In July 2024, a botched software update from cybersecurity vendor Crowdstrike led to a widespread outage of Microsoft platforms. Delta Airlines was one of the organizations most significantly impacted; the outage left thousands of passengers and airline crews stranded, contributing to $500 million in losses.
Crises like this place an unsustainable amount of pressure on call center agents who are forced to deal with an influx of inquiries from frustrated customers. In many cases, these spikes expose the inefficiencies of call centers as agents struggle to maintain quality amid increased demand.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Call center leaders can rethink their approach to customer experience (CX) with these worst-case scenarios in mind.
By implementing the right technology and training policies, call centers can more easily cope with spikes in calls without compromising quality.
The Link Between Call Quantity and Quality
In a scenario like the one Delta faced, both the quantity and quality of calls are factors.
The quantity element is obvious. How can your agents reduce customer wait times while efficiently handling the growing volume of incoming calls?
However, quality is more nuanced. How can your call center agents service an increased number of customers without compromising the quality of the interactions?
There is no simple answer to the quality question. But a glaring obstacle to quality interactions is that agents must spend time during the calls to track down relevant information related to the customers’ cases or find internal policies that apply to the situations.
From the callers’ perspectives, much of the calls are spent in informal holds, listening to the clacking of keys and snippets of conversations with other agents. Or, if the agents work from home, the sounds of a rambunctious toddler or a vacuum cleaner.
During high-stress moments, this can cause customers to feel ignored: which is counterproductive to a positive customer service experience.
Another issue is the inability of call center leaders to accurately assess call quality. Traditional, human-powered quality assurance (QA) programs are resource-intensive and typically cover only a small fraction of calls.
How can your call center agents service an increased number of customers without compromising the quality...?
For many businesses, post-call customer surveys are the only metric for measuring the quality of a call. But how accurate are these surveys?
For starters, there’s the issue of biased question phrasing, which can steer callers toward specific answers.
Additionally, there’s the risk of unrepresentative sampling. When everything is said and done, call center leaders receive an incomplete picture of customer satisfaction. With even less visibility into the specific moments in the calls that tipped the scale one way or the other.
Enter Conversation Intelligence
Quality, especially during times of increased caller activity, is a primary goal for most call centers.
Investments in technology and digital modernization have been one approach to tackling the issue. But many of these innovations struggle to scale effectively during times of crisis.
For instance, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot may be able to help with routine questions and concerns, but not with the nuanced questions that arise during high-stress situations.
This is where a tool like conversation intelligence shines. Conversation intelligence platforms provide real-time guidance and information to call center agents while they’re on the call.
Conversation intelligence provides the technological foundation you need to embody empathetic values even in times of high stress.
Think of conversation intelligence as an AI-powered secretary, surfacing relevant information that, in turn, allows agents to focus on treating the caller with empathy rather than searching through complex online databases.
In the Delta example, rather than forcing the agent to scramble for information about flight rescheduling and refund policies, the conversation intelligence platform could surface that same information for them during the call.
Conversation intelligence has significant implications for the way call center leaders understand quality. With this engine, you can clearly identify moments of inflection in the call: a moment where an agent failed to capitalize on an opportunity to offer support, for example.
The result is more customized, practical training for agents. Instead of relying on generic onboarding materials, agents can learn from their past calls, while the conversation intelligence engine adapts and improves alongside them.
The Best Time To Prepare Is Today
Even the most prepared organization would face challenges in the aftermath of a Crowdstrike-level outage. It’s an inherently stressful situation. However, that doesn’t mean you’re completely powerless when it comes to how you respond.
By prioritizing scalability (and empathy) in your response, your organization will be better equipped to minimize the damage caused by the incident.
Conversation intelligence provides the technological foundation you need to embody empathetic values even in times of high stress. Ultimately, it makes your team more resilient, more adaptable, and more equipped to respond when customer queues begin to pile up.