A Shameful Display of Customer Call Avoidance

Government Contact Centers Typically Get Low Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Marks

Government’s use of Telephone Help Centers has increased dramatically over the past two decades. Yet compared to speaking with a private sector Call Center – with some notable exceptions – consumers are generally least satisfied with their caller experience when dealing with a Government Contact Center.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index ACSI (theacsi.org) is the only independent national benchmark of Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) in the USA.

As of Q3 2014 the National ACSI Benchmark Score for Customer Experience & Customer Satisfaction (across all Industry Sectors) for private sector companies was 76 (on a scale of 0 to 100). Government Call Centers rank well below this with a score of just 68.3.

There are many reasons for these low CSAT scores for Government Call Centers. Sometimes it’s due to a rigid senior management team that is resistant to change – or a decision making process that is bogged down by endless committee meetings – or an outdated IT Support System that slows call handling - or an “Us vs. Them” mentality between frontline call takers & management.

And far too often - while politicians are usually front & center for the ribbon cutting ceremony at a new Telephone Help Center - they are nowhere to be found when it comes time to ensure that adequate long term funding has been budgeted for the number of staff required to handle call volumes.

The two biggest criticisms citizens have regarding their Customer Experience & Customer Satisfaction when dealing with a Government Contact Center are:

• The time and effort it takes to reach a live agent.

• The overall rating for the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) Messaging System experience.

Call Deflection vs. Call Avoidance

The Strategy of Customer Call Deflection has become a Contact Center industry best practice - intended to reduce inbound call volumes and costs - particularly in the consumer market. Depending on the complexity (and length) of the call being handled it can cost somewhere between $3.50 to $7.00 for a North American based Customer Service Representative (CSR) to speak with a caller. It’s much cheaper (only about $.50) to handle that call using an auto attendant IVR Messaging System.

Cost per Call (or Cost per Interaction) is one of those Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that suggests “lower is better” – but that isn’t necessarily so.

While a well thought out IVR that allows callers to source their own answers 24x7 is a valuable tool – according to Speech Technology Magazine (speechtechmag.com) the average IVR application (except for TeleBanking & Reservations) is only capable of fully handling 40% of the calls received. The majority of consumers still want to be able to easily reach a Live Operator by just pressing the ‘0’ Key.

Unfortunately - when senior management finds itself facing call volumes it is unable (or unwilling) to staff & provision for – the temptation arises to move from a Strategy of Customer Call Deflection to one of Call Avoidance.

The hallmark of a Strategy of Customer Call Avoidance usually includes a horribly programmed auto attendant IVR Messaging System - with mazes of monotonous computerized voices – meandering & circular menu pathways – and full inboxes - that leave callers floundering in "Voice Mail Jail" - unable to reach a live human.

Callers can sense when they’re dealing with a Contact Center that employs a Strategy of Customer Call Avoidance – and they can be left feeling confused/unsure/angry when dealing with "Voice Mail Jail" - increased wait times - and an inability to easily reach a live CSR - especially when there are sensitive issues at hand.

And when the most persistent of these callers actually manages to navigate their way to a Live Operator - the CSRs are penalized by having to deal with stressed out & frustrated people. The Burnout/Emotional Exhaustion of CSRs tends to accelerate (along with Turnover & Quit Rates) in Call Centers that employ a Strategy of Customer Call Avoidance.

The Department of Veterans Affairs National Call Center for Homeless Veterans

Veterans defended our country - and many have lost their lives - limbs - or damaged their health in the process. The supreme value that our veterans have fought and died for (with some tragic exceptions) is Freedom – and concepts like government exists to serve us – that we do not exist to serve the government.

About 12% of homeless adults in the USA are veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs states that 92% of homeless veterans are male. Roughly 40% of homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic. The majority are single - live in urban areas - and suffer from an extreme shortage of affordable housing - livable incomes - and access to health care. A large percentage of homeless and at risk veterans live with the lingering effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse – problems that are compounded by a lack of family & social support networks. A top priority for homeless veterans is secure - safe - clean – affordable housing that offers a supportive environment free of drugs & alcohol.

