Delivering tools that elevate the call center experience for customers and agents

Servicers looking to retain customers in today’s challenging housing market know that exceptional service is non-negotiable. More homeowners are staying in their current properties because of the recent interest rate environment. That makes delighting your existing customers more important than ever to help increase retention and win repeat business from a portfolio that might see fewer newly originated loans than it used to.

A key area for developing customer engagements has always been the call center, staffed with agents ready to support homeowners. But just because a customer inquiry is resolved in your call center, it does not automatically mean the customer is satisfied. Among the factors to consider:

The focus should be on getting your homeowners the outcomes they want in the way that is most convenient for them, while introducing the greatest efficiencies possible into your call center operations. It’s a “people puzzle” on both sides of the equation – consumer-facing and back-office teams – that, if balanced correctly, can help agents save time and money, while creating positive relationships with their customers

At ICE, we are delivering the tools to help servicers offer the self-service experience homeowners want, helping reserve call center inquiries for the type of meaningful conversations that give servicers the opportunity to create deeper relationships with their borrowers.

Equipping the borrower with more information through self-service digital tools

While many customers will have in-depth questions they want to bring to a support representative, there are also times where all they want is a simple answer to a routine question, like if a payment was applied.

There are capabilities available today that allow servicers to give their customers self-serve

options to get the information they need quickly without a phone call. Instead of having to reach out to a support representative every time assistance is needed, Borrowers should have quick, seamless access to their loan and property-related information – anytime, anywhere.

Using these self-service options, customers can schedule a payment; see previous payment activity; review information on taxes and insurance; and view loan details, such as interest rate, term and PMI. They can also perform “what if” scenarios, including options for building equity more quickly, and the benefits (or drawbacks) of paying down or refinancing their loan. And it can all be done from their personal device, without calling in to a support representative.

Not only does this help make customers happier since they can quickly and easily access the information they need, it also alleviates pressure on customer service representatives, since these types of informational requests no longer get funneled into a call center as often. This type of tool helps reserve call center inquiries for the type of meaningful conversations that give servicers the opportunity to create deeper relationships with their borrowers.

Providing a better call experience through call prediction models to help agents resolve calls faster

Call center efficiency is driven by the number of calls the servicer is receiving, and how long it takes to resolve each call. The longer an agent spends resolving a call, the more costly the call is – both to a servicer’s bottom line and to their reputation with the customer.

Another way ICE is helping servicers improve call center efficiency and create a positive customer support experience is with automated call prediction capabilities. Call prediction models use recent activity, conditions and signals on a customer’s loan to provide agents with the top three reasons why that customer may be calling. This personalized, proactive information can help the agent guide the conversation towards a positive outcome.

For example, there is a note on the loan that the insurance payment went up last month. The call prediction model can identify the loan now reflects a monthly payment increase and will then provide the agent that information at the beginning of the call. The agent has the information to start the conversation with the customer with a personally tailored note. Instead of the customer being greeted with a “How can I help you?”, the agent could then start the call: “Hi, I see your loan payment recently increased. Is that why you’re calling today?”

This information helps support representatives cut through the guesswork. Instead, have the information on their screen to deliver a more meaningful engagement with the caller, and potentially even turn what may be a frustrating moment for that customer into a noteworthy experience. Plus, these models are accurate, private and explainable – protecting customer or servicer data.

Conclusion

At ICE, we build tools to help create a superior customer experience with one common denominator: better customer engagements that lead to positive outcomes through meaningful conversations.

Self-service tools can allow customers to access the information they need without a customer support call, and call prediction models can create a positive call center experience so that when customers do reach out, that interaction is meaningful, personalized and productive. In this way, servicers can increase customer satisfaction, and introduce new efficiencies into their operations.