Cutting Call Centre Costs Without Cutting Customer Experience – Your 2025 Operational Playbook

A question that often comes up when we chat to operations teams is:

Is it possible to reduce call centre costs while actually improving customer experience?

The good news – and the central premise of this playbook – is yes.

By leveraging smart automation and “instant app” self-service, leading ops teams are proving that cost and experience are not a zero-sum trade-off.

In fact, empowering customers to solve issues on their own often improves satisfaction while saving money. This playbook will guide you through practical strategies to achieve exactly that.

Why the “Cost vs Experience” Trade-Off Is a False Choice

It’s a common myth in call centre management: if you cut costs, service levels will drop. Traditionally, reducing cost meant slashing staff or squeezing service time – measures that indeed risk frustrating customers.

But today, digital solutions have broken that link. You can simultaneously lower operating costs and deliver a great customer experience.

Here’s why the old trade-off doesn’t hold up:

Customers Want Self-Service

A huge majority of customers actually prefer to resolve simple issues themselves rather than call an agent. Surveys show 67% of customers would rather use self-service than speak to a support rep​. They consider it an inconvenience to have to phone in for routine matters.

In other words, the cost-saving route of self-service is often the experience-improving route as well.

Automation Can Enhance CX (If Done Right)

When implemented thoughtfully, automation doesn’t compromise on customer experience but actually upgrades it. Done correctly, call centre automation can improve key service metrics like first-call resolution and speed to answer while freeing agents for complex tasks​.

The result is faster responses and fewer errors. In short, automation can make service more consistent and available 24/7, which customers love.

High ROI for Business and Customer

There’s a reason so many leading ops teams are embracing workflow automation – it’s yielding a high return on investment on both sides. Companies save on labour and “cost per contact,” while customers get instant service instead of waiting on hold.

For example, deflecting interactions to cheaper digital channels (like chatbots or messaging) dramatically reduces the cost-to-serve each customers. At the same time, customers get problems solved in seconds instead of minutes.

No wonder 88% of consumers now expect brands to offer an online self-service portal for support​. It’s no longer seen as lower service; it’s simply expected.

Real-World Ops Success

Forward-thinking operations teams in financial services are already proving this point. They are using automation in areas like fraud claims, loan processing, and account updates to handle huge volumes with fewer agents – and increasing their customer satisfaction scores.

For instance, banks that implemented automation for routine inquiries saw their Net Promoter Scores rise because customers appreciated the no-wait service (even though it cut call volume and cost).

The lesson: reducing cost can go hand-in-hand with improving experience when changes are made with the customer’s convenience in mind.

In summary, cutting call centre costs does not have to mean cutting corners on customer experience. With smart use of technology, you can make service better even as you spend less. The following sections will show how to put this into action.

The 3 Types of Calls You Should Automate Today

To be clear, not every call is a good candidate for automation – but many are. The sweet spot is high-volume call types that are routine, predictable, and don’t require deep human empathy or complex judgment.

By automating these first, you unlock the biggest efficiency gains with the least risk to customer experience.

Here are three categories of calls ripe for automation right now in financial services (and similar industries):

1. Routine Info Updates (e.g. Contact Detail Changes)

These are the everyday administrative calls: customers phoning in to change an address, update their email or add a beneficiary.

They’re simple transactions that follow a script each time. Why tie up an agent’s time for these? Automating info-update calls is a quick win for both sides:

• High Volume, Low Complexity: Updating contact details doesn’t require special judgment – just identity verification and data entry. It’s the same process every time, making it ideal for a guided self-service workflow.
  
  Many banks report that a significant chunk of inbound calls are just customers notifying them of new contact info or requesting account statements.
  
  For example, one mobile provider noticed many customers called in just to add an authorized user to their account – a task easily handled by a simple form​.
  
  

• Faster for Customers: An automated workflow can let the customer input their new details through a secure link in seconds, with no hold time.
  
  Contrast that with calling, navigating IVR menus, waiting for an agent, and spelling out addresses verbally. Self-service is cheaper and it’s quicker. The customer spends one minute updating their info online instead of 5 minutes on a call.
  
  

• Error Reduction: When the customer enters the data themselves, it often improves accuracy (no mis-heard spelling over a phone). The update goes straight into your system without an agent retyping it – one less chance for mistakes.
  
