December 2023 - Page 2 of 9

The Least Frustrating Call Center IVR Setup

A call center IVR is a software that automatically routes callers to the right place based on the things they say or the buttons they push. You’ve almost certainly interacted with one of these if you’ve ever been on a call where you had to press 1 for English and 2 for Spanish––they’re incredibly common, and can be very useful when managed effectively.

The problem is, most customers hate call center IVRs, and with good reason. Poorly designed IVRs can be a test of a customer’s patience and temper, making them have to sit through endless menu options, routing them through circular menu loops, and dropping the call right when they’re about to get to where they need to be.

Why Call Center IVRs are a Necessary Evil

Although IVRs can be frustrating to customers, most companies don’t have the budget to hire enough human agents to answer every single call right away.

Thus, instead of paying a bunch of agents to sit around doing nothing when the call volumes aren’t at peak levels, most companies use call center IVRs to help manage the flow of calls by answering common questions and routing callers to the right departments and representatives.

The trick is to implement your call center IVR thoughtfully and intentionally so that it works in support of your call center staff rather than a robotic replacement for the staff you don’t want or can’t afford to hire. At the end of the day, it’s all about implementing just enough to keep your call volume under control without going overboard and neglecting your clients.

It’s a delicate balance, but it’s certainly doable. When done right, you’ll ease pressure on your call center staff, lower your call center budget, and have a bunch of happy customers. That’s…

The Simplest Sign Of A Cheating Partner

This sign triples the chance of a cheating partner.

People who have cheated in the past are three times more likely to be unfaithful in their next relationship, research reveals.

Many people keep repeating the same patterns in relationships.

Fully 44 percent of people in the study reported cheating on their partner during their current relationship.

Almost one-third said that they knew their partner had cheated on them in the past.

Both men and women were equally likely to report cheating and being cheated on.

Those who have been cheated on are particularly alert for the signs, being four times more likely to suspect their current partner.

The study’s authors write:

“Our results indicated a threefold increase in the likelihood that a person will engage in infidelity if they already have a history of engaging in extra-dyadic sexual involvement [infidelity], and a two-to fourfold increase in the likelihood of having an partner engage in infidelity if a person knew about or suspected infidelity from a past relationship partner.

These findings suggests that previous engagement in infidelity is an important risk factor predicting engagement in infidelity in a subsequent relationship.”

The results come from a survey of 484 people who were asked about their relationship history going back five years.

They were asked whether they had cheated in their current or on a previous partner, as well as the same information about their partner.

Although 44% reported cheating in their current relationship, people in the study were unmarried and the rates are lower among married people.

One fascinating nuance was that the people who had cheated were no more likely to be suspicious of their current partner than those who hadn’t.

The authors write:

“Prior infidelity emerged as an important risk factor for infidelity in next relationships.

Individuals with previous partners who have engaged in infidelity may be at increased risk for partnering with individuals in later relationships who also engage in infidelity because these individuals may be more likely to contribute to relationship contexts associated with higher risk of infidelity.”

It is not true that cheaters always cheat, though, they write:

“…although a history of infidelity may be an important risk factor of which to be aware, it is not necessarily true that someone who is “once a cheater” is “always a cheater.”

Understanding what distinguishes those who experience repeated infidelity from those who do not remains an important next step…”

The study was published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior (Knopp et al., 2017).

Hello, and welcome to PsyBlog. Thanks for dropping by.

This site is all about scientific research into how the mind works.

It’s mostly written by psychologist and author, Dr Jeremy Dean.

I try to dig up fascinating studies that tell us something about what it means to be human.

You can get free email updates with more articles like this from PsyBlog by clicking…

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If You Want to Be a Call Center Agent, Do This First

Of all the things you might be tempted to do to land a role as a call center agent, there’s one thing you ought to do the most: apply, apply, apply.

Many job seekers wait to find the perfect position or get bogged down trying to craft the perfect portfolio, but the truth is, nothing beats throwing your hat in the ring—especially if you’re a beginner looking for a call center job for the first time.

You need to take action.

The Only Thing That Matters

There’s a lot of advice floating around the internet about how to land that perfect call center position. That means you could easily spend hours and hours going down rabbit holes about online courses that’ll teach you new skills, how to show off your expertise on your resume, or how to decide which type of call center is best suited for your personality—and none of these approaches will get your name in front of a hiring manager.

Instead, you need to start applying right now. Yes, even if you don’t have a completed resume yet.

The truth is, action breeds both motivation and opportunity. By applying to as many call center jobs as you can right out the gate, you put yourself in the position to start having conversations in that space immediately––and maybe even land a job with your current skill set. If you want to be successful, you don’t need to worry about being the best candidate in the world. You just need to get some skin in the game and show your eagerness to get started.

