Sweary customers impede call centre efficiency but could expose operational problems
Call centre personnel are increasingly being exposed to obscene and inappropriate language by dissatisfied customers, especially in instances related to stalled issue resolution. According to data released by CallMiner, a Massachusetts-based developer of speech analytics software, this significantly affects operations as well as, ultimately, having a negative impact on the bottom line.
The firm’s findings also showed that in 87% of instances where a consumer resorts to inappropriate language, this is maintained throughout the entire duration of the call. Perhaps unsurprisingly, such calls tend to be 8.3 minutes longer (on average) than calls conducted in more moderate terms. Among the bad language ‘triggers’ identified by the company are long wait times, callers having to repeat their concerns as they move from one contact channel to the next, a failure to find resolution to an issue during an initial call, having to listen to long pre-recorded messages before being referred to the appropriate individual and calls that end up being misrouted.
Advising call center managers to track such ill-tempered exchanges, Jeff Gallino, CallMiner’s founder and chief technology officer, said the use of inappropriate language by callers can be an indication of shortcomings in the way a business is operating.