  

• Agent Time Reclaimed: From the operations side, every routine change completed via self-service is one less call your team must handle. Those saved minutes add up.
  
  Your agents can devote time to complex or high-value conversations (or you can handle the same volume with fewer staff).

Example: A South African financial service provider launched an “Update Your Details” instant-app portal for customers who needed to update contact information as part of a compliance refresh.

Customers received an SMS with a secure link, authenticated via OTP, and updated their address or email on a mobile web form.

The result? Thousands of updates were handled without a single call. Agents who previously spent all day processing these changes were redeployed to proactive outreach work.

Customers were happier too – what used to take a phone call and potentially a branch visit was now a 60-second task on their phone. This routine task went from a cost centre to a self-serve convenience.

2. Missed Payment Resolution

When a customer misses a payment (on a loan, credit card, insurance premium, etc.), it often triggers a flurry of costly contact: courtesy calls, inbound queries, and even collections calls.

This is a prime area to automate because it’s repetitive, sensitive on timing, and customers typically just need a quick way to make it right. Here’s why automating missed-payment calls is a game-changer:

• Faster Engagement (and Less Stress): Imagine a customer who forgot to pay their credit card bill. Traditionally, they might receive an email or an agent’s phone call – which could lead to telephone tag or an awkward conversation.
  
  With automation, the process is immediate and discreet. As soon as a payment is overdue, an automated system can send the customer a personalized message with a link to resolve the issue.
  
  The customer can click the link at their convenience (even at 9 PM after kids are in bed) and see options: “Pay Now,” “Promise to Pay on X date,” or “Need Help?”. No need to speak to someone if they’re not up for it – reducing the emotional barrier to resolving the debt.
  
  

• Higher Recovery Rates: Far from lowering success, digital self-service can increase the chances the customer follows through.
  
  A study by McKinsey found that customers who digitally self-serve their delinquency (instead of interacting via a collections call) resolve their debts at higher rates and are more likely to pay in full​. They also report higher satisfaction with the process.
  
  The convenience and privacy of an instant payment arrangement can actually motivate repayment better than a series of phone calls.
  
  Real-world digital collection platforms have seen astounding results – TrueAccord, for example, reports that 98% of accounts get resolved without any human agent involvement, and 29% of payments come in outside of regular call-centre hours​.
  
  

• Costly Calls Eliminated: Each manual call made to chase a payment is expensive (for you) and often unpleasant (for the customer). By automating, you replace that with a low-cost message and web workflow.
  
  The cost to handle an issue plummets from potentially R50–R100 per call (when factoring agent time) to just a few cents for an SMS or WhatsApp message​. Multiply that across thousands of delinquent accounts and the savings are huge.
  
  

• Compliance and Consistency: Automated workflows follow approved scripts exactly and log every customer interaction. This ensures compliance with regulations (important in financial collections) and a consistent experience.
  
  No risk of an agent ad-libbing something that violates policy. The workflow can even incorporate ID verification and digital consent for arrangements, creating a clear audit trail.

Example: One financing company used to handle missed loan payments by having agents call customers a few days past due – a labour-intensive process with mixed results.

They switched to an automated “Missed Payment Assistant”. Now, on the day a payment is missed, customers instantly get a polite reminder via SMS with a link to a self-service portal.

Through the portal, customers can do things like select a later payment date within allowed limits, enter new payment details, or instantly pay the amount due by card.

The system even offers to break the payment into instalments if eligible. Only if the customer ignores the self-service path for a set time does an agent follow up.

The impact was dramatic: within three months of launch, inbound calls about missed payments dropped by over 50% as customers took care of it digitally. More importantly, resolution rates improved – a higher percentage of overdue accounts were resolved by customers themselves before any human had to intervene.

This automation not only saved the company money in call handling, it actually collected more payments by making it effortless for customers to respond.

As a bonus, agents who formerly just processed payments by phone could focus on truly difficult cases (and had far fewer irate debtor calls to field). It’s a win-win in cost and experience.

3. Appointment Reminders or Rescheduling

Industries like banking and insurance still rely on scheduled appointments – think financial planning sessions, loan application meetings, branch visits, medical insurance exams, etc.

