Conversational Speed: The New Benchmark for Exceptional Customer Service
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Conversational speed isn’t just about talking fast—it’s about how swiftly and effectively customer service can respond to queries and positively impact customer experience. When customers reach out for help, they’re not just looking for answers; they’re hoping for a quick and empathetic response.
The faster a service team can provide accurate information, the more satisfied and loyal customers tend to be.
To get a deeper understanding of this concept, I connected with Kristin Sprows, Solutions Consultant at livepro, who has a wealth of knowledge in optimizing customer interactions. In this blog, she shares her insights on why rapid responses are critical and how teams can improve their conversational speed.
Q1. How does conversational speed impact overall customer satisfaction and experience?
Imagine you call an organization, and the agent answers with a genuine smile, listens to you empathetically, and then gives you the answer. The experience would feel so organic, comfortable, and frictionless, right?
When agents have the answer they need, when they need it, they can sit in the confident, calm space of knowing they are prepared for whatever the caller may bring. They can actively listen, be present in the conversation, and help resolve the interaction with empathy rather than sounding distracted as they search through email, chats, and document storage to find what they need, or placing the caller on hold.
Answers at their fingertips make agents more competent and efficient in their roles, reflected by Key Performance Indicator (KPI) achievement and Quality Assurance (QA) reviews.
As with everything, perception is reality. Callers know when someone is listening and responding in kind and when they’re not. Agents that sound like experts help with de-escalation, build trust and credibility, and have the potential to shift the dreaded experience of “having to call customer service” to the more pleasant “I’ll call customer service because I know they’ll help me.”
Q2. What strategies can customer service teams implement to improve their conversational speed without compromising on quality?
Conversational speed requires having the answers for wherever the caller’s journey takes you. One strategic recommendation is implementing a true knowledge management system (KMS),which is different from a knowledge base (KB). A knowledge base is included within most technical systems in one form or another. It’s typically an unorganized and open space for document storage but lacks the ability to accurately search and find the answer quickly since the results aren’t sorted by relevance.
A true knowledge management system, such as livepro, allows you to search and immediately find what you need through prioritized search results. It also supports version control and governance for compliance, provides detailed reporting for actionable metrics, and increases your organization’s Return on Investment (ROI) through a variety of integration capabilities.
Integration can mean many things to many people, depending on the context. In this situation, integration means connecting your telephony (or other systems that allow connection) to knowledge management, making your content work for you.
As an example, assume you’re a support staff taking a customer call. The customer asks a question, and before you can finish processing what you heard, a Generative AI summarized answer populates within your desktop telephony application along with the source content for reference or follow-up questions. As the agent, you’re able to provide the answer instantly, removing the need to place someone on hold, reducing the number of transferred calls, increasing first-call resolution rate, and improving the experience for everyone involved.
The power of an accurate, conversational speed interaction is undeniable. The quality depends on the “speed to answer.”
Q3. How can technology, such as AI and chatbots, enhance conversational speed in customer service interactions?
Technology can enhance conversational speed by generating immediate answers to commonly asked questions via AI-powered chatbots or systems. Not only does it proactively decrease call volumes through self-service, but it also provides a seamless transition to a live agent when the customer journey is thoughtfully mapped.
A livepro client implemented an AI Chatbot to address an unexpected organizational restructuring but wanted to provide the same stellar customer service levels they’re known for. To accomplish this, they launched their chatbot integrated with livepro knowledge management and assigned the bot permissions to access only specific knowledge within the heavily permission-based livepro system.
The natural language processing allowed for the interaction to be precise and helpful, resolving the most frequently asked questions. When there are complex situations or a customer requests for an agent, the chatbot shares the conversation with the agent to avoid redundant questions, adding to the seamless conversation flow and eliminating hold times.
Q4. Can you share examples of companies (your company) that have successfully optimized their conversational speed?
At livepro, we are proud of our 98% client retention rate and our case studies that reflect the remarkable impact of our data-driven platform. Our publications cover all major industries and are available for free download. Because it’s crucial to understand the value of true knowledge management, we have a public-facing ROI calculator estimating the amount of savings and revenue your organization can gain. Each second saved from your average handle time equals money saved and revenue earned.
Some examples include:
- 40% decrease in Average Handle Time, 10 minutes to 6 minutes (ME Bank)
- Decrease Onboarding time from 3 months to 2 weeks (Avantmutual)
- 40% increase in Speed to Competency (RAA)
- +10 increase in Net Promoter Score (RemServ)
Q5. What training methods are effective in helping customer service representatives respond more quickly and efficiently?
Launching a true knowledge management system means no one must memorize anything that can be written down, searched and found within moments. This means you can onboard new agents focusing on the voice of the company, mentoring and investing in their career development and path versus focusing on memorization of details that can change on a regular basis.
It also means you can launch new knowledge or product information without requiring multiple teams’ time, resources, or workforce management considerations needed to pull agents off the phones. Additionally, quality assurance processes can become less focused on incorrect answers and more channeled towards soft skill development.
Q6. What metrics should companies track to measure and improve conversational speed in their customer service operations?
“Speed to answer” is the linchpin to achieving interactions with conversational speed. Accurate knowledge must be easily searchable and functional for the agent. Key metrics across most customer service operations include Average Handle Time, Hold Time, Transfers, and First Call Resolution, to name a few.
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Q7. How can customer feedback be used to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for enhancing conversational speed?
Customer feedback can come in all forms, such as surveys or social media posts. It can also be studied using call abandonment rates, hold times, callbacks, or escalations. What is impacting the speed to answer? At what point are customers leaving an interaction? Are there excessive hold times for specific topics or situations?
Do agents have to open multiple windows, read through a variety of paragraphs, or place the caller on hold to ask their colleague a question? What is driving the delay in finding the answer to resolve the call effectively? Too many systems or not enough content? Asking questions to uncover a root cause can be the most impactful exercise to understand what factors you can control, change, and improve.
Q8. What are some common challenges customer service teams face when trying to increase their conversational speed, and how can they overcome them?
I often hear how teams layer technology on top of other systems in an effort to streamline or optimize their processes. However, the complex integrations don’t work consistently, as expected, or it resolves some issues but creates others.
Q9. How does conversational speed vary across different customer service channels (e.g., phone, chat, email),and how can companies optimize each channel?
A true knowledge management system can deliver accurate answers within any channel, creating a consistent outcome regardless of the method of communication. “Speed to answer” is a requirement for a naturally paced conversation to flow.
Integrations can make the speed to answer even faster. For instance, livepro has an open API that can integrate with telephony systems and support voice, email, or chat interactions ensuring your team has the answers at their fingertips.
Q10. What impact does conversational speed have on the efficiency and productivity of customer service teams?
When you give agents the answers they need when and where they need them, KPIs are more easily achieved leaving space for mentorship and professional development within your organization. When people feel empowered by having the answers, they are less stressed, have the bandwidth to actively listen, and interact with empathy.
When someone feels prepared for anything that may arise during a shift, it can completely change the dynamic of the interaction before the greeting begins.
Conclusion
After my enlightening discussion with Kristin Sprows, it’s clear that conversational speed is a pivotal element in customer service. She highlighted how integrating smarter, technology-driven tools such as advanced knowledge management systems and AI-driven chatbots can not only accelerate response times but also improve the accuracy and relevance of the information provided.
This approach minimizes wait times and maximizes satisfaction, thereby strengthening customer trust and confidence in the brand. Kristin’s practical advice offers a robust framework for any company that aims to refine their service delivery and achieve excellence in customer interactions.
