Call Escalation in UK Call Centres: How to Reduce It Effectively
Call escalation is one of the biggest challenges for UK contact centres striving to deliver efficient and consistent customer service. It happens when a frontline agent is unable to resolve a query and must transfer the customer to a supervisor or specialist. While sometimes necessary, frequent escalations can lead to longer call times, customer frustration, and increased operational costs.
Let’s explore how to reduce call escalation by training your team better, optimising your processes, and using the right support tools.
What Is Call Escalation?
Call escalation refers to transferring a customer from a first-line agent to someone with higher authority or technical expertise. It usually occurs when:
- The issue is too complex
- The caller demands to speak with a manager
- The agent doesn’t have the right tools or information
- The customer is dissatisfied with the initial response
In moderation, escalations are a normal part of support. But when they become too frequent, they indicate gaps in training, systems, or customer engagement.
Why Reducing Call Escalation Matters
1. Increases First Contact Resolution
Every escalation lowers the chance of solving a query during the first call. Reducing escalations improves FCR and boosts customer satisfaction.
2. Cuts Operational Costs
Escalated calls take more time and often involve more senior (and more expensive) staff. Reducing them saves both time and money.
3. Protects Agent Confidence
If agents constantly escalate calls, their morale can suffer. Empowered agents feel more confident and perform better.
4. Improves Customer Experience
Callers want fast solutions. Escalating a call often means longer wait times and repeating information, which hurts their overall experience.
Top Causes of Call Escalation in UK Call Centres
1. Insufficient Agent Training
Agents lacking the right knowledge will escalate more frequently, even for simple issues. They may also feel uncertain about policies or processes.
2. Limited Access to Information
If an agent can’t access a customer’s full history or support documentation, they are less likely to resolve queries independently.
3. Poor Communication Skills
Sometimes, agents escalate not due to the issue itself but because they struggle to de-escalate emotional or angry callers.
4. Rigid Scripts and Workflows
Over-reliance on scripts can backfire when customers ask something outside the expected scenarios.
Call Escalation in UK Call Centres
1. Improve Agent Training and Onboarding
Focus on equipping your agents with strong product knowledge, soft skills, and the confidence to make decisions. Training should cover:
- Company policies
- Product or service FAQs
- Conflict resolution
- System navigation
- Real-world scenarios
Use call recordings for coaching sessions to show examples of successful resolutions.
2. Empower Agents with Decision-Making Authority
Give agents the freedom to offer refunds, reschedule bookings, or provide discounts where appropriate. Set clear boundaries, but avoid making them feel powerless.
3. Use an Up-to-Date Knowledge Base
Agents should be able to find information quickly. A searchable, regularly updated internal knowledge base ensures they don’t need to escalate simple queries.
4. Implement Real-Time Support Tools
Live chat with supervisors or AI prompts within call systems can help agents get support on the spot, without needing to escalate the call.
5. Optimise Your CRM and Call Systems
By optimising CRM, agents can see customer history, past complaints, and prior solutions; they can personalise service and avoid unnecessary transfers.
Build Soft Skills to Prevent Escalation
1. Active Listening
Customers want to feel heard. Train agents to listen fully before jumping to solutions.
2. De-escalation Techniques
Teach staff how to remain calm, acknowledge concerns, and offer reassurance, even when customers are emotional.
3. Clear Communication
Agents must explain what they’re doing, what happens next, and how the issue will be resolved, all in simple, respectful language.
Track and Analyse Call Escalation Metrics
Regularly monitor:
- Escalation rate (total escalations vs total calls)
- Top reasons for escalation
- Time to resolution after escalation
- FCR rate
- Agent-level escalation trends
This helps you identify training needs, knowledge gaps, or process issues before they grow.
Encourage Feedback from Agents
Agents know better than anyone where the blockers are. Create open channels for them to share:
- Escalation triggers they encounter
- Common knowledge gaps
- Suggestions for streamlining call flows
Apply this feedback to improve scripts, update the knowledge base, or refine workflows.
Escalate Less, Resolve More
Minimising call escalation improves efficiency, empowers your agents, and builds customer loyalty. It’s about providing the right training, tools, and trust so frontline agents can resolve most queries independently. While some escalations are unavoidable, most can be reduced with the right support systems in place.
CabCall Experts: Smarter Call Handling Support
At CabCall Experts, we offer UK taxi businesses, including Compass Taxi and TakeMe, professional and flexible customer support designed to reduce escalation rates and improve service delivery. Our services include:
Ready to reduce call escalation and empower your customer support?
Contact CabCall Experts today to learn how we can support your operations with scalable, expert-driven service solutions.