Ensuring customers show up and can easily reschedule is key to productivity. Traditionally this has been handled with manual reminder calls (“Hello, just confirming your appointment for tomorrow...”).

But these calls are time-consuming and often go to voicemail. Here’s why automating appointment reminders and changes is smart:

• Customers Prefer Text Reminders: Research in customer communications shows that text messages have an open rate above 90% and are usually read within minutes, far higher than email or voicemail.
  
  People are busy and may ignore unknown phone calls, but a quick message gets through​. In fact, one property management company found that using SMS for appointment reminders boosted confirmation rates from 25% (with voicemail calls) to 85%​.
  
  Customers were much more likely to confirm via a quick text reply or form than to call back a number. The same applies to bank appointments – a WhatsApp or SMS ping saying “Your meeting is tomorrow at 10am, reply C to confirm or R to reschedule” is extremely effective.
  
  

• Reduced No-Shows and Late Cancellations: Automated reminders with self-service rescheduling options dramatically cut down on no-shows.
  
  For example, a healthcare study showed text reminders reduced missed appointments by 40%​. In financial services, if a client can’t make a meeting, giving them a one-click link to pick a new time means they’re more likely to reschedule in advance instead of just not showing up.
  
  This allows you to fill the slot or adjust staff schedules, saving lost time.
  
  

• Agent Time Savings: Think of the hours your team spends dialing out reminders or fielding calls to rearrange appointments. Automation gives that time back.
  
  Another local ops team in the insurance sector set up an Instant Appointment Manager: 24 hours before an appointment, their system sends a message with the details and a link. The client can confirm attendance with one tap, or hit the link to see available new slots and request a reschedule.
  
  The entire process happens without any employee involvement. Each reschedule that used to take a 5-minute phone call now takes an agent zero minutes. For an organization managing dozens of appointments daily, this amounted to hundreds of hours saved per month.
  
  One advisor noted that after moving to automated text reminders, they saved “about half an hour per day” that was previously spent leaving voicemails​ – time they could reinvest in meetings and follow-ups.
  
  

• Improved Customer Convenience: From the customer’s perspective, automation means they’re less likely to forget appointments (thanks to timely pings) and they have an easy out if they need to change the time.
  
  No more waiting on hold to talk to a scheduler; they can self-serve a new slot that works for them. This flexibility and responsiveness reflects well on your brand – it shows you respect the customer’s time and communication preferences.

Example: A large insurance provider in South Africa was struggling with customers missing their policy review calls and then calling back to reschedule. Their agents spent each morning dialing out reminders for the day’s appointments, yet no-show rates were still high.

The provider implemented an automated appointment workflow. Customers received a WhatsApp message 2 days before their appointment with a friendly reminder and a link. On that Instant App, they could confirm with one tap or choose a new date/time from pre-loaded options (integrated with the company’s calendar).

If a customer rescheduled, the system would immediately free up the original slot and notify the assigned advisor.

The results were immediate: confirmation rates shot up, no-shows plummeted, and the call centre saw 60% fewer inbound calls related to scheduling issues.

Clients frequently commented how convenient it was (“I loved just clicking a link to move my meeting – so easy!”), boosting the company’s CSAT scores. Meanwhile, the call centre staff who used to play phone tag became far more productive, focusing on proactive outreach instead of scheduling logistics.

Automating these three types of calls – routine updates, payment issues, and appointment handling – will drive a substantial chunk of cost out of your contact centre while improving customer satisfaction.

They eliminate the nuisance interactions that customers don’t actually want to have with you. In the next section, we’ll walk through what an automated resolution journey actually looks like from start to finish.

Live Workflow - How to Resolve Issues Without a Call

Let’s map out a typical “no-call resolution” step by step. The goal is to show how a customer can go from problem to solution via an automated workflow.

We’ll use a missed payment scenario for this illustration (since it’s a common use case), but the framework applies to many situations (account updates, claims processing, etc.).

Here’s how the live workflow unfolds, step by step:

1. Trigger/Event – Identify the Need

   
   The process kicks off when a specific trigger condition is met. This could be an event like a missed payment, a customer initiating an online request, or an upcoming appointment. In our example, the trigger is a payment due date passing without payment.
   
