Case transfers are a costly and frustrating bottleneck. The constant “ping-pong” shuffling of cases between agents not only strains agent morale but also erodes customer satisfaction. Case transfers are a common occurrence in contact centers.
All of which give rise to a significant decline in customer experience, impacting CSAT and FCR rates.
A recent study by SQM Group revealed that a staggering 19% of customers who call a contact center are transferred to another agent.
Further, the same study stipulated that case transfers result in a 12% lower customer satisfaction rating and a 14% lower First Call Resolution rate compared to when a customer is not transferred.
Let’s take a deep dive into thoroughly understanding case transfers.
Understanding Case Transfers
Case transfers occur when an initial agent is unable to resolve a customer’s issue and must reroute the case to another agent. This can lead to frustration for both customers and agents, as it often results in delays and additional wait times.
Common reasons for case transfers include:
For a better understanding of how to best process case transfers and reduce consequences of ineffective transfers let’s take a look at what are the various types of case transfers.
Types of Case Transfers
Case transfers can be categorized into two main types:
Cold Transfers
What happens during a cold transfer:
Step 1: The receiving agent has no prior knowledge of the customer’s issue.
Step 2: The customer must repeat their problem from the beginning, leading to potential delays and frustration.
Outcome: Cold transfers can prolong call duration and negatively impact customer satisfaction.
Warm Transfers
What happens during a warm transfer:
Step 1: The first agent provides relevant information about the customer to the second agent before transferring the case.
Outcome: This ensures a smoother transition and helps the second agent address the customer’s needs more efficiently.
Integrating appropriate technology at this phase of the case transfers, smoothens the case transfers process for agents and ensures no communication is lost in translation.
For Agents
- Time wasted: Agents may waste time on cases that could have been routed more effectively, reducing their overall productivity.
- Pressure to get up to speed: Agents may feel pressure to quickly get up to speed on transferred cases without proper context, leading to potential errors or misunderstandings.
- Decreased job satisfaction: Dealing with frustrated customers and handling misrouted cases can negatively impact agent morale and job satisfaction.
- Lower productivity: Agents may experience lower productivity due to the time and effort required to handle repeated or misrouted calls.
- Potential burnout: The constant management of avoidable inefficiencies can contribute to agent burnout.
For Customers
- Increased wait times: As cases are routed between agents, customers may experience longer wait times, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction.
- Frustration from repetition: Customers may need to repeat their issue multiple times to different agents, causing further frustration and wasting their time.
- Perception of inefficiency: Frequent transfers can create a perception of inefficiency or lack of expertise in the support team.
- Diminished trust: Customers may lose trust in the company’s ability to resolve issues promptly and effectively.
- Higher chances of negative reviews and churn: Unpleasant experiences due to case transfers can lead to negative reviews and increased customer churn.
The detrimental effects of case transfers on both customers and agents underscore the urgent need for contact centers to implement strategies that minimize these occurrences and create a more positive experience for all involved.
We can bridge that gap for you with SearchUnify Agent Helper.
Let’s look at how we can do that for you.
How SearchUnify Agent Helper Minimizes Case Transfers and Improves Agent & Customer Experiences
Like you established earlier, excessive case transfers can be frustrating for both customers and agents, but with the right tools in place, this issue can be preemptively handled.
SearchUnify Agent Helper is designed to address these challenges by equipping agents with intelligent features that streamline workflows, enhance decision-making, and ultimately improve customer experiences. Here’s how:
Intelligent Case Routing
Agent Helper’s intelligent case routing feature plays a pivotal role in minimizing unnecessary transfers. This feature ensures that cases are seamlessly directed to the most suitable agent (in terms of technical expertise) from the very beginning. The intelligent routing algorithm leverages real-time data analysis to assign cases to agents with the optimal skillset, minimizing the need for transfers. Doing so, improves customer experience through reduced wait times and enhances agent efficiency by allowing them to focus on cases within their area of expertise.
Comprehensive View of Case Timeline
Agent Helper’s comprehensive case timeline feature offers agents a unified view of all customer interactions. This includes capturing self-service queries, previous agent communications, and analyzing the emotional tone of conversations through sentiment analysis. By providing agents with this holistic perspective, Agent Helper enables them to deliver highly personalized support. In the event of a transfer, the receiving agent can seamlessly pick up where the previous agent left off, minimizing customer frustration and improving overall efficiency.
Case Timeline
Automated Case Summarization
Agent Helper’s pre-built summarization agent utilizes Agentic AI and large language model (LLM) technology to provide agents with concise and informative summaries of customer interactions. These summaries eliminate the need for time-consuming manual note-taking, allowing agents to focus on resolving issues efficiently.
By presenting both brief and detailed summaries, Agent Helper empowers agents to:
- Quickly understand the case’s status
- Identify key points, and
- Determine the next steps.
This efficiency minimizes the need for transfers, as agents are better equipped to handle cases without the need for additional escalations or handoffs.
With its intelligent case routing, comprehensive case timeline, and automated case summarization features, SearchUnify Agent Helper empowers agents to handle cases more efficiently and effectively, minimizing the need for transfers. This can significantly improve customer satisfaction, enhance agent productivity, and optimize operational efficiency.
Don’t let case transfers continue to hinder your contact center’s success. Take action today and discover how Agent Helper can transform your agent operations and deliver exceptional customer experiences.