Customer Call Back Service: What Is It & Why Use It
Table of contents
Handling high call volumes and demanding customers can be tough for any business. If it’s not part of your reality, you’re one of the lucky few!
While many brands have embraced technologies like AI, chatbots, and other self-service tools to manage this, 42% of consumers still prefer speaking with a live agent for customer service.
So, it’s clear—customers want to talk to a person. But here’s the problem: contact centers can’t always handle this demand. Staffing to match peak hours isn’t sustainable, and when you can’t meet demand, there’s a risk that your customer satisfaction and NPS takes a hit.
That’s where smart callback service technology steps into the picture.
These powerful tools let callers skip long hold times and get a callback either from the next available agent or at a time that works for them.
Table of Contents
- What is a Customer Service Call Back?
- What Role Does Automation Play In Call Back Systems?
- Benefits of Customer Call Back Service
- Best Practices for Implementing a Customer Call Back Service
- How Can You Improve Your Call Back Service With Hiver
- Your call back service should be part of a larger support strategy
What is a Customer Service Call Back?
A callback option lets your customers request a return call from your support team. They can choose to get the call immediately or at a time that’s more convenient for them.
This feature gives customers the freedom to connect with your brand on their terms, without interruptions. Instead of waiting on hold, they simply fill out a quick form on your website.
Once done, they can go about their day, knowing you’ll reach out when you’re ready.
Offering a callback option means reduced wait times for your customers and a more efficient, cost-effective solution for handling high contact center demand.
In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about customer callback services and how they can improve your contact center operations.
Recommended read: Call Center Customer Service: A Detailed Guide
How Does It Work?
A customer callback service works by automatically making outbound calls based on pre-set rules and conditions, similar to auto dialers.
When a customer requests a callback, the system handles the request and schedules it based on the available settings. Admins can integrate the system with CRM software to ensure customer information is updated in real time, so agents can provide personalized service when they return the call.
Here are a few ways you can configure the callback tool:
- Customers are given an option to either wait on hold or request a callback with an estimated wait time.
- If a customer has been on hold for a specific period, like 10 or 20 minutes, the system can automatically offer them the callback option.
- Customers can also schedule their callback for a time that’s more convenient for them.
- The system uses pacing algorithms to manage the queue, scheduling callbacks based on agent availability, business hours, and current call volume.
This automated scheduling and queue management reduce wait times and ensure customers are contacted at the right moment, all while being seamlessly integrated with your CRM for an efficient and personalized experience.
What Role Does Automation Play In Call Back Systems?
Automation is the backbone of callback systems. It helps improve efficiency by storing customer phone numbers and automatically dialing them when it’s their turn in the queue.
As we saw before, when a customer selects the callback option, their phone number and place in the queue are saved. Once an agent is available, the system triggers an outbound call to the customer, connecting them quickly.
This process comes with several benefits:
- It reduces contact center costs.
- It manages fluctuations in call volume smoothly.
- It speeds up response times.
- It improves the overall customer experience.
By automating this process, businesses can handle calls more efficiently and enhance customer satisfaction.
Now that we have a fair idea of what call back service is, let’s take a look at the benefits they offer in detail.
Benefits of Customer Call Back Service
Let’s explore how a customer callback option can benefit your business right away.
1. Enhanced customer experience
Providing great customer service should always be a top priority. One way to do this is by eliminating long hold times. Offering a callback option is one of the simplest and most effective ways to achieve this.
In fact, customers prefer a callback to waiting on hold. This clearly shows how important this feature can be for your business.
One Redditor shared his experience, saying: “If you are on a long hold with a customer support line and they offer the callback number option, use it every time and you will get better customer service”
Customers don’t like wasting time in queues. Even if your support is excellent, long waits can leave a bad impression.
2. Better first-contact resolution rates
With customer callbacks, your agents can access essential details about the customer before making the call. For instance, the system can show their name, previous interactions, or pages they visited.
This extra context helps agents prepare and increases the likelihood of resolving the issue in one call.
A higher first-contact resolution rate leads to shorter hold times, fewer repeat calls, and better agent efficiency. Plus, it improves your team’s morale. Agents feel more satisfied when they can resolve issues without customers needing to call multiple times.
Recommended read: Time to Resolution: Why It Matters and How to Improve It
3. Reduced call abandonment rates
Call abandonment is a significant issue in contact centers. When customers are left waiting for too long, they often hang up and try again later. This creates repeat calls, high traffic, and unhappy customers.
A callback option can help reduce abandonment rates by as much as 37%. By offering customers the option to receive a callback, you break the cycle of frustration caused by long wait times.
This not only reduces abandoned calls but also boosts customer satisfaction as they’re less likely to hang up out of impatience.
4. Lower operational costs
It’s no secret that keeping customers on hold costs money. On hold calls are often queued on phone lines with high toll charges. The longer customers wait, the more it costs your business.
A callback option helps cut these costs by removing customers from the hold queue. This reduces the toll charges and frees up phone lines, lowering overall operational costs.