   As soon as that happens, the system knows the customer likely needs to resolve a missed payment.
   
   

2. Automatic Outreach – Instant App Message Sent
   
   

   Radmedia’s platform automatically sends the customer a message notifying them of the issue and providing a direct path to resolve it. This message can go out over the customer’s preferred channel (SMS, email, or WhatsApp).
   
   In South Africa, for instance, sending via WhatsApp is very effective – it’s used by 93.8% of all active internet users in the country​, ensuring the customer sees the note quickly. The message might say: “Hi Thandi, we noticed you missed your payment due on 30 Mar. Please tap here to make a payment or arrange a new date.”
   
   The clever bit here is that it includes a secure link. This is not a generic informational SMS; it’s an actionable link that allows Thandi to self-service her issue.
   
   

3. Customer Opens Instant App

   
   

   With one tap, the customer launches the Instant App on their smartphone. There’s no separate download or login required – it opens in the mobile browser but behaves like an app with the company’s branding.
   
   The system already knows who the customer is (since the link is unique to Thandi and securely authenticated her via a token). She is greeted by name on a responsive interface that lays out the context and options clearly.
   
   For example, the page might show: “Amount due: R500. Options: Pay Now, Promise to Pay on a later date, Speak to an Agent.” This immediate recognition and personalization make the experience friendly and convenient.
   
   

4. Interactive Self-Service Workflow
   
   

   The customer proceeds with the self-service options in the Instant App. This could involve a few simple steps or inputs:
   
   

   • If she chooses “Pay Now”: The app might display a secure payment form for her to enter card details or select a saved payment method (or even integrate with Apple/Google Pay). She enters the info and submits.
     
     

   • If she chooses “Promise to Pay Later”: The app could present a calendar or a list of allowed dates (say, she can defer payment up to 10 days). She picks a date, perhaps adds a reason if required, and confirms.
     
     

   • If she needs help: She might choose an option like “I can’t pay” or “Chat with agent” which could trigger a different path (more on escalation in a moment).
     
     

   • If this were a different scenario (like an address change), the interactive steps would be things like filling out a new address form and uploading a proof document photo, all inside the app.

Throughout these steps, the workflow guides the customer with validations and hints (e.g., “card number invalid” or “please confirm the new address”).

It’s designed to be foolproof so that the vast majority of users can complete the process on their own.

5. Instant Confirmation & Resolution

   
   If the customer successfully completes the needed action (e.g., processes the payment or submits their new details), the system gives an on-screen confirmation and typically also sends a receipt or confirmation message.
   
   In our missed payment example, Thandi sees “Thank you, your payment of R500 has been received!” along with a confirmation number, and maybe an email confirmation as well. At this point, her issue is resolved without any call.
   
   The backend systems (billing in this case) are automatically updated – marking the payment as received or noting the new promise-to-pay date. From the customer’s perspective, it was as easy as online shopping; from the company’s perspective, a potentially delinquent account was resolved with zero agent involvement.
   
   It’s fast, convenient, and saves everyone effort.
   
   

6. Escalation if Needed

   
   Obviously, not every customer will complete the digital journey, and that’s okay. A well-designed workflow includes graceful escalation paths:
   
   

   • If the customer clicks “Speak to an Agent” at any point, the system can offer to connect them. This might be via launching a live chat window, or simply messaging “We’ll have an agent call you shortly.”
     
     The issue details collected so far (e.g., “missed payment of R500, user tried to defer to April 10”) can be passed to the agent, so when they do call, they’re already up to speed – no need for the customer to start over.
     
     

   • If the customer ignores the initial message altogether (say they don’t click the link within a defined timeframe, like 48 hours),  the workflow can trigger a follow-up.
     
     This could be a second reminder, possibly on another channel. For example, after 2 days with no response via SMS, it might send a WhatsApp message, or an email, gently nudging the customer.
     
     After a couple of attempts, you might then queue the case for a traditional phone call as a last resort. By doing this, you ensure that you’ve given every chance for self-resolution before expending agent time.
     
     

   • If the customer tries the self-service but fails (perhaps their card got declined, or they got stuck on a step), the system can detect the failure and immediately route the case to an agent.
     
