What are cold transfer calls? How are they used?

Everyone isn’t an expert. Sometimes it is better to help or put someone on the call who knows better about the client’s complicated questions. 

Call transfers are valuable during this situation. It lets agents immediately transfer live calls to an agent or an expert who has the knowledge or working experience to settle a complicated query that your caller is involved in understanding. 

Call transfer helps to perform secure solutions to the customer’s problems without making them hold/wait in line for too long. 

The cold transfer call is one of the types of call transfer that is also known as a blind transfer. It directly transfers a call to another agent without first talking to them.

So indeed, what are cold transfer calls? How are they used? 

We will briefly describe all your questions regarding cold transfer calls and how they can help your business get better performance. 

What does a Call Transfer mean?

Call transfer transmits a live phone call from one agent/user to another. It is a telecommunications method that lets you send a phone call advancing to another phone. 

When a caller gets the wrong department or team member, you can transfer their phone call to the better relevant phone rather than having them hang up and call a different number.

Likewise, call transfers are an ideal tool for customer service and provide a wonderful way to increase your agents’ performance and productivity. It improves call management ability and builds a commonplace across the business.

You May Also Like: Call Forwarding Vs Call Transfer: What are the differences?

Types of call transfers

The right configured call transferring system will quickly connect your customers to another department. 

However, a weak and inappropriate system can easily disclose customers to huge wait times and incorrect transfers, which upsets them or even causes them to hang up. 

There are three main types of call transfers: Warm (assisted or attended) call transfer, Cold (blind) call transfer, and voicemail transfers, so let’s take a minute at each briefly.

1. Warm Call Transfer (Assisted/Attended Transfer)

A warm call transfer lets you have a short conversation with another agent or a contact in your team before transferring the call to the customer. 

It provides an advantage in getting the necessary details about the customer’s query from another agent so that the customer doesn’t have to recount their question.

2. Cold Call Transfer (Blind Transfer)

Cold transfer directly transfers the call to the second agent that the client selects. The call can be accepted or rejected by the second agent.

3. Voicemail Transfer

Voicemail transfer is used when the third party is not available, and as an outcome, you may want to send the client to voicemail the information through a warm transfer. 

While being transferred to voicemail repeatedly may irritate some consumers, most will willingly leave a message if it means getting a solution in the future.

What exactly are Cold Transfer Calls?

Cold call transfer is also known as Blind Transfer which happens when you transfer a call to another without even talking first to them. 

The second agent may accept or ignore it to whom the call is transmitted. In the cold transfer, the customer or caller must re-explain their details to the new agent and illustrate why they contacted them. 

This entire procedure can be irritating for the caller. Repeating the problem, especially when the customer has called to express unhappiness, can be extremely irritating and infuriating, and cold call transfer does so.

Cold transfer calls were formerly considered the industry standard, but most companies are now opting for warm call transfer to boost responsiveness and customer happiness. 

When customers call in a small call center that still uses cold transfer standards, likewise mentioned above, your call is likely to be forwarded to the appropriate department without your status being discussed. As a result, you should provide a brief explanation of your concern after communicating. 

If you’re unlucky and the agent transfers your call, you’ll have to go through the whole process again. This problem can also arise if the company employs a secretary who sends calls to the appropriate agent without explanation.

How to Enhance Customer Experience with Cold Transfer Calls?

Enhancement in the cold call transfer needs smartness and logic. It satisfies the client and saves you from a client’s loss. The below-illustrated example can be one of the appropriate cold call transfers. 

Assume you’re in sales and you receive a call from a customer who needs assistance with a billing issue. She’s not interested in you; she’s interested in the billing department. And you, the salesperson, want your line released up for new business or clients. 

Transfer the client to the proper department’s call group once you’ve determined where she needs to go. Because the billing department does not receive as many calls as support or sales, there is no need for an introduction that can benefit you and also them.

How are Cold (blind) transfers used?

How are cold call transfers used will depend on how it is handled. In today’s fast-paced environment, customers demand their problems to be treated promptly and efficiently, with as little face-to-face (or phone-to-face) time as possible. 

Your call center should strive to meet and exceed those expectations, which it can do with the correct cloud telephony technology and training.