With fewer customers waiting on hold, you could even eliminate the need for some of those high-cost lines altogether, further cutting down on expenses.
5. More inbound leads
Customers who are trying to contact you are often warm leads. Missing out on these opportunities because your lines are busy can hurt your business. A callback option ensures you don’t miss these potential leads.
Plus, with a callback, you can capture and store customer information. This allows your team to nurture these leads, potentially converting them into paying customers.
The stored contact information also gives you the opportunity to run targeted marketing campaigns. Even if they don’t convert right away, you can continue reaching out and increase the chances of future business.
As one Redditor, IntelligentAd5179, shared: “I’ve always received a callback within 1-2 hours when given the option. Keep your phone on loud so you don’t miss it!” This shows how quickly callback systems work and how they help keep leads engaged, giving you more chances to convert them into loyal customers.
Best Practices for Implementing a Customer Call Back Service
Below are some of the best practices for implementing a customer call back at your business:
1. Clients shouldn’t wait twice
Once your client is at the front of the queue, the callback system connects them with the agent. There are two ways this can go: the agent waits, or the client waits.
When the client waits, the system estimates when an agent will be available and calls them a few minutes before. While this boosts agent productivity, it can frustrate your customers and hurt satisfaction.
Instead, when the agent is already on the line when the customer picks up, they have a better experience. This is the smoother option for keeping customers happy.
2. Avoid repetition of information
Customers hate repeating themselves, and it’s something many contact centers struggle with. Often, this happens because different systems don’t talk to each other properly.
All the information your client provides before requesting a callback should be saved and pulled up automatically. Make sure your callback system integrates seamlessly with your CRM and other tools to match customer data. This ensures the process is smooth and customers don’t have to repeat what they’ve already shared.
3. Don’t forget the power of the voice channel
Having a presence across all communication channels is great, but the phone is still king. Despite the rise of digital communication, voice interactions are still crucial.
Call centers often focus heavily on self-service channels, but when customers hit a dead-end, they need to speak with someone. This is where a callback option becomes so valuable. It lets customers move smoothly from digital channels to a live voice interaction. Ensure your callback solution is truly omnichannel to get the most out of it.
4. Train your customer service reps on callback protocols
Training your team to handle callbacks effectively is key to making sure your system runs smoothly. Here’s how to do it:
- Start with the basics: Give an overview of how the callback system works. Make sure reps understand how customers schedule callbacks, how the queue works, and the available self-service options.
- Show them how it’s done: Provide hands-on training, walking them through the process of scheduling callbacks, managing the queue, and handling callbacks when they come in.
- Follow-up is key: Stress the importance of following up with customers who requested a callback to ensure satisfaction.
- Real-life examples: Walk through common callback scenarios so reps know exactly how to handle them.
- Role-playing: Have reps practice handling callbacks in role-playing sessions.
- Continuous training: Keep training your team to stay updated on new best practices and systems.
- Monitor performance: Track how reps are doing and offer additional support or training if needed.
5. Use data to improve callback performance
Data can be a game-changer when it comes to improving your callback process. Here’s how:
- Spot patterns: Review callback request data to see when and why customers ask for callbacks. This can help optimize scheduling and ensure agents are ready for common requests.
- Measure performance: Track how reps are performing with callbacks. Look at how many they handle, the time spent on each, and their customer satisfaction scores. This will highlight where they might need more training or support.
- Analyze abandonment rates: Dive into why customers abandon calls. Identifying the cause can help reduce the number of people who hang up before speaking to an agent.
- Optimize resources: Use data to ensure agents, phone lines, and self-service options are being used efficiently.
- Identify issues: Look for areas where the callback process gets stuck, like long wait times or high abandonment. This allows you to make changes that improve the overall experience for customers.
How Can You Improve Your Call Back Service With Hiver
If you want to improve your callback service, integrating Hiver with your existing workflows is a great start. Hiver, known for its efficient email management and customer support features on Gmail, offers seamless integrations to help you handle customer calls better.
Take Hiver’s Aircall Integration, for example. It allows you to manage voice support directly from your inbox. This makes it easier for your team to answer customer calls without switching between apps.
With Aircall integrated into Hiver, your team can do the following:
- Make and receive calls right inside your inbox.
- Assign calls to specific team members for clear accountability.
- Log all calls automatically for easy tracking and follow-up.
- Keep all information related to each call in one convenient place.
Getting started is easy. After setting up your Aircall account, just link it to Hiver. Once authenticated, you can handle all your voice conversations from Gmail with ease.
Your call back service should be part of a larger support strategy
Using callbacks improves the customer experience, but it’s not just about the callback itself. The success lies in a seamless, omnichannel approach, making it easy for agents to assist customers. Meeting customers where they are, regardless of the channel, is equally important.
The key isn’t just the voice call—it’s smoothly transitioning customers into that call. This helps build customer loyalty and meets growing expectations. The transition must be effortless, ensuring customers feel valued throughout their journey.
Hiver makes this process effortless, connecting different touchpoints and offering a top-tier experience when customers need live support. Sign up today for free and discover more!
