The study, published in the journal Management Science, found that there are a number of factors that can contribute to customer impatience, including the length of time they've been on hold, the complexity of their problem, and the level of noise and background distractions they're experiencing.
The researchers developed a mathematical model that takes these factors into account and can predict the probability that a customer will hang up at any given moment. This information can then be used by call centers to adjust their staffing levels and call-handling procedures in order to reduce the number of abandoned calls.
"Our model can help call centers improve their efficiency and customer service by identifying the calls that are most at risk of being abandoned," says Ananth Raman, a professor of operations management at MIT Sloan. "This information can be used to take proactive steps to prevent customers from hanging up, such as by staffing up during peak call times or offering a callback option."
The researchers tested their model on data from a real-world call center and found that it was able to accurately predict the probability of abandonment for over 80% of calls. This suggests that the model could be a valuable tool for call centers looking to improve their customer service.
Here are some tips for call centers to reduce the number of abandoned calls:
* Staff up during peak call times.
* Offer a callback option.
* Play soothing music or white noise to help reduce customer frustration.
* Give customers an estimate of how long they'll be on hold.
* Apologize for the wait time.
* Offer incentives for customers who stay on the line.
