How to Prepare Your Credit Union Call Center for Call Spikes

Contact Center | 2 minute read

Credit unions’ commitment to serving their members is reflected in their healthy growth: these financial institutions now count more than 110 million people as members and hold deposits totaling $1.1 trillion. When a growing sector builds its reputation on customer service, customers themselves can feel the strain of growth when that reputation is no longer met or exceeded. The bottom line is that keeping customers happy during an expansion is no easy feat.

Credit union call centers face a unique set of challenges beyond brisk growth. Traditionally smaller in size, credit unions often lack the resources to implement “best-in-class” technologies, making it especially tricky to tackle surges in call volume that come from rapid growth. With 76% of customers viewing customer service as the real test of much a company values them, long wait times can leave brand new members (and existing ones) annoyed and frustrated.

Fear not: By planning now to prepare your call center for increased call volume or “random” call spikes, you can easily avoid any major fallout. In our latest field guide, you’ll read about four of the most important ways you can get your call center ready for any scenario. Here’s a sneak peek:

Optimize your Self-Service Channels

Regardless of age, more customers than ever are using mobile banking. As a result, employing self-service options for customer interactions can remove an unnecessary burden on agents, while keeping customers happy. You can also promote self-service channels using your IVR. You can direct callers to your self-service options, whether that’s your mobile app, or live chat options.

Don’t Neglect Training

Many credit unions’ call center agents are frustrated about productivity lost to juggling multiple channels and disparate systems. This is especially true of new agents who can be easily overwhelmed. One way to make the process of staffing up more successful is to tag-team new hires with your more experienced team members. By watching those who are genuinely comfortable with the system, new hires can quickly learn the most efficient and effective methods of accomplishing their required tasks.

(This is just a sample – you can download the full guide here!)

Managing drastic spikes in call volume while preserving a world-class customer experience is not easy. However, there are specific tactical actions that can alleviate the pressure your organization feels during these periods of growth. This is how you build that all-important and hard-earned trust, two ingredients critical to financial decisions and member lifetime value.

Learn how to “growth-proof” your call center with this handy, game-changing guide.

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