Overlooked Data Channel is a resource that’s often overlooked, but don’t be fooled, it’s absolutely critical in the grand scheme of running a business.Â
This bit of information can reveal critical insights that can be used to improve a business’s bottom line, from customer behaviour on your website to agent performance metrics on their respective duties.
As this is the case, it’s essential to harness the power of data by using tools that can capture and manage it effectively. One tool that can deliver these insights to companies is an inbound business number.
In Australia in particular, 1300 numbers are often used by businesses and organisations to handle customer inquiries at scale. Unlike traditional phone numbers, these numbers can handle multiple open lines, making it easy to scale. They also come with their own built-in analytics dashboard.
If you’re curious to learn more about the capabilities of 1300 numbers in powering smarter customer insights, you’re in the right place. This article will highlight a few key ways a 1300 number can help businesses gather customer insights and level up their support operations.
Let’s jump right into it!
- Call Volume Analytics
One core piece of data that 1300 numbers like Telcoworks provide is call volume. Through the inbound number’s dashboard, companies can track their total call counts for the day, week, or month.
This gives them an understanding of the frequency with which their inbound phone number gets used. This, in turn, allows them to see the impact of their reach and the willingness of customers to engage with them through this communication channel.
This data can also be a good indicator of whether your marketing efforts or service issues are influencing customer behaviour. By looking at the call volume, you can assess interest levels of your customers whenever you’re changing your marketing procedures or rolling out new products.
For instance, if calls are going down when you’ve recently created a FAQ page on your website, that could signal that your new webpage is a net positive for keeping customer service operations agile. In contrast, an increase in caller inquiries when you’ve boosted your products on social media could indicate that your marketing efforts are fruitful.
In any case, call volume could be used in the context of your operational or marketing efforts to determine demand or the effectiveness of new roll-outs. In turn, this can help you determine the next steps—whether that’s to increase staffing, refine messaging, or keep things the way they are and assess at a later time.
- Peak Time Identification
Another useful metric that 1300 numbers can reveal is caller peak times. Knowing when customers are likely to call can help your business allocate resources towards the busiest seasons, thus ensuring that your costs are properly distributed.
The last thing your business would want is paying an hourly wage for staff having no tasks in their pipeline. Unfortunately, this could be the case if you schedule agents blindly without understanding when customers actually reach out.
Peak-time insights prevent this by granting you a data-backed view of demand, allowing you to match staffing levels with real activity instead of guesswork.
When staff are efficiently distributed to handle callers, this keeps your operations running smoothly and with few bottlenecks. Wait times for customers will be low, which can translate to better experiences overall and a boost in your business’s reputation due to the responsive experience.
- Call Abandonment Insights
One handy metric that businesses can gather with an inbound number is the call abandonment rate. This metric shows the rate at which customers hang up before they get to speak with an actual agent.
If the rate is high, this is a clear warning sign. There could be multiple reasons for this, such as inefficient call routing and long wait times.
Diagnosing the problem could help you make internal adjustments to optimise the communications system, whether it’s to allocate more customer service staff at certain times or configure the call routing system to be more efficient.
You may also have to change the logic of your setup if data reveals it to be unoptimal, like redirecting queues to open lines outside the customer service team, shortening IVR menus, and the like.
In any case, monitoring your call abandonment rate helps you get a handle on how your customers interact with your technical setup before they reach the agent. If performance metrics are proven to be lacklustre, this could be a sign to reevaluate your setup and improve it to enhance your service efficiency.
- Average Handling Time
Another useful metric you can attain from your 1300 number setup is average handling time.
This metric measures the duration an agent spends managing an inquiry from initial pickup to its completion. This includes not just the time on the line, but also hold time and any wrap-up work performed after the call.
This data point is valuable as it shows the efficiency with which agents resolve customer calls. If an agent takes a long time handling a call, this may signal knowledge gaps or unnecessary steps that may postpone completion. In such cases, additional training may be required.
On the flip side, if an agent’s handling time is low, this could indicate rushed interactions or incomplete resolutions. A thorough look at the agent’s cases could reveal more insights as to why this is the case, and further action will hinge on these insights.
By analysing this metric, businesses can hold their customer service agents accountable for the efficiency with which they handle inquiries. When made as a KPI, this can ensure that agents spend the right amount of time resolving customer queries, thus displaying their consistency and value to the team.
- Agent Utilisation Rate
The agent utilisation rate is another key metric that can provide insights into the productivity levels of each agent in your customer support team. This metric provides a glimpse of the efficiency of your hired agents. It can answer whether certain staff members are being overworked or underutilised.
This information can help ensure that each agent is productive without being overworked. It also ensures that customer support operations continue to flow smoothly, ensuring that customer queries get answered on time.
On top of all of that, it also reveals whether the business is experiencing a shortage or an excessive number of customer support agents than is necessary. In the case of the latter, it may be worth considering reassigning certain agents to more pressing roles or replacing them with an AI agent instead.
In any case, tracking utilisation helps you optimise staffing decisions and maintain a support team that operates at the right pace for your business.
We hope that we’ve given you enough insights on how to best utilise this overlooked data channel more effectively. All the best in improving your company’s communication and customer service departments!