     The agent could then proactively reach out: “Hi Thandi, I noticed you attempted to pay online but it didn’t go through. Let’s get that sorted.”
     
     The agent has context and the customer doesn’t have to explain much – a vastly improved call experience than a cold call out of the blue.
     
     

7. Completion – Learn and Improve

   
   

   After the workflow, whether completed via self-service or escalated, the system logs the outcome. Ops managers can review the data: How many customers solved it fully online?
   
   Where did drop-offs occur? This creates a feedback loop to optimize the process. Over time, perhaps you find that adding a certain FAQ on the page could help people avoid needing to call at all.
   
   The beauty of a digital workflow is that it’s iterable – you can continuously refine the interface, wording, or options to maximize the self-service success rate.

This live workflow shows that virtually any straightforward customer request can be handled in a similar fashion:

Proactively send a tailored link → guide the user through journey → confirm and update.

It feels personal and interactive (like dealing with a private banker or consultant, but via phone), yet it’s entirely automated on the back-end.

And importantly, the safety net of human support is always there, just in case.

From the cost perspective, once set up, this workflow can run 24/7 and handle unlimited volume at a negligible incremental cost. Whether 100 customers or 10,000 customers click that link at once, nobody is left on hold – the system scales effortlessly.

This is how smart ops teams are achieving the holy grail of cost and experience: the marginal cost of serving one more customer drops close to zero, while the customer gets faster service than ever.

(In our example, note that nearly a third of the payments came in outside normal call hours​ – money collected while the lights were off in the call centre, thanks to automation.)

Case Study: A Bank That Cut 60% of Inbound Calls with One Workflow Change

To see these principles in action, let’s look at an anonymized case study from a financial services provider. They were inundated with inbound calls, averaging roughly 50,000 calls per month, which was straining their call centre budget and dragging down customer satisfaction due to long wait times.

One particular call type – missed loan payments – was a thorn in their side, accounting for a huge volume of contacts. Every month when loan payments were due, thousands of customers who fell behind would end up calling the bank (or fielding bank call-outs) to make payment arrangements. This process was expensive, slow, and unpleasant for everyone involved.

Pain Points: Customers who missed a payment often faced long hold times to speak to a collections agent, only to have a short conversation to perhaps promise to pay next week or set up a debit order. It felt like overkill – a heavy process for a small task. Internally, the ops team was dealing with:

• High call volumes during certain weeks of the month (around payment due dates), spiking staffing needs.
  
  

• Low agent morale: staff were essentially doing the same repetitive payment calls all day, often dealing with frustrated or embarrassed customers.
  
  

• Inconsistent outcomes: despite the effort, a lot of customers still didn’t follow through on promises, or they would dodge calls, leading to persistently high delinquency rates. The team wondered if there was a better way to engage these customers that would lead to more successful payments.

Solution Rollout: The bank decided to pilot automation on this missed-payment process – a “low-hanging fruit” workflow.

Here’s how it worked:

• Proactive Messaging

  
  Instead of waiting for customers to call (or repeatedly calling them), the bank set up an automatic trigger on day 1 of a missed payment. As soon as a loan account was 1 day past due, they would send an Instant App message via SMS and WhatsApp to the customer.
  
  The message was empathetic in tone: “We noticed you missed your loan payment due yesterday. No worries – you can use the link to choose a new payment date or make a quick payment now.”
  
  This proactive outreach meant the customer didn’t have to initiate contact; the solution was delivered to them immediately.
  
  

• Interactive Workflow

  
  The link led to a landing page tailored for payment issues. It showed the loan details, amount due, and two main options: Make a Payment or Extend Payment Date.
  
  If the customer chose to pay now, they could enter their bank card info or instantly EFT from their bank (integrated into the page). If they chose to extend, they could pick a new payment date within, say, 10 days, and required them to acknowledge any applicable late fee.
  
  All of this took place in a few screen taps. The design was mobile-friendly and in the bank’s branding, giving customers confidence it was legitimate.
  
  

• Gentle Reminders & Escalation

  
  The workflow included reminders – if the customer didn’t click the link in 2 days, a second reminder went out (this time saying “We’re here to help…”).
  
