How Important Is Call Flow in a Call Center Environment?

I had a leakage in a gas cylinder this morning. I called the gas utility company’s emergency number.

This was the call flow:

• I was greeted by an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. It mentioned that this number has to be used only for gas leakage issues.
• It gave me the option to choose the language.
• Once I chose the language, it asked me to wait till I got connected to an agent. During this time, it played some music.
• Once the agent picked up the call, he greeted me by announcing his name and asked me how he could be of help. I explained the issue of gas leakage.
• Once I told them about the gas leakage, the agent explained the protocol to be followed during the gas leakage. After that, I was asked to confirm the mobile number, consumer number, and address.
• Then, I was told that I would get the complaint number and a gas mechanic would come to my place to resolve the issue. Before hanging up the call, the agent reconfirmed all the details and his understanding of the issue. 
• I received a text stating the complaint number and the number of the mechanic assigned to address the issue. Besides, it also gave the resolution time as 2 hours.

This sequence of steps that you and the agent go through is what is called the call flow. It’s like a roadmap that ensures your queries are addressed efficiently.

I am not sure if this is the best call flow for the given scenario. However, I gave this example to explain what a call flow is.

Let us look at the various steps involved in call flows.

Step 1: Greetings by the IVR and then the greeting by the agent with a pleasant tone, where he introduced himself and asked me how he could be of help.

Step 2: He understood the issue by actively listening to the problem. Once he understood the issue, he followed the protocol to be followed during gas leakage.

Step 3: Verification of the caller’s identity. He confirmed my mobile number, consumer number, and address.

Step 4: Create the complaint number and communicate that with the resolution timeframe. The agent could not have handled this issue on the phone.

Step 5: The agent reconfirmed all my information and his understanding of the issue before hanging up the phone.

Step 6: The agent ended the call, stating that a technician would attend to the issue and I should receive the details by text.

What Are the Different Types of Call Flow?

Inbound Call Flow

When a customer initiates a call to seek assistance or resolve an issue. The focus here is on problem-solving and customer satisfaction.

Let me give you a few examples here:

E-Commerce

A customer calls to enquire about the status of their delivery. The agent checks the order details, provides a tracking update, and ensures the issue is resolved.

The agent responds thus:

I understand your concern about the delay. Your package is expected to be delivered by tomorrow morning. I will share with you the tracking link.

Healthcare

A patient calls up the multi-specialty hospital to set up an appointment with the orthopaedician. The agent verifies the patient’s details and books their appointment.

The agent responds thus:

Thank you for calling us. I have scheduled an appointment with Dr. Vikram for 11 am on Wednesday. You’ll receive a confirmation via email and text.

Technical Support

The customer calls up the Internet service provider to complain about the Internet not working.

The agent walks them through the troubleshooting steps to resolve the error.

The agent conversation is like this:

Please switch off the modem, remove the ethernet cable, and wait for 30 seconds. Then, you re-plug the ethernet cable and switch on the modem. See if it works now. If the issue is not resolved, then I’ll escalate it to the technical support.

I will share the complaint number with you and the possible resolution times by email and text in the next five minutes.

Outbound Call Flow

The agent here reaches out to the customers for sales, promotions, surveys, or reminders. The goal is to engage with customers and drive sales or feedback.

Examples

Retail Promotions

Look at this:

Hi, this is Ankit from Large Retail. I wanted to let you know as a gold member; you get exclusive and early access to our winter sale. Can you check the video that I am sending now and tell me if I should keep something aside for you?

Utility Services

An energy company calls its customers and says, “We’re excited to offer a special rate for our solar energy plan. You’ll save 20% on your monthly bills, and switching is seamless.”

Subscription Renewals

Your magazine company calls you and says, “Your subscription to the daily magazine is due for renewal. Renew today by paying for ten months, and you get two months free. Should I guide you through the renewal process, or should I share the link to make the renewal payment?

Blended Call Flow

This is a combination of both inbound and outbound call flows. This call flow is a familiar scenario for any organization that has paying customers.

Let me give you a few examples:

Travel Company

Inbound: A customer calls to cancel a booking

Outbound: The agent will call the next day with an update on the refund status.

Telecom Service Provider

Inbound: A customer calls to report a service outage.

Outbound: The agent will call to confirm if the service is back after the issue is resolved.

Healthcare

Inbound: A patient calls up to enquire about the test results

Outbound: The hospital calls up and informs the patient that the results indicate some minor deficiency. Dr. Vikram also suggests that you schedule a follow-up consultation next Monday. Should I slot you in the schedule with Dr. Vikram for Monday?

How Do You Improve the Call Flow?

Optimize Scripts

Scripts should be made conversational and tailored to the customer’s needs. It should sound empathetic.

Look at this example:

Thank you for calling ABC Bank. I see there’s an issue with the card transaction. Don’t worry, I’ll investigate this for you. Could you please confirm the transaction amount and date?

Train Agents

The chances of you finding upset and confused customers are pretty large as an agent. You need to train your agents on soft skills to handle them efficiently.

Here is an example.

I had a billing issue with my mobile when I traveled overseas for about a month. When I came back, I was presented with a fat bill that I did not sign up for.

When I inquired about the different components of the bill, the agent bluntly said, “It is as per the bill plan,” and cut the call.

So, I escalated it to his supervisor. His response was:

“I see why this charge might seem unusual. Let me break this down for you and ensure we resolve any discrepancies.“

There is a huge difference, and now I understand the bill properly and paid them up.

Leverage Technology

Opt for integrations with CRM software and other best-of-breed IT systems. Besides, you should have intelligent routing, real-time analytics, list management services, and workforce management features to ensure that things are as efficient as possible.

You need to have omnichannel capabilities where your agents get to see a single view of your customers across channels and interfaces.

For instance, when a customer calls, the agent immediately sees the history on the CRM dashboard.

This will allow them to start the conversation like this:

Hi, Mr. Vivek. I see you reported a technical issue last week. How has that been going? Is there anything new I can assist you with?

This gives that familiarity, which makes your customers look at you favorably.

Monitor and Refine

In the gas utility example I mentioned above, the issue wasn’t resolved in two hours as they had promised.

So, I called them again to check on the status.

I gave them the complaint number and said that this had not been addressed yet. After that, the agent asked me to confirm the consumer’s name, consumer number, mobile number, and address.

I felt this verification was unnecessary as the complaint number should have all this captured already.

Besides, with my mobile number, they should have been able to pull out all my details and the pending complaints.

This has to be constantly monitored and refined to offer better experiences.

Why Is Call Flow Important?

There are three important reasons why you should be worried about the call flow.

• Consistency in how customer interactions are handled. This brings familiarity and comfort to the customers.
• Problems are resolved faster, saving time for both the customers and the agents.
• A structured call flow reduces frustration and builds trust.

The call flow is an important component of providing customer service. Keeping it crisp and easy is the best way to handle customer queries.

It should offer a smooth, professional, and empathetic experience, whether the interaction is with a human agent or through IVR.

With a structured call flow, call center software platform can transform every interaction into a positive one – building satisfaction and loyalty.