in their best interest to make a switch. For example, if a query is received on social media which requires divulging into customer’s personal data, then agent should move him to a more private channel. This way customer’s privacy is protected and his/her problem is also resolved in first contact itself.

Reassess customer satisfaction:-

A customer service associate may feel that an issue has been resolved but most important question is does the customer feel this way? Always cross check with customer to understand if he has any unresolved questions or concerns regarding proposed solution. If issues are still persisting then we need to keep going till a satisfactory and mutually agreeable solution is found.









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