  If after a week there was still no action, those accounts would be flagged for a personal follow-up by the collections team, as a fallback. However, the bank found this was rarely needed.
  
  

• Agent Dashboard

  
  The bank’s agents had a dashboard view where they could see in real-time which customers opened the link, which steps they completed, and which accounts were resolving themselves.
  
  If a customer decided to call in anyway, the agent could pull up their instant-app session to see if, for example, they attempted a payment that failed. This meant any assisted calls were informed and much shorter.

Results: Within the first month of launching this initiative, the FSP saw a stunning reduction in calls. Inbound calls related to late loan payments dropped by about 60% compared to the previous month.

This wasn’t a small segment of calls – it translated to roughly 6,000 fewer calls that month. For the call centre, that meant dozens of agents who would have been on phones were now freed up. The operations manager reallocated many of those agents to outbound retention campaigns (and some open positions were left unfilled, directly saving on headcount costs).

On the customer side, engagement was high:

• Self-Service Adoption: In the first month, about 75% of all delinquent loan customers clicked the instant-app link that was sent.
  
  Of those who opened it, an impressive 80% completed a self-service action (either making a payment or scheduling a new date). This aligned with the bank’s expectations and industry research – most customers prefer a digital solution for delinquency if offered​.
  
  Only a minority needed agent intervention, primarily those with more complex issues (e.g., disputing a fee or requesting a restructure).
  
  

• Faster Resolution: The average time from a missed payment to a confirmed resolution (payment or arrangement) improved dramatically. Before, it often took over a week and multiple call attempts to finally speak with some borrowers.
  
  With automation, many customers resolved their situation within 24 hours of missing the payment – often late at night on the same day they got the message.
  
  This 24/7 self-service availability meant accounts were becoming current faster, directly reducing the loan portfolio’s delinquency metrics.
  
  

• Higher Completion Rates: The ease of the digital process actually led to better recovery outcomes. Over a 3-month period, the bank found that 91% of missed payments were eventually resolved (either paid or arrangements made) through the instant app, compared to about 70% resolution rate via the old call-heavy approach.
  
  More customers opted to pay in full when given a convenient online option, echoing the McKinsey finding that digital channels produce more full resolutions​. Those who scheduled a later date often kept that promise, thanks to automated reminders and the fact they had “ownership” of the plan.
  
  

• Customer Experience Boost: The bank conducted follow-up surveys with a sample of these customers. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive – customers rated the new process far higher than the old method.
  
  They used words like “easy,” “convenient,” and “less stressful.” Many were surprised (in a good way) that the bank offered such a tech-forward solution. Internally, the bank’s CX team measured an increase in the Net Customer Satisfaction for the collections journey by 20 percentage points after the rollout.
  
  What was once a dreaded interaction (being chased for payment) had been transformed into a user-friendly digital experience.
  
  

• Cost Savings: From a cost perspective, the initiative paid for itself almost immediately. By cutting 6,000+ calls per month, the bank saved roughly R300,000 in monthly operational costs (assuming an average fully-burdened cost of ~R50 per call).
  
  Over a year, that’s over R3.6 million saved on this one workflow change. Even after factoring the investment in their automation solution, the ROI was clear. Additionally, with fewer accounts rolling into later delinquency (because more were cured in the early stage), the bank saved money on more expensive collections efforts down the line.

This case study encapsulates what’s possible with a targeted automation initiative. By focusing on one high-impact workflow, the bank achieved a 60% call reduction for that process and proved the model, making it easier to justify expanding automation elsewhere.

It’s a template other organizations can emulate: find the “one workflow” that, when optimized, frees up a massive amount of operational capacity while delighting your customers.

Playbook Toolkit: Build a Low-Cost, High-Experience Communication Layer

Now it’s time to turn these insights into action. This section serves as a practical toolkit – a checklist of steps and considerations for Operations Managers who want to build a low-cost, high-experience communication layer for their organisation.

Think of this as your playbook for auditing your current systems, identifying opportunities, and implementing solutions to achieve the best of both worlds: efficiency and great customer experience.

1. Audit Your Call Volume and Drivers

Start with data. You can’t optimize what you don’t understand. Dig into your call centre reports and identify:

• Top call drivers: What are the most common reasons customers contact you? Rank them by volume. You might find, for example, that “balance inquiries,” “address updates,” or “payment issues” constitute a large chunk of calls.
  
