Hanging Up on Call Centre Abuse with ChorusCX’ Call Handling Solutions

choruscx on August 16, 2023


For many call centre and customer support workers, verbal abuse and threats are a regular occurrence.

According to the Institute of Customer Service, 60% of call handlers have experienced hostility over the phone. Nearly half of those who faced abuse said callers were becoming more aggressive because of staff shortages…

With the current recruitment crisis and backlogged services, call queues are becoming even longer and patience is wearing thin — and customer support workers bear the brunt of these frustrations.

Harassment has become a growing concern for call centres and customer support desks, and this issue is particularly prevalent for female staff.

In fact, 39% of call handlers say sexual harassment from callers is a big issue. But it isn’t part of the job — and shouldn’t be tolerated. So, how can employers protect their teams?

Rerouting caller harassment

Some companies are acknowledging ongoing abuse and stepping in with new terms for their staff.

Lloyds Bank, for example, issues warnings to aggressive customers; if those warnings are ignored, the call is ended and a recorded message lets customers know their accounts could be closed.

But what more can be done in the stages leading up to harassment over the phone?

Record calls

Alerting customers that calls are recorded for monitoring can immediately deter them from abusive behaviour.

Recording calls also enables managers to find out exactly what was said and find an appropriate solution to issues that have taken place with their agents and customers. It’s also handy for training purposes and improving call-handling practices if necessary.

Play a pre-recorded message

There’s no excuse for threats and harassment — but having a pre-recorded message that keeps customers in the loop when staff are inundated with calls can minimise aggressive behaviour.

Adding a simple message explaining that staff are working as hard as they can to help customers may help to reduce frustration — or give callers the option to ring back another time.

Enhance self-service options 

Self-serve is an emerging contact centre trend that can be incredibly helpful in managing seasonal customer service demand. Essentially, it’s about allowing customers to answer their own questions.

By enhancing the frequently asked questions, resource library and user-friendliness of a business’ website, customers can easily find the answers to their questions online, and they’ll be less likely to call.

Self-serve options can help reduce call volume and free agents to field more critical calls, increasing service levels and avoiding frustrations over long hold times.

Use call analytics to spot busy times and issues

Call analytics is an excellent tool for improving customer service and relieving the pressures of call centre staff.

Using this tool to spot key issues, including busy periods and recurring customer issues, helps employers determine working schedules and ensure enough staff work during peak times.

Taking these proactive measures is a step in the right direction. But what more can be done to protect employees from aggressive spam calls — or even stop them in their tracks?

We have a solution.

Calling for backup

 

ChorusCX is passionate about improving call security nationwide — and has created several tools to bolster the safety and quality of call centre operations…

Built into our best-selling Number Manager platform, ChorusCX Call Shield identifies fraudulent or spam calls based on their location, call source, number presentation and the volume of concurrent calls.

We can extract and analyse the metadata of every single phone call, profiling it and establishing whether it has all the typical characteristics of a spam call — before employees have time to pick up the phone.

Think aggressive callers can slip through the net? Think again.

Number Manager’s handy caller exceptions feature allows our customers to upload specific nuisance numbers in order to block or flag them — enabling you to define a workflow around handling spam calls and ensuring you have proper call security processes in place.

And it’s only getting better. ChorusCX is working on a savvy new feature that lets agents intercept malicious calls whilst they’re happening — barring the caller from getting in touch again (even if they hide their number) and protecting staff from malicious callers.

All in a day’s work…

ChorusCX is on a mission to protect our customers from abuse and harassment. Looking for an intelligent solution to keep aggressive callers at bay — and your staff safe? Contact us at 0161 444 3333 to learn more about ChorusCX Call Shield’s features.

Automation and AI: Changing the Face of Telco

choruscx on May 11, 2023


[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”true” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_sizes_right=”” first=”true”][fusion_text]These days, consumers expect to connect with customer service agents however they want, whenever they want. And they want a reply within minutes — if not seconds…

Of course, every business wants a large (and growing) customer base. But when call lines become inundated, and 24/7 support services are stretched thin, that’s when you know your telecommunications company needs to start implementing advanced solutions to streamline the workflow.

