However, there is also much to fear for the industry stalwarts. Set against a backdrop of narrowing profit margins, particularly with the cuts to previously lucrative outlays like European roaming charges, combined with a drive for expensive reshoring, and disruption from new market entrants, retaining and delighting valuable customers has never been more important. 

But despite this imperative: our research found that only 35% of consumers would say that their mobile phone operator offers good customer service. So where are they falling down and how can organisations in this industry rectify the situation?

Is anyone there?

The research delved deeper into the issues behind this consumer dissatisfaction. It revealed that when calling to make an enquiry in the last 12 months, a staggering 1 in 4 customers have either failed to get through to their mobile phone operator or simply hung up due to the excessive wait time. That figure is far too high and with more than half of consumers (51%) saying that “having more people staffing call centres at peak times” is a key issue in improving customer service, mobile phone operators need to sit up and take notice.

The irony of customers not being able to get hold of their mobile operator via the phone is not lost on me, but despite these cries for change, it’s not simply about putting more staff in the call centre and more head count on the balance sheet. Mobile phone operators need to ensure that they have the right resources in the right place at the right time, and make that the mantra for their call centres.

The Excel handcuffs and the technology key

The sentiment of “right resources, right place, right time” sounds simple enough, but the fact is that the majority of call centres simply cannot achieve this because they are shackled by the planning procedures and the sprawling error-prone and inefficient spreadsheets that they have in place.

To keep pace with consumer demands for quick and effective customer service in the call centre, mobile operators need to break free from this spreadsheet chain and have a clearer accurate view of their workforce data. They need insight on the fluctuations in demand and resource requirements, not just on a seasonal or yearly level, but to be able to drill down monthly, weekly, and even daily to plan effectively.

The crime is that the technology already exists to do this and much much more. With the right solution in place, call centres now have the ability to seamlessly connect every part of the workforce scheduling and financial planning process. This allows managers to ensure data accuracy, a timely and clear collaborative planning process, and improved forecasting accuracy. Armed with this more granular insight, mobile operators and their call centre managers can ensure that they are ahead of the game and proactively plan for customer demand. They can use trend analysis, at every level, to gain a greater understanding of the peaks and flows in call centre traffic the corresponding workforce requirements.

This will bring a level of certainty to the processes that was previously lacking - without customers on hold for hours or wasted headcount costs in quiet periods. Fast speed of calculation is the key here, using the latest technology to rapidly forecast and plan for multiple different scenarios simultaneously and ensure that the exact resources are available for any eventuality.

Mobile phone operators must break free from the shackles of their spreadsheets and allow their call centres to plan ahead proactively, with certainty and agility, so that they can retain and delight customers.

telecomstechnews.com