Who likes to wait…? Right: Nobody! Especially telephone waiting loops have a very bad reputation. Callers, who actually only want to ask a short question, think that waiting for minutes, mostly with annoying background music, is a waste of time. While they wait to be connected to a service agent, they balance the phone between their head and shoulders or put it to one side with a loudspeaker so they can do other things while they wait.
The good news: There is another way! Thanks to IP Dynamics’ “Virtual Waiting” service center function, callers no longer have to wait with the telephone in their hands. Instead, they only pick up the phone again when they reach their waiting position and a service agent is available. The process is quickly explained. As soon as a customer dials the customer service number, and the predicted waiting time in the queue exceeds a defined limit, they are offered the option of virtual waiting. First, the customer is greeted by the voice portal. This is followed by an announcement that the waiting service can be used due to the high call volume and that an automatic callback will be made after the waiting time has expired. The customer confirms by voice or by pressing a key (DTMF). If he does not want to accept the offer immediately, it can be renewed later.
The system uses the customer’s phone number to identify whether the customer is calling from a mobile or landline phone. Landline customers are automatically called back after their Virtual Waiting time has expired and, thanks to high prioritization of their call, are transferred directly to a free agent in the service center. If the moment of the callback is inconvenient for them, they can request to be called back at a later time by pressing a key. In this way, the system gives customers maximum flexibility in the virtual waiting field. Mobile phone customers are flexible anyway. After their waiting time has expired, they are asked by SMS to call back within a predefined time window. If a mobile phone customer calls after the specified time window has expired, his prioritized waiting position is cancelled and he is placed in the waiting field like a regular caller.
If the customer calls a second time before receiving his callback or the SMS with callback request, the voice portal informs him friendly that his waiting position has not yet been reached. He is then asked to hang up and wait for the notification or call. The work of the agents in the service center is not affected by Virtual Waiting. Caller assignment is automated. IP Dynamics’ Dynamic Flow Contact Center module plays the announcements and checks all conditions – for example, from which network a customer is calling. The module also handles routing and manages the logic of the Virtual Waiting Area. It recognizes whether a caller has been virtually waiting and prioritizes them accordingly. All that remains for the service agent to do is to enjoy the fact that virtually waiting customers are generally more relaxed and satisfied…
IP Dynamics’ Virtual Waiting
- Customer satisfaction increases thanks to avoiding annoying waiting loops
- Customers get maximum flexibility, since they can decide when to call back
- Service agents do not have any additional work and are happy about relaxed callers
- The routing and logic of the Virtual Waiting are controlled by the Dynamic Flow (DFW)
