Understanding and Addressing Missed Calls Solution in Contact Centers

You run a hospital, and your front office is staffed by three people who handle calls and admissions. You get several calls in a day when your phones are busy. You have no clue about who called, and you tend to miss a good percentage of the calls every single day.

This results in poor engagement with your existing and prospective patients. Besides, you are probably leaving a lot of money on the table.

Is this specific to the healthcare industry alone?

It is not the case only for healthcare. Missed calls are an inevitable challenge for contact centers, front desks, and customer support teams across verticals.

With limited resources and a high volume of calls, businesses often struggle to answer every inbound call.

As a business, you will have to identify a way to convert these missed calls into opportunities and not treat them as lost connections.

Missed Calls in Contact Centers – The Scope!

Missed calls vary widely depending on the industry and call volumes. Let us look at some of the industry statistics.

• Banks and financial institutions miss up to 49% of calls.
• Telecommunications companies experience a 45% missed call rate.
• Healthcare providers have an average of 24% missed calls.
• Insurance firms report up to 39% of unanswered calls.
• Auto dealerships see 21% of calls go unanswered.

What do these missed calls mean?

Each missed call is likely a potential customer who sought information, assistance, or a business transaction. This would result in lost revenue and customer dissatisfaction.

How Do You Address These Missed Calls?

Let me explain this with a few cases we have handled.

Example 1

With one of our healthcare customers, we provided them with a missed call solution, where our system logs every missed call and triggers an automated SMS response stating that there would be a call back from our side as soon as the front office agent gets free.

We schedule a callback so that none of the patients feel left out.

Example 2

For one of our banking customers, we implemented an intelligent routing solution coupled with an IVR. The IVR collects all the basic information and routes the call to the most appropriate agent quickly, minimizing drop-offs.

This reduced the number of missed calls to the contact centers. To handle the few drop-offs, we had a callback solution.

Example 3

We implemented a callback request solution for one of our loan aggregator customers. Here is how it works.

When a customer calls and all the agents are busy, the system lets the customer know that all the agents are currently addressing other customer requests, and the likely wait time would be XX seconds. They can either choose to wait or press ‘1’ to request a callback option.

This considerably improved the experience for their customers.

Example 4

We implemented chatbots and knowledge bases for one of our BPO industry customers to handle common and routine queries of customers. This freed up the agents to handle complex queries, reducing missed calls.

Example 5

We implemented a workforce management (WFM) solution for one of our BPO customers. Based on their traffic patterns, our WFM solution was able to assign the right number of agents during peak hours.

This reduced the number of unanswered calls considerably.

These are missed calls that need to be handled proactively to reduce revenue loss and improve customer satisfaction. However, businesses use missed calls as a way to connect with their customers as well.

Let me give you an example.

The gas utility company that I use has given us a number that I call to request a refill. All I had to do was call that number, and it got disconnected right after the first ring. Now, my request for the refill is registered, and I receive a confirmation message stating that my refill is booked along with the expected time of delivery.

Likewise, missed calls can be used for multiple use cases.

How Does a Missed Call Solution Work?

Based on the example above, let us put down the step-by-step process of how missed call solutions work.

Missed call solution process

Step 1: You dial a predefined number

Step 2: The system disconnects the call after one ring (ensuring no charge to you)

Step 3: An SMS, WhatsApp message, or IVR call acknowledges the missed call

Step 4: The system logs the number for an agent to return the call or provide the requested service

Applications for Missed Call Solutions

• Banks and fintech organizations use missed call solutions for OTP verification to validate customer identities.
• Telcos allow their users to check their balance, data usage, or recharge plans via a missed call.
• Businesses gather customer feedback through automated surveys after a missed call.
• FMCG brands use missed calls to promote offers, register users for services, or conduct polls
• E-commerce platforms allow customers to track orders or raise complaints with a missed call.

Industries That Benefit the Most from Missed Call Solutions

Businesses across verticals use missed call solutions to improve customer engagement and experience.

Banking & Financial Services

Banking and financial services can use it for balance inquiries, mini statements, loan application tracking, and account verification.

This would help them provide quick responses, reduce branch visits, and enhance customer convenience, making them a preferred choice for digital banking services.

E-Commerce and Retail

E-commerce platforms can use it for order status updates, customer service interactions, return & refund queries, and product promotions.

With missed call solutions, online marketplaces improve response times, ensuring customers receive information instantly.

Telecommunications

Telcos can use it for balance checks, plan activations, customer support escalation, and SIM verification.

Telcos use this as a cost-effective method to serve a vast customer base while reducing inbound call congestion.

Healthcare

Healthcare can use it for appointment scheduling, prescription reminders, doctor consultations, and diagnostic report retrieval.

It helps streamline patient communication, reducing wait times and improving overall patient experience.

Government and NGOs

Non-profits and government initiatives rely on missed-call solutions for voter registration, fundraising campaigns, public awareness programs, and citizen grievance redressal.

With missed call solutions, Government bodies and NGOs can engage large audiences effectively and ensure inclusivity for individuals with limited digital access.

Education

Education and EdTech leverage missed call solutions for student admissions and inquiries, course enrolment, attendance tracking, and examination alerts.

It makes it easier for students and parents to access educational information instantly, eliminating the need for physical visits.

Automobile

Auto dealerships and service centers can use it for test drive requests, service appointment bookings, loan and insurance assistance, and new model launches and promotions.

It helps offer hassle-free interactions and drive customer engagement efficiently.

Hospitality

The hospitality industry uses it for hotel reservations, flight and train ticket inquiries, tour package details, and customer feedback collection.

This helps the hospitality industry enhance its customer service experience and streamline booking processes.  

62% of customers expect businesses to respond within an hour of contact. Yet, without an effective missed call strategy, many companies fail to engage their customers promptly.

In the digital era, a missed call is not a dead end but an open door to better customer engagement. By leveraging the right missed call solutions, companies can reduce revenue losses, enhance customer experience, and build long-lasting relationships.

Missed calls aren’t just unanswered rings, but they’re potential business opportunities waiting to be tapped. Every missed call could be your next opportunity.