Efficiency is always a top priority, but never more than in tough economic times. The trick is to maximize process and productivity while not compromising caller satisfaction, which can have an impact on the bottom line. While call centers strive to increase average-speed-of-answer (ASA) and capitalize on selling opportunities under the pressure of budgetary constraints, consumers are becoming more discerning about every dollar spent and less inclined to divulge personal information.

Customer Management Insight publishes a benchmark series on key performance indicators (KPI's) for call center management. In their study they indicate that the average call center tracks more than 25 metrics, however 80% of the value a business receives from performance measurement and management in a call center can be derived from five metrics. Those five include: Cost per Call, Customer Satisfaction, First Contact Resolution Rate, Agent Utilization and Aggregate Call Center Performance. Each of these five KPI's are positively impacted by enabling agents to have access to detailed information on a caller before picking up or initiating the call. These agents are able to verify data, gather additional information and conclude an inquiry with better results, in record time and with greater customer satisfaction.

Our research and experience suggests that some of the more pressing operational issues and challenges facing call center leadership today include:

Improving operating efficiency

• Call centers equipped with the latest lead verification, data enhancement and data capture technologies enable agents to have access to detailed information on a caller before picking up or initiating the call. These agents are able to verify data, gather additional information and conclude an inquiry which improves customer experience and boosts efficiency. With as little information as a phone number, using an API to connect to V12 Group's Data Validation recognizes inbound callers within milliseconds of the call initiation, drawing details from a database of over 209 million consumers. Name and address information are delivered instantly into the call center platform. This enables call center agents to focus on verification rather than data entry, thus significantly reducing the time per call and minimizing errors.
• The efficiencies generated using V12 Group's Data Validation extend beyond cost savings associated with reduction of call time and include greater accuracy for data capture and order fulfillment. All data accessible through V12 Group's Data Validation is current and accurate, which means additional cost savings.
• V12 Group's Data Validation will enable agents to capture ‘blind’ identification of unhappy customers offering information and insight that would otherwise not be available. With just a phone number, V12 Group will enable real-time name and address capture to ensure you have accurate data for your customer retention, re-targeting or marketing efforts.
• The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 44 million people move each year resulting in changes of address and phone numbers. V12 Group understands that customer and prospect data is ever-changing and needs constant updating and verification. V12 Group's Consumer Database contains 209 million U.S. Consumers and 116 million households, representing slightly over 85% of the U.S. population. Our most current CASS score is 99.2% deliverable which is deemed to be an excellent deliverability for a consumer database by the Direct Marketing Association. V12 Group's Consumer Database contains all demographic, lifestyle, behavioral and social media attributes. Further, it includes postal information and landline phone information as well as mobile phone information for 60 + million people.

Deliver customer satisfaction

• There is a tight correlation between expedited call handling and customer satisfaction. Further, caller satisfaction is increased as customer service representatives (CSR's) armed with real-time verification data have to ask fewer questions and are able to address the reason for the call in less time.