What Is All Hands on Deck (AHOD) in a Call Center?

All hands on deck, or AHOD, in a call center refers to a collaborative approach where everyone in the call center comes together to handle a sudden surge in call volume and prevent callers from becoming frustrated by long wait times.

It involves mobilizing all available personnel, agents, managers, and even team leaders to handle the sudden surge of calls that demand a fast response. Using the AHOD strategy is a lifesaver in these situations and keeps customers from feeling let down.

With everyone pitching in at the call center to handle those sudden surges in calls, it helps improve the call center's overall performance. Teamwork and collaboration decrease response time and queue time, enhancing customer satisfaction.

When everyone pitches in during busy or urgent moments, the team can answer calls and resolve issues faster. This means customers spend less time waiting and are getting help more quickly.

When everyone in the call center comes together to provide the fastest service to customers in need. Implementation of AHOD reduces wait times and keeps customers informed, leading to a more positive experience and higher satisfaction levels as they get the help quickly.

AHOD encourages all available staff to pitch in, and assigning tasks based on immediate needs is easier. This way, no one is idle, and resources are directed where needed.

When a call center declares an all-hands-on-deck situation, it brings everyone together to share the goal, i.e., handle the calls. When the team is focused on the same goal, they share information faster and support each other effectively.

Sudden service crashes, seasonal peaks, and social media effects often cause a sudden rise in call volumes. These major events need to be addressed and handled using the AHOD strategy before they become more serious.

System issues, website crashes, or service interruptions can simultaneously cause customers to seek assistance.

Businesses often receive high volumes of calls around holidays and changing seasons since large groups have overlapping demands simultaneously. For example, retailers might experience a volume of calls during the black friday sale.

Viral social media trends or challenges can create a sudden surge in interest in a product or service, leading to increased call volume. Also, negative publicity or backlash on social media can drive customers to contact the service to express concerns or seek refunds.

To manage a high volume of calls, the call center should provide callback options, track key metrics, implement IVR systems, and optimize the workforce according to the analytics. Also, evaluate workflows to enhance operations in real-time and foster a calm environment for agents to prevent agent burnout.

During busy times, allow customers to request a callback instead of waiting on hold. Explain how the callback works and when to expect a return call to set clear expectations. Ensure all requests are recorded and handled promptly. This reduces hold times and makes customers feel respected and valued.

To spot and prepare for a sudden increase in calls, monitor key metrics like call volume, average wait time, abandonment rate, average handle time, and agent utilization rate. Keep an eye on the number of calls waiting in the queue and the percentage of calls answered within a target time. Early detection of spikes lets the team prepare and respond before things get overwhelming.

Use an advanced telephony system like Calilio with its advanced call management features. Implementing intelligent IVR (Interactive Voice Response) reduces time spent transferring calls and helps customers get the right resolution faster. Also, the call queues help customers stay connected and engaged despite all agents being busy.

Schedule more agents during busy times and ensure timely breaks between shifts to maximize coverage and productivity. Proper workforce management prevents staff shortages and keeps service levels consistent.

Dealing with a high call volume can be stressful. So, as a manager or supervisor of the call center, you need to encourage creating a calm workplace. Prevent agent burnouts and offer in-between breaks or any support that helps agents stay focused, perform better, and avoid being overworked.

Constantly analyze and improve your processes to find bottlenecks or inefficiencies. Regular updates ensure the call center adapts to changing needs and maintains smooth operations. For example, check whether there are unnecessary call transfers. If there are, opt for a good solution and save time during busy times.

Self-service options like IVRs, chatbots, and customer portals help reduce call volume by letting customers solve common issues on their own. This frees up agents to handle complex calls, especially during all-hands-on-deck situations. These tools work 24/7 and ensure faster resolutions even during peak hours.

All Hands on Deck (AHOD) is a joint approach for call centers to handle sudden increases in call volume and maintain high-quality customer service during busy hours. The call center needs to mobilize the entire team quickly to reduce wait times, improve response rates, solve problems faster, and provide the right resolutions faster. Using AHOD during service outages, seasonal spikes, or any social media-driven surges ensures that your call center offers the best services to your customers.

Calilio offers an advanced AI-powered call center solution to enhance call management and run your call center operations smoothly, even during emergency cases. With its detailed insights from the call analytics, you can manage the call center workforce accordingly and use intelligent IVR and call queues when the call comes in to deliver exceptional customer service.

“All Hands on Deck” means that all staff members who can assist are asked to help in call handling due to a sudden increase in calls. Everyone available is needed to help answer calls and solve customer problems so the team can handle the busy time well and customers don’t have to wait long.

Imagine you’re working in a call center handling customer support for Amazon, and the website suddenly crashes. This causes a sudden surge of calls from frustrated customers. To handle the spike, the manager calls in extra agents from breaks or other departments to immediately start answering calls. This is a “hands-on deck” situation, where everyone actively works to manage the increased demand.

An RTA, or Real Time Analyst, monitors incoming calls, agent availability, and work distribution in real-time. They track and analyze real-time data about employees, call volumes, and service levels to help keep the call center operation running smoothly and efficiently even during busy situations.