These are some of the concepts that can help you to figure out how are cold transfer calls are used efficiently and help in developing your business:

1. Through Effectiveness 

Employees at an effective call center should be prepared to collect data using a rough scripted prompts template. 

While not every individual who answers the phone should use the same conversation every time they speak with someone, offering your employees a broad script to follow can help them collect adequate, relevant information as fast as possible, in ways that feel natural and respectful to the customer.

2. Through IVR

IVR (interactive voice response) technology is one of the most effective techniques for getting the most out of customer conversations as quickly as possible. 

Not long ago, there was a time when contacting a call center meant going through numerous menus just to be thrown into a pool of waiting callers who appeared to be directed to agents at random. 

That is no longer the case due to IVR technology. Callers can now address their concerns right away, and the system can use those concerns to better direct their call. 

Less wait time, better solutions supplied by more prepared employees, and improved levels of customer satisfaction result from this.

3. Through Training the Agents for Handling the Scenario

It’s critical to train your agents to correctly handle transfer procedures, especially if staff transfers are required. There will always be queries or concerns best addressed by specialized staff members, no matter how well-prepared your agents are.

The easiest method for your employees to deal with a scenario like this is to:

• Explain why you’re making the transfer and get permission from your caller first. The caller will not be “jumped around” by the chain of persons receiving their calls as a result of this.
• Make sure to include your details. If you are disconnected, your customer can request the last person they spoke with by name when directed, saving them at least one step in the process.
• Transfer the call and, if possible, remain on the line to explain the issue to your colleague and introduce the coworker to the client. This will transform the call from a chilly transfer to something far more welcoming to the caller.

Today’s call centers combine technology that captures more data upfront with personnel training that allows them to quickly get to the heart of a caller’s worries.

It’s vital to take this two-fold strategy to equip your team effectively if you want a call center that continues to develop and solve problems for callers of all types.

Warm Transfer Vs Cold Transfer: Which is better & when?

Warm transfers appear to be the best alternative because they make your clients feel cherished and assist your agents in working better. This isn’t always the case, though. In some situations, cold call transfers are still effective for moving a call forward.

When a caller wants to reach a different department, and their or the agent’s identity is irrelevant, a cold transfer is the best option.

Today’s call centers go to great lengths to improve the cold transfer experience for customers for various reasons. One of the most important is their reputation for excellent customer service.

We’ve all waited on hold for a long time with a business, been transferred from one employee to another in an unending cycle, or been bounced from agent to agent only to have our concerns ignored.

This type of engagement contributes to the widespread view of call centers as dismissive and unresponsive to customer requirements and concerns.

Today’s call centers are working hard to change that perception. They are giving their clients and consumers a better location to turn with their issues and a friendlier presence to suit their demands by utilizing advanced cloud phone technology given by organizations.

Using today’s tools to optimize the process for all parties involved gives cold transfers in call centers a whole new meaning in today’s world.

Conclusion

Cold transfer improves the response process, although it has a long procedure. It was standard business practice and still in practice at the small call center that depends on the manual direction. On the other side, it is the most cost-effective and budget-friendly call transfer. 

Your call will very certainly be diverted to an agent who hasn’t been reported on your circumstance, but once the connection is established, you will need to complete the briefing and explain your problem. 

However, if you’re unlucky and the agent transfers your call again, you’ll have to go through the entire process again. This can be upsetting, and it may be enough to cause a client to hang up, resulting in a loss of revenue. 

Krispcall is a cloud phone that provides a business telephone system and offers various inbound and outbound lines, call routing, voicemail, IVR, call management and everything that meets all needs of businesses of all types. 

So, you don’t have to worry about losing your calls and then losing your customers.  

It has become a general term to describe a business telephone system that offers multiple inbound and outbound lines, call routing, voicemail, and call management features.

For more information, visit the website and get the Schedule Free KrispCall demo now, to know how Krispcall top-notch call transfer features handle all types of call transfers

Bivek Khatiwada

Bivek Khatiwada is a Senior Analyst at KrispCall with a wealth of knowledge in VoIP, virtual phone systems, and cloud call centers. His expertise allows him to elucidate the benefits and advancements of modern communication technologies.