A new study by the Ascent Group finds that 60 percent of companies are experiencing increased first-call resolution (FCR) rates . This represents a tremendous improvement in a crucial area of customer service, however, 40 percent of companies surveyed either saw no improvement, or were unable to determine any gain.

According to coverage of the survey in destinationCRM, "Companies that are improving their FCR results focus on general process improvement, providing call center agents with more tools and knowledge-based content so that they can handle a customer's needs while on the phone, rather than requiring a follow-up call."

CRM/knowledgebase integration and creating a seamless cross-channel  experience is key when it comes to lowering call resolution times. One tool that companies should consider to help lower call handle times is  Click to Call.

Using cross-channel data passing, eStara's Click to Call ensures that merchants have a complete view of a customer regardless of how they are interacting with the business.  Imagine a customer who starts a transaction on the Web and ends up completing it on the telephone. When this transition happens, it is critical that the merchant retains as much information about the customer as possible – not only from a sales perspective but from a service one as well.

Cross-channel data passing allows multichannel merchants to equip their sales and customer service agents with a competitive edge by delivering the context of a customer’s online session to the agent.  Sales conversion rates increase dramatically when agents are supplemented with additional customer information and their immediate needs.  

For example, cross-channel data passing has allowed one major Internet retailer to cut the length of its average call time by 72 seconds.  When you multiply those 72 seconds by the thousands of inbound calls a contact center receives in a day, it really adds up.  This improved efficiency enables agents to speak with more prospective customers, which will inevitably lead to increased revenue and higher customer satisfaction ratings.