A lost call occurs when a customer phones a company but fails to reach a customer support agent. Perhaps the caller abandons because the wait is too long, the contact center deliberately disconnects the call, or there is a network connectivity issue. No matter the reason, a company can classify these contacts as a “lost call”.
Types of Lost Calls in a Contact Center
There are three types of lost calls that contact centers should be aware of. These are:
- Abandoned Calls – These are the most common type of lost calls, occurring whenever a customer hangs up before they reach an agent. High abandon rates are a concern, as it shows that customers do not receive the support they need, which may result in lost business. Fortunately, there are several tried-and-tested techniques to lower abandon rates.
- Missed Calls – In outbound operations, a missed call is a contact that reaches the answerphone. However, the term typically represents a call that the contact center purposely disconnects in the inbound operation. There are a couple of instances when this can happen. Firstly, when a call reaches the maximum wait time set in the ACD system. Secondly, when the contact center deliberately blocks a nuisance caller.
- Dropped Calls – Network errors cause these calls. Perhaps the customer is in an area of bad signal that eventually leads to call termination, or – as is more common since the switch to remote working – the agent WIFI drops out. While these technical errors were low in the days of landline, they are increasing, and it is best practice to monitor network connectivity proactively. If the dropped calls rate exceeds 1%, it will likely become an area of particular concern.
While these definitions are relatively commonplace, it is crucial to ensure they match up with the definition given by the ACD provider. If a contact center does not, it opens itself up for misunderstandings.
Why Do Lost Calls Matter?
Here are three ways in which lost calls can negatively influence brand revenues.
1. Lost Calls Can Create a Negative First Impression
Unanswered phone calls reflect negatively on a brand’s image. Consider the possibility that the caller was a prospect. Possibly they called the number to confirm a price for a service package or to check about the availability of various options. The likelihood is that a missed call will encourage them to look elsewhere.
2. Abandoned Calls are Sometimes Expensive In Terms of Compliance
Companies are obligated to pick up the phone within a stipulated number of rings in some industries and sectors. Failure to do so may lead to compliance-related charges. Such a cost includes the actual business cost due to non-compliance, industry fines, and legal fees. Further, a missed call could damage the company’s reputation, adding to charges arising from non-compliance.
3. Fewer Attended Calls Translates Into Lost Business
Companies often lose out on sales due to lost calls. Meanwhile, long wait times that result in high abandon rates are often the last straw. Companies may even experience some negative social media exposure as a result. The following tweet is an excellent example.
Beat this, I dare you. I just called @Delta; to make a simple request and I’m told the wait time to talk to a rep is *9.5* hours. They claim 24/7 service, so no, they’re not closed. I’m awfully tempted to hold, just so I can do the customer-service questionnaire at the end.
— Alexander Rose (@AlexRoseWriter) April 3, 2022
A Quick Tip to Manage Lost Calls
A lost calls list is auto-generated by many ACD systems so that contact centers can track the number of unattended inbound calls in real-time. Use it!
Referring to a comprehensive lost calls list is the first step in fixing customer journey faults – such as network connectivity errors – as it provides the necessary data to understand the reasons for missed calls.
Eager to get to grips with more contact center essentials? These articles include lots of helpful information:
- How to Choose the Right Contact Center KPIs
- 10 Tricks to Build Rapport with Customers
- What Is Workforce Management? An Introductory Guide