So, how can telcos adapt to keep up with increasing demand?

The power of artificial intelligence and automation

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are becoming increasingly popular for performing tedious, manual tasks that bog down agents in the telco industry.

From scheduling to account checks and top-ups, these chatbots provide a way for customers to carry out a variety of service operations — without the need for a live agent.

Not every customer query needs human intervention. We saw that when the pandemic hit and made chatbot capabilities essential for diluting call volumes… and it doesn’t look like this trend’s going anywhere.

In fact, Tidio says 62% of consumers would prefer to use a customer service bot rather than wait for human agents to answer their requests.

But what does the use of automation and chatbots look like for telcos?

Reduced call times

As the first line of service, a chatbot is customers’ primary point of contact, helping them find the expert to resolve their problems.

With a set of basic questions, it can find out several crucial bits of information: whether the caller represents a corporate or individual account, if they’re a new or current customer what their account number is and what their inquiry concerns — with a detailed description of their problem…

Using chatbots to direct the caller to the appropriate handler frees up valuable time for the customer service agent — and boosts customer satisfaction. No one wants to hang around waiting to be transferred from agent to agent, do they?

Plus, chats can be saved and sent to the customer’s email, saving future time for the customer and agent.

A drive in sales

Generally, AI chatbots are built with a CRM (customer relationship management) system, which are sources of customer data.

Using cloud call centre software, businesses can link all their operations through an online network, which allows the chatbot to access account insights like the customer’s interests, previous purchases and buying behaviours.

With this handy information, chatbots can pitch and upsell the most relevant products and services to suit the customer’s needs.

Does the customer regularly exceed their data plan? Well, the chatbot can suggest a better plan — or even walk them through the process of upgrading their plan and recording it on the system.

Fully scalable operations

Why limit yourself to a few interactions when chatbots can engage with thousands (if not millions) of customers at a time?

Hosted call centre solutions use AI to scale operations, reach a larger demographic, and even effectively provide remote assistance in different countries and languages! And increasing your global presence never hurts if you want to see your revenue climb…

By integrating AI into your business operations, customers can count on you for round-the-clock reliability — without adding another person to the payroll.

We’ve had our finger on the pulse…

 

For 15 years, ChorusCX has been at the forefront of cutting-edge technology to bring groundbreaking solutions to our customers and streamline their workflows with innovative automated features.

We have several products and services that utilise automation, allowing our customers to do more with less…

ChorusCX Number Manager

Number Manager is ChorusCX’ industry-leading inbound call management platform.

We’ve bundled an array of high-tech features that simplify complex connectivity requests — all from a simple-to-use web application. Who’d have thought advanced call routing could be so cost-effective (and so easy)?

Packed with functionality, Number Manager utilises automation technology to take all the work out of managing your customers’ services and provide callers with a streamlined experience from start to finish.

Does it get better? Obviously…

For a fully scalable operation, make real-time changes to any Number Manager service from multiple devices. Plus, reports can be generated instantly or scheduled to keep your customers in the loop at all times — so your agents don’t have to.

ChorusCX Call Shield

Built into Number Manager, ChorusCX Call Shield can be switched on and personalised at the click of a button, allowing customers to benefit from immediate fraud detection.

With AI and machine learning generating algorithms that grow smarter by the second, our Call Shield solution can analyse multiple data points simultaneously to pick up on and safeguard you from phone calls that could be fraudulent.

Cool, right?

ChorusCX Agent Ready

Looking to achieve a successful remote workforce?

Agent Ready is intuitive, easy to use and simple to set up. Available for iPhone and Android devices, the app is ChorusCX’ answer to streamlining remote workforces with a high volume of inbound calls across multiple numbers.

We know every business wants to manage its inbound calls differently. So, Agent Ready offers the flexibility to customise how calls are routed through advanced automated call distribution. Plus, workers can either log in manually, receive login access via an administrator or work on an automatic schedule.

