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The future is too important to put on hold: How to reduce customer service calls

Understand the true cost of keeping direct customers waiting (and how AI-powered customer engagement solutions can help)

LivePerson Team

December 13, 20223 minutes

phone and hourglass illustrating how to reduce customer service calls

In 2022, brands across nearly every industry struggled to deliver customer satisfaction, especially when contacting customer service agents. In fact, 22% of customers say they would rather spend the night in jail than reach out to the customer service team.

It’s really that bad — at least if you stick with the traditional phone calls, emails, and self-service web options.

Browse the infographic for more stats and what you can do to improve the experience.

use the customer feedback in this infographic to reduce customer service calls and wait time

Please hold: A recipe for customer satisfaction disaster

Being put on hold during support calls can be a painful experience that scares away customers — even usually satisfied ones. When they need help, customers would rather message than pick up the phone. And if they call, some might wait on hold — but not forever:

  • 74% prefer messaging to phone calls.
  • 82% expect an answer from a customer service agent in under 15 minutes; 62% expect an answer in under 5 minutes.
  • 60% of customers hang up after 1 minute on hold.
  • 30% of those on customer calls that have to wait longer than a minute will never call back.

The bottom line: Two-thirds of your customers say waiting on hold too long will drive them to your competition.


Meet your not-so-secret weapon in reducing call volume

An AI-powered, asynchronous messaging strategy can give you a competitive advantage in reducing contact center call volume and saving money. Asynchronous messaging is a communication method where customers have the ability to start, pause, and continue the conversation on their own terms. Following are just a few examples of how this approach can reduce incoming calls and improve customer satisfaction:

  • Shift from calls to messaging – With IVR deflection, you empower customers with the option to “press 1 to start a messaging conversation” in the apps they love at the exact moment they expect to be put on hold.
  • Automate quick answers to common inquiries – An AI chatbot can handle the common questions whenever the customer chooses to converse.
  • Focus on the tough stuff – Robust intent data helps dynamically route human customer service agents to the more complex situations, giving customers an efficient, white-glove experience at a fraction of the previous time and expense.

The power of call reduction through Conversational AI and messaging

Eliminating long hold times with multi-channel messaging makes everything better for customer service reps and customers alike. With this added to your call center, you can see:

  • Faster reply times – Agents can handle multiple messaging conversations at once compared to voice-based customer calls, dramatically reducing first reply times from minutes or hours to mere seconds.
  • Higher CSAT – Messaging with Conversational AI inspires loyalty and trust, increasing CSAT up to 20% while cutting customer support team attrition in half.
  • Deeper cost savings – The right balance of agents and chatbots can increase efficiency and reduce customer care costs by 50%.
  • More personalization – AI-powered intent mapping makes conversations feel truly personal – something 86% of customers say they want more of.
  • Increased revenue – A deeper connection through messaging can increase lifetime purchasing value, boosting digital sales up to 20%.

It’s time to cure the hold-time headache

Unlock our call reduction strategies guide on 7 ways to reduce calls, lower hold times, and improve satisfaction.