Virtual queue
en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
Sure, but if the prevailing queue conditions mean I'm forced to wait 20 minutes regardless, I'd much rather do that without a phone to my ear. I'd even prefer a 40 minute virtual queue to a 20 minute physical queue, so it seems appropriate for there to be some discounting of virtual queue times when compared to physical ones.
As an aside, their comparison of voluntary queuing with and without virtual queues is suspect as they seem to inform the customer about the length of the queue only when they also have the callback system. These are two separate things and should be measured separately.
Virtual queueing through the phone is a bit meh, you still have to pick up the phone in the first place. Doing it through the web though gives imo a less annoying experience - wait time less visible and only have to pick up the phone once.
That might be true in even most cases (I doubt even this based on only my experiences), but certainly not all!
Think: IT support. Did they do something wrong? No. Your PC broke. No fault here.
Think: you have a question about your bill. Just a question, but it's nagging you. No fault here.
Think: maybe you left your lights on and need AAA! You need immediate assistance, but you'll have to wait in queue anyway. This is your fault, but it isn't like listening to Aerosmith is going to make you feel better! Let them call you back.
> I think the "best bet" would be getting someone on the phone asap.
Well, it is impossible to know who needs immediate assistance VS who doesn't. Maybe two pronged: 1) to be called back ASAP 2) to be called back when we're more available? First is the queue how it is. Second is a low-pri queue for people who are honest?
So yeah, I understand why they might want to increase attrition for things like frequently asked questions that are on the website and other simple operations.
That is a very narrow case. Others I've personally used
- place order
- schedule appt, make reservation
- check status
- make change to order/appt/etc
- cancel order/appt/etc
- talk about suspicious activityFirst: we were ABSOLUTELY required to keep the calls flowing. Did not matter how many we got: if a call went above 5 minutes in queue...which did happen with our volume to tech ratio...we all were berated: I'd go as far as saying verbally abused at times (think: directors literally stomping their feet on the floor and screaming at you.)
Second: no one likes to wait on the phone. It's annoying. They want their problem fixed. If they have to wait on the phone they'll just be more angry by the time they speak to a tech.
Third: you're still handling the same number of calls, most likely. Sometimes even less! We'd have people call and abandon constantly, so that'd drive up our numbers and make us look really bad (they didn't want users abandoning.)
What I found more interesting is that at least some telemarketing call centers actually use outgoing call queues. The reason for this is:
1) They anticipate some percentage of unreachable numbers; 2) To maximize efficiency- operators don't spend time waiting on somebody picking up the phone, they are only engaged when there is someone on the line.
They returned my call using a poorly tuned predictive dialer, I listened to 20-30 seconds of silence before the call dropped.
There was no second attempt.
I don't even know how many times I've said the phrase "We are currently experiencing a high volume of calls". Hopefully never again.