Are you ready to revolutionise the way you work through automation? Discover how ChorusCX’ industry-leading solutions can maximise your productivity and minimise your workload. For more information, get in touch with our team at sales@invosys.com today.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

ChorusCX Flow: More Than Just Unified Communications

choruscx on August 25, 2022


Take a minute to observe your day-to-day life. How many aspects of it can be carried out with immediacy? Order online and get next-day delivery. Google the weather and know what to wear for the upcoming week. Open your social media apps and see what your friends are doing this very second…

Technology is evolving at an overwhelmingly fast rate, where everything is available to us at the touch of a button or a simple voice command. In a society that’s more digital than we could have ever imagined, the buzzword is ‘instant’. We’re becoming less accustomed to having to wait for, well, anything really.

So, why should carrying out the day-to-day tasks at work be any different?

At ChorusCX, our buzzword is ‘unified’.

Creating effortless communication

Earlier this year, ChorusCX partnered with Telavox, a leading specialist in unified communications as a service (UCaaS) solutions, with the idea to collaborate with one goal: to innovate how our customers communicate. Let us introduce ChorusCX Flow…

Our ChorusCX Flow hosted solution is a practical, fully featured unified communications platform that allows businesses to manage costs, users and security through a single portal — removing the need to switch between disperate platforms.

As any employer knows, the opportunity for employees to communicate effectively — in real-time — is critical for the day-to-day running of a business.

With video calling, instant messaging and inbound and outbound calling, ChorusCX Flow users can keep in touch with their customers and colleagues wherever they may be — from the palm of their hand, their computer in the office or from home. The solution can be deployed in minutes across organisations of all sizes, allowing employees to communicate effectively from within the organisation and handle sophisticated telephony choices and video calling internally and externally.

So, it’s pretty great. But every business has different requirements — we hear you. That’s why our ChorusCX Flow offering is fully customisable to suit every team, every business and every need…

Customisable features await

Each user has access to an easy-to-use browser, desktop or mobile app that can be used in conjunction with one another; synchronise Google or Microsoft users and see all other users within the organisation for an ‘instant’ communication experience.

Looking for a bit of control? Useful functionalities such as whisper announcements, disaster recovery and out-of-hours options are in your hands. Select which devices you want to receive notifications on and edit by profile. Whichever profile you’re operating from, you can customise which notifications you receive and when with the click of a button.

Many of our customers prioritise number presentation as part of their standard business protocol. Understandably, you’ll probably want to present your call as a company number rather than your personal direct dial number. Our caller ID allows you to present any number you’d like from within your account — and number porting has never been easier. Our flexible number presentation feature means you can start presenting company numbers even before they’ve been ported to us. Yes, now we’re just showing off…

Thanks to our industry-leading call management platform, ChorusCX Flow reaps the benefits of Number Manager. We like to think that ChorusCX Flow is where end-user communication happens, and Number Manager is where partners customise it — a happy union that creates seamless communication!

The vast array of inbound and outbound call handling features and services allow you to control complex call routing solutions — suitable for any business type.

Routed calling

We’ve redeveloped our outbound call restrictions feature specifically for this product, enabling you to fine-tune the allowed destinations required for your business to ensure you never have to query calls to spurious destinations.

Safeguarding

This call restrictions feature can be locked down at the account level or the user level and can even specify individual numbers you wish to allow or deny. Blocking pesky spam calls or harmful scammers can also be controlled with our Call Shield filter further enhancing your security requirements and making sure every valuable call counts.

Call barring

Simple controls allow you to select which users to include in a call-routing plan and modify inbound settings, such as CLI presentation and outbound call barring. Calls can also be directed to frontline employees (to save company directors and CEOs from being bombarded with incoming calls — you’re welcome).

The future is unified

With ChorusCX Flow, the options are endless, from both a partner and end-user perspective. Optimise your communication with a platform that has flexible, reliable and revolutionary solutions at its forefront.

Does it get better? Unbelievably, yes. We’re continuously working to make this platform as versatile and customisable as possible. As we speak, we’re working on a toggle feature to enable users to switch calls between devices. Picked up a call on your mobile and need to change to your laptop? No problem… we told you, we’re show-offs.

