With increasing amounts of business being done over the phone, travel companies must ensure their contact centre strategy is up to scratch.
According to Call Centre Consultants managing director Alan Vaughan, a company that has advised the likes of GB Airways and the Caravan Club, one priority is buying the right technology.
He said systems can cost anything from a few thousand pounds to several million and range from simple call queueing software that sits on a PC to a fully digital Voice over Internet Protocol platform integrated into a customer relationship management database.
“There are a whole raft of systems on the market. A buying decision will come down to how sophisticated you want your operation to be and how much you are prepared to spend,” said Vaughan.
Typical functions in call centre systems include the ability to prioritise incoming calls, direct them to relevant agents and to offer ring-back facilities.
At ProtoCall One, a contact centre consultancy that has advised travel companies such as TUI and Thomas Cook, head of professional services Simon Gresswell said it is also important to ensure your call centre operation is integrated with your Internet and e-mail systems.
“Each customer will have an individual preference for how they wish to transact with you – be it e-mail, SMS text or instant messaging – so you need to cover your bases,” he said.
Your technology shopping list may even extend to a workforce management system that could help your schedule staffing levels, so the call centre is appropriately manned during both busy and quiet periods.
This is particularly pertinent in the travel sector where there are peaks in customer buying patterns. Travelsphere head of call centre Lisa Cochran advises multi-skilling staff so they are equipped to deal with the queries they are likely to face during different periods.
While the first six weeks of the year normally see a bookings rush, the following months may be quieter, enabling agents to concentrate on cross and upselling and providing hotel and resort information, she says. During and after the summer, contact centres become more focused on dealing with customer feedback and complaints.
“Each part of the year requires different agent skill sets,” said Cochran.
While adequately training staff is essential, so is ensuring they have a decent working environment. Sitting in an office taking calls all day is hard work, so it’s important staff are treated well.
“Create a bright, relaxed office space with plants and easy access to drinks and try to make it fun, offering prizes for funny calls and the most sales,” said Vaughan.
“It’s not rocket science but a lot of companies neglect this and they are the ones that see staff leave.”
Call centre checklist
Technology: If you are serious about offering a decent call centre operation then you will have to invest in a system. “Start by asking: ‘What kind of service do we want to give our customers?’ – and then see what technology is available to fit these requirements,” advised Travelsphere head of call centre Lisa Cochran.
Workforce planning: Knowing when the phones will be busy or quiet will help you ensure you have suitable staffing levels at any one time.
Staff training: The phone will not always be busy with sales calls so think about multi-skilling your staff so they can deal with different kinds of enquiries – be it upselling, complaints or resort information.
Working environment: Make the work environment as pleasant as possible and try to create a positive, upbeat atmosphere in the office with plants, decor and facilities. This will rub off on staff and carry through to the service they give to customers over the phone.
Case study
Travelsphere head of call centre Lisa Cochran has had a tough job sorting out the way the company interacts with consumers.
As a result of a number of acquisitions, staff had been working on different systems and had varying levels of competency in different skills – be it selling or dealing with customer complaints.
“There was a need for consistency,” she said.
Cochran has moved workers onto a single Nortel call centre system and has set up a programme of staff training so they are equipped with the ability to deal with whatever type of call comes in.
Travelsphere has also invested in a piece of software called Queuebuster. When the lines are busy the technology gives customers the option of hanging up their phone but having their place held in the queue so an agent can call them back when it’s their turn.
“It means we can offer better customer service and take away a typical anger point for callers,” she said.