![\"Customer](\"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/csrfriendly.jpg\")
\nMaybe they just received a notice around revised terms for an insurance policy. Questions typically relate to these three things: payments, charges or queries around a specific product or service. For all these categories, clarity of communications is key. And conversely, complex communications drive increased calls, and increased costs.<\/p>\n
Here are some levers you can use to tackle contact centre demand:<\/p>\n
- \n
- reduce talk time<\/li>\n
- implement live chat to spread demand<\/li>\n
- hire more staff<\/li>\n
- invest in training<\/li>\n
- shave off inefficiencies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
While these are effective tactics, most represent additional spending. And many ignore the root problem, why did the person have to call in the first place?<\/p>\n
There is another way<\/strong><\/p>\n
Communicating in plain language results in less customer confusion. This leads to fewer questions, and a reduced workload for your call centre. As a bonus, your customer experience (CX) becomes stronger.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a banking example. A bank sends out information on loan restructuring.<\/p>\n
The customer is busy with deadlines, school drop-offs, meetings and more. She doesn\u2019t have time to learn banking jargon. The letter references lots of jargon (APR, APY) and seems legalistic. She picks up the phone to your support term to clarify the offer.<\/p>\n
And, she\u2019s also not the only one. The same letter went to thousands of customers. Many looking for similar clarifications.<\/p>\n
Imagine now that the bank had sent the same letter in plain English with no banking jargon.<\/p>\n
A clear case for plain language <\/strong><\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just theory; we\u2019ve seen this happen time and time again in the companies we work with.<\/p>\n
Insurance provider Sun Life used VisibleThread technology<\/a> to improve the clarity of 11 of their membership letters. The result was a 19% drop in call centre volume. And this equated to an annual saving of $325k. Technology played a part by supporting non-writers from operations, support and product teams. While dashboards showed clarity across all teams and channels.<\/p>\n
Jack Nelson, former Executive Vice President of Operations for CVS Caremark says fixing upstream issues results in a\u202f 10-30% \u202fdrop in call centre demand. One of these is clear customer communication (more on this here<\/a>).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s time to discover the savings you could be making.<\/p>\n
The hidden benefits of plain language<\/strong><\/p>\n
If you create clear communications with your customer in mind, they won\u2019t need to contact you as much. This has a positive impact on your call traffic, CX, and your bottom line.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s not forget our secret weapon. Our people. In a tight labour market, it\u2019s never been more important to hold on to your talented employees. And plain language can help there, too. A lower volume of calls means more time for your employees to focus on delivering exceptional service.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a huge opportunity for call centres to focus on the most important calls, from customers with complex issues. The result is more satisfied staff, as well as delighted customers. The CX holy grail.<\/p>\n
About the Author:<\/p>\n
![\"Fergal](\"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Fergal-McGovern-2.jpg\")
Fergal McGovern<\/strong> is CEO of \u202f