How To Reduce Call Abandon Rate

One of the most important KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for customer service call center companies is measuring and reducing call abandonment rates. Reducing abandoned calls, and improving call handling for call centers is always the goal to increase customer satisfaction for current and future customers. Call abandonment is when a caller hangs up before any issues are resolved, either before an agent answers their questions or addresses their concerns. Measuring the rate of abandoned calls allows an organization to measure the success of its customer service strategy. Analyzing the shortcoming of a current customer service strategy from call transferring to call handling agents will provide a clearer picture of how an organization can reduce the call abandonment rate, and improve call handling. 

In the first place, why are calls being abandoned? Firstly, the caller decided that the call was taking too long and decided to end the call then and there. Second, the caller figured out on their own the solution to the problem. Third, the caller deemed that the call center is unable to help them solve the problem. Fourth, the caller grew frustrated, regardless of the reason, and abandoned the call. Lastly, the caller disconnected the call before an agent is able to pick up the call. 

To lower call abandonment rates, companies must improve the speed to answer, manage scheduling difficulties, monitor call duration, and ensure first-call resolution. 

The average speed to answer calls is one of the most important metrics to monitor in call centers. It is important to keep in mind that speed to answer is not to be confused with call handling and first-call resolution. Speed to answer calls is the ability of an agent to understand the issues of the customer. 

Having an insufficient number of staff within a call center can lead to scheduling difficulties. To put it simply, being understaffed during peak demand will affect the quality of work of the agents involved. As a result, this kind of situation can lead to longer waiting times for callers and therefore increase call abandonment well before an agent is able to pick up the call.  Managing scheduling difficulties can be solved by hiring more staff, reducing attrition, and having an effective staffing level strategy to meet ongoing and future demand.  

This will give you a clear picture of how your agents are handling calls. However, every caller has their own complex set of issues for your agents to resolve which will increase waiting time and reduce customer satisfaction, its up to the agent and management to create a set of solutions to resolve issues as quickly as possible. Monitoring the duration of the call will help you come up with a customized solution based on the monitored calls to shorten the call and resolve any issues. 

One of the reasons why call abandon rates tend to be higher is if a caller hasn’t gotten any resolution during the first call. The truth of the matter is hat, a caller would get frustrated if the issue isn’t resolved as fast as possible. The customer service strategy must outline certain scenarios for every type of call such as, product issues like intermittent internet connectivity. Thus, ensuring a first-call resolution and which in turn increases customer satisfaction and decreases call abandonment. 

At the end of the day, customer experience will improve the call abandonment rate. The goal is to do more than just answer questions and address concerns from callers. Improving customer experience will solidify the relationship between your business and its customers. Going above what customers are asking for will typically end up satisfying more than they expect to receive. 

The call abandonment rate is another metric to watch out for to improve customer satisfaction. Solutions to reduce call abandonment such as increasing the speed to answer of calls, monitoring call duration, monitoring scheduling difficulties, and ensuring first-call resolution will reduce the rate of abandoned calls. Following those necessary solutions to improve your customer success strategy will reduce call abandonment and improve customer experience.