After all, becoming a call center agent has a relatively low barrier to entry, which is why you’re doing yourself a favor by applying right away. In fact, you can start…

How To Make A Successful Podcast: From A Top 1% Podcaster

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The Best Exercise To Quickly Improve Memory

Each exercise session was only 20-minutes long.

Short bursts of high-intensity exercise provide a considerable boost to memory, research finds.

The study showed that healthy young adults increased their memory performance in a relatively short period of time.

Each exercise session was only 20-minutes long, during which they did short bouts of intense exercise.

Those with the greatest fitness gains saw increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

This is a protein that supports the function, growth and survival of brain cells.

Dr Jennifer Heisz, the study’s first author, said:

“Improvements in this type of memory from exercise might help to explain the previously established link between aerobic exercise and better academic performance.

At the other end of our lifespan, as we reach our senior years, we might expect to see even greater benefits in individuals with memory impairment brought on by conditions such as dementia.”

For the study, exercise training was compared with a control group among 95 people.

The high-intensity exercise was particularly beneficial to high-interference memory.

When we try to retrieve something from memory, the retrieval process can be hampered by other similar memories.

For example, when trying to remember someone’s name beginning with the letter ‘J’, the memory might return ‘Jack’, ‘James’ and ‘Jeremy’, before you remember the man’s name is ‘Jeff’.

After exercise, people found it easier to recall memories in these sorts of situations.

Dr Heisz said they were now looking at older adults to see if the same findings held true:

“One hypothesis is that we will see greater benefits for older adults given that this type of memory declines with age.

However, the availability of neurotrophic factors also declines with age and this may mean that we do not get the synergistic effects.”

The study was published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (Heisz et al., 2017).

Hello, and welcome to PsyBlog. Thanks for dropping by.

This site is all about scientific research into how the mind works.

It’s mostly written by psychologist and author, Dr Jeremy Dean.

I try to dig up fascinating studies that tell us something about what it means to be human.

You can get free email updates with more articles like this from PsyBlog by clicking here.

Author: Jeremy Dean

Psychologist, Jeremy Dean, PhD is the founder and author of PsyBlog. He holds a doctorate in psychology from University College London and two other advanced degrees in psychology. He has been writing about scientific research on PsyBlog since 2004. He is also the author of the book “Making Habits, Breaking Habits” (Da Capo, 2013) and several ebooks. View all posts by Jeremy Dean

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The Best Way to Reduce Wait Times with Call Center Queuing

Call center queuing refers to the process of routing incoming customer calls to the most suitable agent. Most often, this is done through an ACD (Automatic Call Distributor). An ACD uses predefined rules and a smart algorithm to determine how calls are distributed among available agents.

Call center queuing is essential for a well-oiled, efficient customer support operation. It allows you to distribute customer calls to the best reps automatically, thus saving time for both your customers and agents.

The Ideal Call Center Queuing System

Since no two businesses look exactly alike, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all roadmap for setting up your call center queuing system.

But in general, this is how you want your system to work:

The customer calls your business phone number.
They’re welcomed by an Interactive Voice Response (IVR), which is the automated system that can help answer questions and route customers to the right agent.
The IVR collects information such as the account number or reason for the call.
Based on this information, the ACD distributes the call to an available agent with the necessary skills and knowledge to help the customer.

This simple process is the best way to ensure low wait times. By starting with the IVR, you can get relevant information from callers, and they may potentially even be able to answer their own questions without needing to be directed to an agent.

But if they do need to speak to an agent, knowing exactly what they’re calling about ahead of time ensures they’ll get to the right person. Instead of having one long line of customers that are randomly assigned to an agent, you’ll have smaller lines for each specific department. And because the system is set up so that customers are reaching agents who specialize in their question…

Attention Spans are Shrinking, but Long-form Content Still Rules — What’s the Catch?

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you probably remember reading at least one article saying that our attention spans are down to a “mere 8 seconds” — or “less than a goldfish”.

While it sounds catchy, it’s not that simple. It’s easy to jump to conclusions and get swept up in the clickbaity narrative, but the research on human attention spans isn’t so clear cut.

In fact, some scientific studies seem to point in the completely opposite direction — humans have an enormous capacity for attention.

Our Problem is Not Attention — it’s Distraction

The core issue isn’t a lack of attention — it’s the multitude of distractions competing for our focus. The modern consumer’s attention hasn’t become scarcer, it’s just spread thinner.

The growing popularity of platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts may give the impression that our attention span is declining. But the real issue is that we’re increasingly having to navigate a sea of rapid-fire, bite-sized, infinity well content that is algorithmically engineered to hook our interest.

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In this environment, the challenge for brands and marketers isn’t simply to capture attention, but to hold it — and use narratives that rise above the clamor as an antidote to distraction.

Long-form Content isn’t Going Away

There’s a wealth of evidence suggesting that long-form content is not only surviving but thriving.

