Offering Second-Chance Callback

Note: This Best Practices guide covers an integration option that requires updates to ACD routing logic. Contact the Mindful Support team for assistance or to discuss how the option can be implemented in your environment.

Second Chance Callback is a best-practice methodology that can increase the take-rate of callback offers and lower the abandon rate in your call center's holding queues. With a few updates to your routing logic, you can provide additional callback offers to customers waiting on hold who have already declined an initial offer.

There are a variety of reasons that customers might appreciate a second chance to accept an offer of a callback. For example, perhaps something has come up that requires their attention and they can no longer wait on hold. Perhaps the quoted wait time was low when they declined the first offer but queue conditions have quickly changed and resulted in a longer hold time. Regardless of the scenario, Second Chance Callback ensures that customers have the callback option available when they need it.

Benefits

Our research shows positive results for call centers offering Second Chance Callback, including:

Keeping customers in control with additional options while holding
Reducing abandoned calls in the holding queue by offering an alternative option
Fully controlling Second Chance offers in your ACD with no integration constraints
Adding another tool to address unexpected increases in hold time
No additional requirements for customers. They are not required to respond to Second Chance prompts, but can instead simply continue to wait on hold if they choose.

ACD Configuration

Most configuration for Second Chance Callback is done on your ACD platform, so the technical implementation will vary based on your integration. In all integrations, the following logic must be introduced to interact with customers in the holding queue. diagram of A.C.D. configuration for second chance callback

Whether offers are made in your ACD or in Mindful Callback, the process begins with the first offer. If the initial offer is accepted, then a callback is registered and no Second Chance offer is needed.
If the initial offer is not accepted, callers are routed to a holding queue.
A timer begins in the holding queue. When the specified time expires, another callback offer is made.
If the customer declines the Second Chance offer, then the timer is reset, and another offer will be made when it expires again.
If the customer accepts the Second Chance offer, the call is sent to Mindful for treatment.

Note: You can add logic into the routing script to limit the total number of offers made per call.

Mindful Configuration

There are two alternatives for preparing your Mindful organization for Second Chance Callback. Each alternative introduces its own advantages and drawbacks.

Option 1 (best practice): Use separate Call Targets for normal inbound calls and Second Chance calls.
Option 2: Use a single Call Target for both normal inbound calls and Second Chance calls.

For either method, you will need:

The ability to capture DTMF input from customers in your holding queue
The ability to play audio prompts to customers in your holding queue based on a timer

Option 1 (Best Practice): Use Separate Call Targets

This option uses the first Call Target to service normal inbound callback requests with a second Call Target dedicated to servicing Second Chance callback requests. For an initial offer, send the call to the first Call Target. For a Second Chance offer, send the call to the second Call Target. This option separates the two types of calls for ease of reporting and real-time analysis.


Advantages	Drawbacks
Call Detail reporting is more convenient.	ECBT is not combined between the two Call Targets. Therefore, ECBT on the normal inbound Call Target may be lower than it should be, since the call volume from the Second Chance Call Target is not included in the calculation.
Real-time monitoring clearly distinguishes the two call types.
You can enable the Offer Choose Hold option on the normal inbound Call Target while disabling it on the Second Chance Call Target.

If you wish to use separate Call Targets for normal inbound calls and Second Chance calls, you will need:

Two Call Targets configured with the same Callback Number targeting the same group of agents
The Offer Choose Hold setting disabled for the Second Chance Call Target. The setting can still be enabled for the normal inbound Call Target.

Option 2: Use a Single Call Target

The second option uses a single Call Target to service both normal inbound callback requests and Second Chance requests. When using a single Call Target, you will need to provision two phone numbers in Mindful Callback--one for normal inbound calls and another for Second Chance calls. You can then send any customers who accept the first offer to the first number while sending those who accept a Second Chance offer to the second number.

This method is easier to configure and maintain, but it introduces a few additional drawbacks to consider.


Advantages	Drawbacks
Configuration is simpler.	When a Second Chance ASAP callback is registered, it will be placed at the back of the virtual queue or waitlist. This can result in customers who accept Second Chance offers waiting longer than they would have if they remained in the holding queue.
	Offer Choose Hold should not be offered by the Call Target. This can affect your offer strategy for normal inbound calls, which may not be intended.
	Reporting on Second Chance interactions requires additional steps.
	Real-time monitoring combines normal inbound callback requests and Second Chance requests together

If you wish to use a single Call Target for normal inbound calls and Second Chance calls, you will need:

Two Phone Numbers provisioned for the same Call Target
The Offer Choose Hold Call Target setting disabled. Offering a hold option in Mindful Callback after a customer has already chosen to leave the holding queue can negatively impact the customer experience.

Reporting on Second Chance Callback Interactions

As noted in the lists of advantages and drawbacks, reporting on Second Chance interactions varies depending on whether you use one or two Call Targets.

Reporting With Separate Call Targets

On any report with a Call Target filter, use the filter to view data only for the Second Chance Call Target. This will exclude any data from initial offers and callers that chose to hold. If you offer Second Chance for multiple lines of business, you can add all of your Second Chance Call Targets into a shared Reporting Category to view all Second Chance interactions.

On the Callback Status page, review real-time statistics for the Second Chance Call Target or use the Category filter to limit the view to only Second Chance Call Targets.

Reporting With a Single Call Target

When using a single Call Target, additional configuration is required and the reporting capabilities are limited.

Preparation:

Provision two Phone Numbers in Mindful, and assign both numbers to the same Call Target.
In your routing scripts, send normal inbound calls for callback treatment to the first Phone Number.
Send Second Chance calls for treatment to the second Phone Number.

Reporting:

On the Call Detail page, export the reporting data to CSV. In the exported CSV file, the Callback Number to which each call was sent will be noted in the Source column.
In the CSV file, filter the Source column for all records matching the Second Chance phone number. The remaining data will include only Second Chance interactions.

Note: When using a single Call Target, the Callback Status and Executive Summary reports will combine Second Chance interactions with initial offers and callers that chose to hold.