Since we have been in the BPO and call center industry for over a decade, the primary problem that the call center encounters are constant background noises. This is the matter that nearly 66% of call center customers complain about, which can lead to a great deal of misinterpretation between the customer and your team, ultimately frustrating the speaker due to repeated questioning. Sometimes we come across a company that necessitates a conversation with minimal disruption or sharp and crisp guidance; in such cases, call center acoustics can be fatal and lead to a large clutter and a financial loss.
Background noises cannot only give your customers a false perception but can also have a negative impact on the team’s productive output due to a lack of concentration. Based on our 12+ years of experience, 3+ physical call centers, and 500+ workers from all around the entire globe, we have summarized our experiences that will help you control call center background noise so you can enjoy a smoother flow.
We must first highlight the source of the sound, after which the resolution will be significantly convenient. Thus, according to our experience, these background sounds could indeed originate from a variety of sources, including employee-generated vocalizations, office location, and construction, as well as other nearby commodities.
Applicable Strategies to reduce background noise:
1- Staff training:
Employee training must need to be focused and emphasized. Equip your workforce with the skills of solving customers’ complaints as quickly and slowest as possible whilst also keeping other peers in mind. There must also be a space for internal communication between various teams. It is necessary to limit the use of unnecessary devices, particularly mobile phones. Teach them to try to keep their phone in silent mode.
2- Office Construction:
For call center construction, location is crucial, and we must ensure that it is not on the roadside to eliminate nearby noises such as traffic acoustics. We must design the office infrastructure so that it is distinct from other office premises. It must have separate discussion areas, and soundproof material walls between each team member without compromising the overall look. Disturbance can be greatly exacerbated by walls and floors.
For that, carpet and padded chairs could indeed substantially reduce walking noise and it will be under budget as well, also cubicles or walls to separate them. Sometimes it is impossible to imply walls between agents due to the limited office interior. For that situation, a moderate space between agents would be a useful alternative too. it is estimated that the spaces between employees should be approximately 3 square meters per person. Or if that is also not doable, allowing agents to work from home is an option. However, working remotely is only sometimes practically feasible.
You could indeed try to fill the room with various arts, crafts, and wall hangings to assist you in getting rid of self-echoes. Installation and maintenance of plants can also help you enhance the overall environment by boosting productivity.
3- Quality Hardware:
Make use of high-quality, noise-free equipment. For instance, instead of the noisy keyboards, air conditioners, and so on. use high-quality quiet equipment. Also, give a try of noise-canceling headphones to enhance your conversation, it will not only reduce the hustle and bustle interference yet will also significantly reduce breathing noise. If at all possible, locate all machinery in a central, easily accessible location. This machinery may include Coffee Machine, Photocopier. Because the impacts of its slow but continuous beeps can be really noisy.
4- Limit Physical Communication:
Physical communication is always efficient, clear, and concise. However, if you do not have separate soundproof conference rooms, you risk distracting and disturbing other members of your team. In that case, it is preferable to keep your minute details in any project management tool, and for other details, you can hold meetings weekly or as per your decided frequency.
5- Learn from Past Mistakes:
Utilizing mistakes to learn is always a smart option. Every contact center records client conversation over the phone for record-keeping purposes or for future reference. You can utilize these recordings to determine which agent or appliance is causing the significant portion of the background noise and therefore pinpoint the primary reason, which will aid in quickly resolving the background noise issue. How to deal with these loud agents is the concern here. One potential solution is to upskill individuals for speaking in a soft and low tone; yet another is to place them in corners where they will have little impact on others.
Your Final Opinion:
In addition, if you have any other strategies for reducing background noise, please share them in the comments section.
Also, background noises are not the only factor, that adversely impacts you, there are certain other points that you need to keep in mind before choosing any call center partner.
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