In order to help address these concerns - in mid 2012 - the Department of Veterans Affairs launched the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans – a 24x7 Hotline to ensure that homeless veterans or veterans at risk for homelessness (and their families) had free telephone access to 60 trained counselors to refer them to Veterans Affairs Medical Centers - federal, state and local partners - community agencies, service providers and others in the community.

Shamefully - according to a just released (December 5, 2014) Audit Report from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General - in 2013 more than 21,000 homeless veterans who tried to reach the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans seeking treatment or shelter weren't able to contact Veterans Affairs (VA) counselors - and more than 3,000 were not referred to a VA Medical Facility - even when they had provided all of the necessary information.

Rather than providing a human voice - the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans relied on a Strategy of Call Avoidance and an auto attendant IVR Messaging System. Of the nearly 80,000 calls made to the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans in 2013 - more than 21,000 (27%) went to the IVR Messaging System - because VA counselors weren’t available - and more than 13,000 (62%) of these IVR Messages were never returned.

The Inspector General ‘s Audit Report states that it "could not account for a significant amount of the VA counselors' time" – noting that VA counselors spent large amounts of time unavailable to answer calls during peak calling times. VA counselors “often did not log in or did not spend the entire day logged into the call center telephone system”. In 2013 VA counselors spent 19,400 hours on after call work - 37,800 hours on "indirect time" (which included breaks, lunch & training) – and just 12,000 hours (only 17% of their time) responding to actual phone calls. Staffing at peak periods was also inadequate - and none of the more than 50,000 referrals made by the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans were monitored or followed up for quality control.

This resulted in 40,500 missed opportunities - where the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans either didn't refer a veteran’s call to medical facilities - or it closed referrals without making certain that homeless veterans received the services they needed from VA medical facilities. “In our opinion, the majority of these calls could have been answered by VA counselors, instead of by answering machines,” the Inspector General ‘s Audit Report states – primarily putting the blame on management & staffing issues.

“Everyone is pretty disappointed in the execution of the call center” said Baylee Crone - executive director of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. “The use of the voice mail system should never have happened.” Rep. Jackie Walorski (R. Ind.) - a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs – stated: “Our veterans deserve to have the phone answered when they call for help.”

Caller Engagement Always Trumps Caller Avoidance

Smart Contact Center Managers recognize that the overwhelming majority of callers want a clear connection to a quickly answered telephone call – where their questions/issues will be resolved by a live CSR who acts professionally – who is easily understood - who is not a ‘script reader’ - and who is empowered to make this a “one call & done” experience.

The CSR is your ambassador to your customers. The human voice of the CSR provides your company’s human face. Much of the time when a customer reaches out to a business it is because they have a question about their relationship with you – or because something has gone wrong. If your callers feel that you are trying to avoid speaking with him/her your Customer Relationship problems are compounded. Your callers can become agitated - and you may wind up losing customers and future sales. Call Avoidance is a strategy that winds up costing business far more than it saves. Losing dollars chasing dimes is not a wise long term Customer Care Strategy - either for a private sector or Government Contact Center.

Call Centers should be encouraging human interaction between their Brand Ambassadors (CSRs) and their customers. And that requires “Super Agent” knowledge workers – not script readers – and not hiding access to Live Operators behind a Strategy of Call Avoidance.

Companies with exemplary customer service understand that Caller Engagement always trumps Caller Avoidance - and delivers a superior experience for consumers that drives brand loyalty and improves bottom line results.

Copyright © 2014 TeleSoft Systems. All Rights Reserved.

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About the author:

David Filwood is the CEO & Principal Consultant with TeleSoft Systems. Top performing Contact Centers drive their Revenue & Performance through superior hiring tactics. You’ll love how we can help you expand your potential talent pool — speed up your hiring process & lower your cost per hire — all while gaining better insight & more accurate predictions as to which applicants from a pool of candidates would perform up to or beyond your established standards. Contact us to find out more about our consulting services and/or a Free Trial of SPAS Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Screening Software.

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