Long-form articles are one example. They typically outrank shorter counterparts and are frequently rewarded with more social shares and links. This indicates that audiences are engaging with it, valuing it, and sharing it within their networks.

Podcasts, too, are more popular than ever with Australia leading the charge, recently having overtaken the US as the world’s biggest podcast-listening nation. Lengthy, detailed discussions are in our earbuds, consumed on our commutes and during our lunch breaks. This content isn’t bite-sized — it’s substantial, and its popularity is growing.

Anecdotal evidence further demonstrates this point. Look at the typical American viewer who is perfectly capable of devouring half a season of their favorite TV show in a single day. In a way, our binge-watching culture itself dispels the myth of an 8-second attention span.

Measuring Brand Engagement in Hours, not Minutes

When it comes to brand engagement, the playing field between long-form and short-form content isn’t level. Let’s compare a 30-second TikTok with an hour-long branded podcast:

A branded TikTok video of 30 seconds duration, with 10,000 views, and an average video completion rate of 62% creates 52 hours of consumer engagement.
A branded podcast of 30 minutes duration, with 1,000 listens, and an average episode completion rate of 75% creates 378 hours of consumer…

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How To Quickly Turn Your Emotions Up And Down (M)

You can dial your emotions both ways with this simple switch.

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It Takes 20 Minutes to Copyright a Website

Your content is copyrighted as soon as you hit the Publish button. But does that prevent copycats from potentially stealing your original work? Not really.

The best solution to mitigate this risk? Officially copyrighting your website and its content. You see, registering a copyright:

Gives you legal ownership of your content so that no one can copy or distribute it without your consent.
Offers you legal protection as you can file a lawsuit if someone plagiarizes your posts.
Gives you the right to attorney fees and statutory damages in case someone uses your work without permission.
And potentially prevents content theft as duplicators know you can take legal action against them.

If you’re thinking about copyrighting your website, the best time to start is today. This is because while the registration process is straightforward, it can take some time to complete, and the approval process can be slow.

To get started, you have two options: let business formation services like LegalZoom handle the website copyright process for you or do it yourself.

How To Copyright a Website Online

Copyrighting your website protects its text, images, videos, and code from infringement. It also gives you exclusive rights to publish, distribute, and create derivative forms of your work.

Registering a copyright with the United States Copyright Office (USCO) is essential so that you have proof of ownership.

For copyright registration, you’ll need to go to the US Copyright Office website and create an account. USCO is the government agency that records ownership claims of original authors.

You can either file for registration online or download an application form and mail it along with copies of the work you want to register a copyright for.

For website copyright registration, it’s a better idea to…

AI in 2024: A Digital Marketer’s Guide to Benefits and Pitfalls

Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no escaping it! When it comes to AI or artificial intelligence, this statement holds true.

Today, over 80% of digital marketers make use of AI in some way or the other. Whether it is using ChatGPT for generating ideas or Jasper for your captions, AI is here to stay.

More and more AI tools are cropping up with the promise of making your job easier. So, should you jump on the bandwagon in 2024? Is AI for you?

Don’t worry. This article has all the answers as we walk you through the benefits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence in digital marketing in 2024. So, let’s delve right in!

First, let’s unpack all the exciting benefits AI has to offer in the field of digital marketing in 2024.

1. Taking Up Personalization a Notch Higher

In 2024, AI’s impact on digital marketing is more pronounced than ever. One of the reasons for this can be that people are more receptive to advanced technology and are willing to give it a try.

But how can it help with personalization? Well, sophisticated AI algorithms can help businesses fine-tune their interactions with users.

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By analyzing vast datasets, AI differentiates between individual preferences, behaviors, and demographics. All these pointers allow you to deliver hyper-personalized content, product recommendations, and user experiences. Now, if you are wondering, is personalization even necessary? The answer is a big yes!

Around 91% of consumers say they are more likely to shop with brands that provide offers and recommendations that are relevant to them. So, to help you out, AI can assist with customized email campaigns to vibrant website content so you connect well with your consumers.

Additionally, AI is valuable across both the B2C and the B2B customer journey, elevating personalized interactions throughout every stage.

2. Optimized Advertising Strategies that Actually Work

In 2024, the integration of Artificial Intelligence can redefine your advertising strategies in digital marketing.

AI comes with analytical powers that can transform your advertising precision.

What does this do? Simple! It ensures that your message reaches the right audience at the right time.

After all, that’s the key to successful advertising campaigns- reaching the target audience at the perfect time!

So, how does it work?

Well, with the help of machine learning algorithms, you can decipher user behavior patterns, optimize ad targeting, and more.

End of the day, you can elevate ad efficiency with AI and add a personal touch to guarantee a better response.

3. Improved Content Creation that Aligns with the Brand

Content is no longer…

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