  

• Handle time and outcomes: For each major call type, note the average handle time and any transfer rates or repeat call rates. (Is a certain issue taking 10 minutes on average? Do 20% of those calls result in a follow-up call?)
  
  

• Volume patterns: When do these calls happen? Are missed payment calls bunched around month-end? Are address changes spiking after a customer email campaign? Understanding timing helps in planning interventions (like proactive messages at those times).
  
  

• Customer sentiment: If available, review CSAT/NPS for those call types. Which interactions are pain points for customers? Those are ripe for improvement.

By the end of this audit, you should have a clear picture of the high-volume, low-complexity interactions in your environment – the prime candidates where automation can make a big dent.

For example, you might realize 30% of your calls are simple “what’s my balance?” queries, or a huge portion are payment reminders. These are your opportunities.

2. Identify Quick-Win Use Cases for Automation

As mentioned earlier, not every process should be automated, but many can. From your list of top call drivers, pick 1–3 use cases that meet these criteria:

• Simple, standardizable process: If the interaction follows a script or formula, it’s a good candidate. E.g., updating contact info (verify identity -> change info -> confirm), or sending a payment link.
  
  

• Limited need for human judgment: If agents are mostly doing data entry or giving standard info, you can automate it. If a call is highly emotional or advisory in nature (like counseling a bereaved customer), then that’s obviously not a quick-win candidate.
  
  

• High Volume = High ROI: Focus on cases that will free up the most agent hours or reduce outsized costs. The missed payments case study was compelling because it was a huge volume driver. Perhaps for you it’s something like OTP resets or FAQ-type inquiries that eat up agent time.
  
  

• Customer willingness: Ask yourself, “Would customers be willing to do this on their own if we made it easy?” For something like appointment scheduling or checking a status, the answer is almost certainly yes.
  
  You might even gather a quick pulse by surveying customers: “Would you use an online option to do X instead of calling?” If the answer is positive (and it usually is for routine tasks), that’s validation.

Prioritize one use case to start – the one with the best combo of impact (savings, volume) and feasibility (can be implemented without huge complexity). Quick wins build momentum.

3. Map the Current Journey, then Reimagine the “Ideal” Journey

For your chosen use case, map out the current customer journey and pain points. Then design the ideal automated workflow for it. For example:

• Current state: “Customer misses payment -> receives mailed letter -> calls contact centre -> waits on hold -> verifies identity -> discusses options -> sets new payment date -> gets off phone.” Pain points: slow (days or weeks to resolve), high effort for customer, costly for bank.
  
  

• Ideal future state: “Customer misses payment -> instantly gets mobile alert with link -> opens personalized website -> chooses new payment date in a few taps -> done.” Benefits: real-time, no hold, customer feels in control, minimal cost.

Lay out the steps of your ideal digital workflow. What information or functionality does the customer need at each step? Make sure to include:

• Authentication/security steps (e.g., OTP, last digits of ID) if needed, so the process is secure.
  
  

• Integration points – which backend systems need to be updated or queried? E.g., updating an address might need to write to the CRM and core banking system.
  
  

• Success confirmation – what confirmation does the customer receive? (Email, SMS receipt, etc.)
  
  

• Failure/Escalation path – if the self-service fails or the customer needs help, how do they get help and how does the system hand off to a human smoothly?

At this stage, engage stakeholders from IT, compliance, and any affected business units to sanity-check the ideal process. You want to ensure your vision complies with any rules and is technically feasible.

Often, compliance and IT will be supportive if you show that the automated flow can be even more controlled and logged than a phone call.

4. Choose the Right Technology Platform

You’ll need a platform or toolset to build and run these workflows. This is where a solution like Radmedia comes in as the communication layer. Key considerations when choosing/using a platform:

• Omnichannel capabilities: It should reach customers on the channels they actually use. In South Africa, that means SMS and WhatsApp are non-negotiable (email too, but mobile messaging is king). Radmedia, for instance, supports SMS, WhatsApp, and email triggers out of the box, so you can meet customers where they are.
  
