Author
Penni McLean-Conner is the vice president of customer care at NSTAR, Massachusetts’ largest investor-owned electric and gas utility. McLean-Conner, a registered professional engineer, serves on several industry boards of directors, including the CS Conference, the Consortium for Energy Efficiency and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Her first book, “Customer Service: Utility Style,” has been published by Penn Well Books.
For many of us in the utility business, percent of customers will select the become available. Customers will hear
this is the time of year when we finalize option of a callback. a reconnection script that informs the
our budgets and plans for the upcoming customer of the call origin and intent.
year. As always, customer service leaders Customer Impact
look for initiatives that can improve Customers do not like waiting on hold for NSTAR case study
service and reduce costs. One customer their calls to be answered. Utilities face NSTAR installed a virtual queuing
service investment that meets this a particular challenge with managing system in 2005. The project plan from
criterion is an investment in automated call wait times because of the need design to implementation was seven
queuemanagementreturncallsystems. to respond to unexpected events, like weeks at a cost of $210,000. This
An automated queue management storms, which can create spikes in call project not only came in on budget, but
return call system allows customers volume. The longer the wait times, the also on time.
to request a return call rather than the more frustrated customers become and At NSTAR, we offer our customers
conventional practice of waiting in the more complaints a utility receives. the call back option if the expected wait
queue. This technology intercepts an Queue management systems offer the time is greater than two minutes with the
inbound caller at a pre-determined call center the ability to provide responsive following prompt:
queue time threshold, informs the caller service, handle peaks in call volume and “All of our representatives are
of expected wait time, and offers to hold do so in a customer-friendly manner. assisting other callers. Rather than wait
the caller’s place in line or to schedule a The JD Power 2007 residential utility on hold, we can call you back when it’s
callback at a specified time. The benefit customer satisfaction survey revealed that your turn. You will not lose your place
from a customer service perspective is automated queue management systems in line if you choose to use this service.
that it offers customers choice and, if were much preferred by customers over To receive a callback, press ‘ 1.’ For more
a callback is selected, the freedom to conventionalhold. options, press ‘ 2.’ To remain on hold,
complete other activities. From a call press ‘ 3.’ To schedule a callback for a
center perspective, it improves contact later time, press ‘ 4.’ ”
center service levels while avoiding the Research indicates that In our experience, more than 45
costs of additional staff and decreases percent of customers offered the option
telephony toll charges by reducing the
50 percent of customers select it. On average, customers receive
amount of time callers wait on hold. a call back and are connected with a
will select the callback option representative in seven minutes.
Operational benefits At NSTAR we have received Queue management systems offer positive customer feedback from the greatest value to companies that How the system works the queue management system. The experience variable peaks in call Queue management systems are system is helping our service level volume. Companies are able to avoid the designed to work alongside an automatic performance—in fact, on some days, cost of hiring additional staff that would call distribution system (ACD). During we have experienced an improvement otherwise be necessary to increase peak call volume, the technology of 10 percentage points in service levels service levels, or the percentage of calls intercepts the call and provides the without adding staff. answered within a specified period. Talk customer with an estimated wait time. Telephony queuing systems are an time spent by service representatives If a customer selects the option of a excellent investment to improve service allaying customers’ complaints of long return call, the system will collect the while reducing costs. These systems are waits can be avoided and companies customer’s name and phone number, relatively quick to implement, an added avoid the toll costs associated with disconnect the customer, and insert a benefit that makes them more appealing. customers holding. This savings is virtualplaceholderintothe ACDqueue Customer service leaders looking for achieved because a large number of toreservethecustomer’sposition. initiatives that have a quick payback customers, given the option, are likely As the agent queue is worked, and improve customer service should to select the callback feature. In fact, the system will make outbound definitely consider an investment in research by Forrester indicates that 50 return calls at the rate at which agents telephony queuing systems.
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