In the debt collection industry, time is money. Whether it’s time spent placing a high volume of calls or handling a rather lengthy inbound call, average handle time (AHT) is a metric that is pertinent to every component of your business. Unlike other metrics such as productivity and performance quality, the higher your AHT, the lower your ROI will be. To get the ROI your business needs, follow these 3 tips for reducing your average handle time.
Tips for reducing your average handle time
1. Properly train your agents
Your agents are crucial to your business. The amount of time they spend talking to consumers directly correlates with the amount of money brought into the business. The longer an agent’s AHT, the less time they have during the day to take other inbound leads or make outbound calls. Fortunately, this is an issue with an easy fix; spend some time bringing your agents up-to-par with standards and procedures. This means showing them where and how to access your internal knowledge base, how to resolve tickets on the first response, and doing some role-play to teach them what to do during specific situations.
2. Evaluate call types
No two calls are alike, but they may have similar characteristics that land them in certain categories. Every call, whether it’s regarding payments, billing, or order processing, should have some type of process put in place to ensure that the call runs in the most efficient manner possible. By evaluating the type of call before the call is made (if outbound) or at the beginning of the call (if inbound) will not only allow you to drastically reduce the time spent on the call but will also lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction as well.
3. Use efficient tools and processes
Tools and processes are created to make an agent’s life easier. Using the right tools has the ability to eliminate unnecessary friction in workflows, but if the wrong ones are used, they could be bogging you down and negatively impacting your AHT. Finding the right tools for your business can be tricky, especially with so many options available in the market. VoApps’ DirectDrop Voicemail technology is designed to help you quickly decrease your AHT while enhancing the quality and quantity of your calls, because people will call knowing who they are calling, and prepared for resolution.
To learn more about how DirectDrop Voicemail can help reduce your average handle time, reach out to us here.