 Are you ready to unlock the features of ChorusCX Flow and revolutionise the way you work? We thought so. Discover more about the future of unified communications, our ChorusCX Flow platform, and get in touch with our team at sales@invosys.com. We’re more than happy to help.

Adapt or Die: the 2022 Blueprint for Telco

choruscx on August 9, 2022

Telecommunications has always been an ever-changing industry. Performance standards are constantly being set, and new competition is met daily — particularly in the wake of recent events.

The last two years have further emphasised how important it is for businesses to change with the times. In 2022, telcos find themselves at a crossroads: they can either dither around the edges to achieve incremental progress or take advantage of the reinvention of the industry accelerated by the pandemic.

At ChorusCX, we understand that innovation is vital, especially in this do-or-die economy. So, what market trends should your business be adapting to in 2022?

Telephony meets the cloud

 

Cloud computing is one of the most transformative technologies of our time. By moving data and applications to the cloud, users can access them from anywhere, and businesses can enjoy increased agility, flexibility and scalability. But although customers are accustomed to seeing cloud technology in an IT and data environment, this hasn’t always been the case from a telephony point of view.

Since the pandemic and the scramble for hybrid-working solutions, there’s been an urgency for end users to be able to work remotely whilst retaining the same user experience — whether they’re mobile, sitting in the office or working from home. That’s where cloud technology comes in.

Organisations have promised cloud-based hosted telephony with true convergence of telecoms and IT for over a decade. At ChorusCX, we like to practice what we preach…

Our ground-breaking MS Teams direct routing solution enables customers to route calls to and from Microsoft Teams, utilising all the advanced features of ChorusCX’ comprehensive Number Manager: our industry-leading inbound call management platform.

This public switched telephone network (PSTN) solution gives users complete control of their call flows from one place, allowing Teams users to quickly and easily synchronise with the Number Manager service at the click of a button.

Similarly, our ChorusCX Flow hosted solution is a practical, fully featured unified communications platform that allows businesses to manage costs, users and security through a single portal — removing the need to switch between numerous separate platforms.

 

Data and connectivity

 

The journey to the cloud is also the driving force behind another market trend: data and connectivity.

Cloud-based users and businesses are hungrier for bandwidth than ever. As the use of video calls increases, so does the need for bigger, better and faster connectivity.

Plus, the imminent Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Switch-Off has those working from home questioning whether they should go to fibre and how much bandwidth they would need. Connection quality must be up to scratch to ensure productivity levels are the same at home as in the office.

Though fibre to the premise (FTTP) is still being rolled out across the UK, you may not have access yet (check if your area is eligible here). But not to worry — we have you covered.

As an interim solution for customers, single order generic ethernet access (SoGEA) provides broadband without a phone line, readying you for the Switch-Off. It’s quick to install, reliable to use and offers a cost-effective solution to future-proof your connectivity.

Now, it’s time to chat…

Multi-channel communications

 

Living in this digital era has instilled in us one thing: we want answers, and we want them now.

A challenge for businesses has been providing options for customer service. What method of contact do customers prefer? Whether it’s SMS, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Twitter feeds, emails or phone calls, customers want choice and immediacy in their communication.

ChorusCX’ drive for exceptional customer service and support has always set us apart from our primary competitors. Still, we understand the importance of evolution. That’s why we aim to transform how we communicate with our customers through chatbots and social media, ensuring they get the same user experience on every channel they use.

A finger on the pulse

The telco market of 2022 offers a unique opportunity to either completely reimagine your business or risk being overtaken by more relevant competitors.

As a result, ChorusCX is undergoing a transition, looking at every aspect of our services to keep our products relevant, our communication strong and our business model stable. All businesses are finding themselves in a sink-or-swim position — how will yours utilise these market trends to stay afloat?

Need help revolutionising your services to stay one step ahead of market trends? ChorusCX is your solution. Contact us at +44 (0)161 444 3333 or email sales@invosys.com today!