First contact resolution (FCR) is one of the most important key performance indicators for any business in the collections industry. Because this metric indicates both customer service and your business’s efficiency, it’s important that your agents are able to create and maintain a high first contact resolution percentage. If you feel that your FCR is not quite where you want it to be, try these 4 first contact resolution tips.
1. Start the call off in a positive tone
If you’re manually dialing a consumer and are lucky enough for them to pick up on the first attempt, make it count. The first few seconds of your conversation will dictate if you convert on that first touchpoint or not. Make sure that when you speak, you’re using a positive tone that has an energetic feel to it. Too often the collection industry is given a bad rep because consumers feel like agents don’t care about the consumer, they care about the money. Try to knock this notion off of the excuses table right off the bat. Remember, it’s a real person you’re talking to, so let them know that you’re a real person, too.
2. Be professional but friendly
There’s a fine line between being overly professional and too friendly, but successful agents know that in order to convert on the call, they need to find that line and never falter from it. If you’re using a script, take some time to really read that script out loud to yourself before saying it to a consumer. You’d be surprised how many of them actually sound antagonistic over the phone. Conversely, create a list of words that you can you that have a friendly-demeanor, but still hold some professional aptitude.
3. Know how to handle common objections/excuses
Dealing with stalls and objections during a collections call is all part of the job, but that’s not to say that it isn’t frustrating. However, knowing how to handle these objections and excuses can be the make or break on getting that consumer to pay on their debts. To ensure you easily sail over these bumps, create a small document for yourself with common objections and variations on how to overcome them.
4. Let the consumer contact you first
The best way to ensure a first contact resolution? Put the power in the consumer’s hands by letting them contact you first with DirectDrop Voicemail technology. When a consumer feels empowered to handle their debts on their own, their more likely to do it in their first touchpoint with the agent. By sending a voicemail straight to the consumer’s phone without ever causing it to ring, DirectDrop Voicemail puts the ball in the consumer’s court, resulting in more callbacks and freeing up time for you to spend more time on those inbound calls.
Want to see DirectDrop Voicemail in action? Let’s get you started with a free demo.