  

• Instant App / Web UX: Look for the ability to create rich interactive experiences accessible via a simple link (no app download). We specialize in an “instant app” concept – essentially web apps that deliver an app-like experience. This is hugely important for adoption; customers won’t use it if it’s clunky or requires hurdles like installing something.
  
  

• Integration-friendly: The platform should integrate with your existing systems (CRM, core banking, payment gateways, etc.) through APIs or connectors. Check that whichever solution you use can securely handle customer data and write back outcomes to your databases.
  
  

• No-Code or Low-Code Workflow Builder: To truly empower Ops teams, it helps if the platform has a visual workflow designer. This way, Ops managers and business analysts (not just developers) can tweak the process. You might have templates for common use cases (like an “Address Change” template, a “Payment Plan” template, etc.) that you configure to your needs.

In summary, choose a solution that acts as a communication and automation layer over your existing systems. It should be able to orchestrate messages, host the mini-app experience, and talk to your core software – all without massive in-house development.

This is exactly what Radmedia was built to do: provide that layer of intelligent customer interaction without requiring you to reinvent your IT stack.

5. Pilot the Workflow and Iterate

Don’t try to boil the ocean at once. Run a pilot with your chosen use case:

• Start small: Perhaps enable the new workflow for a subset of customers or in a single region/product line.
  
  For example, test the missed payment automation with personal loan customers only, or only for those who miss a payment for the first time (while others continue with calls). This limits risk while you fine-tune.
  
  

• Monitor closely: During the pilot, watch the metrics like a hawk. How many messages sent, open rates, completion rates, time to complete, how many still ended up calling, etc.
  
  Also gather qualitative feedback – have agents ask a few customers who did use it how they found it, or include a quick feedback form in the app.
  
  

• Iterate in real-time: One advantage of a cloud workflow: you can tweak it quickly. If you see, for instance, many people are opening the link but not completing the final submit, investigate why.
  
  Maybe the payment page was confusing – you can adjust the text or add a help tip and publish the change instantly. Maybe you discover a lot of people still call in out of habit; you might decide to adjust your messaging (“It’s faster to use the link!”) or have agents gently encourage the digital option (“Did you know you can also do this online in the future?”).
  
  

• Measure outcomes: Compare against your baseline. Did calls drop? By what percent? Did resolution times improve? Are fewer people needing follow-ups? Make sure to capture the value – e.g., “Pilot deflected 300 calls in a month, saving ~R15k and resolving issues 2 days faster on average.” This builds the business case for wider rollout.

During the pilot, keep an eye on any unexpected issues (technical glitches, customer confusion points) and work them out. It’s normal to hit a few snags – better in a small test than after full deployment. 

6. Roll Out and Promote

Once the pilot proves out, plan the full roll-out:

• Scale up gradually: You might roll it out by segments or phases (e.g. 25% of customers in month 1, then 100% by month 3) to ensure systems handle load and any new edge cases are caught. However, since these workflows are cloud-based, scaling is usually not an issue – it can often be done for all users at once. 
  
  

• Customer communication: Let your customers know about the new convenient options! Announce it in your app, website, or email newsletters: “We’ve made it easier to manage your account – now you can do XYZ online in minutes.”
  
  When customers are aware of self-service features, they are more likely to use them. Also train your IVR to promote it: e.g., a caller hears “Did you know you can update your details online without waiting? Visit examplebank.com/update or check your SMS for a quick link.” This deflects even live call attempts.
  
  

• Agent training: Ensure your call centre agents are on board. They should understand the new workflows thoroughly – some may worry automation is there to replace them, so communicate the vision (it’s to handle more volume and free them for complex tasks, not eliminate their jobs).
  
  Train them to assist customers in using the self-service. For instance, if a customer calls about a task that is now available online, the agent can kindly say, “I can absolutely help you with this now, and I can also send you a link for next time so you can do it instantly on your phone.”
  
  This way agents become ambassadors for the new system. Over time, repeat callers will learn the new habit.
  
  

• Fail-safes: As you go live, keep the old channels as backup initially. E.g., don’t turn off phone support for a function until you’re confident the digital path is working for nearly everyone. The idea isn’t to force people, but to naturally migrate them by offering a superior experience. In practice, you might find call demand falls off on its own.

7. Measure, Report, and Celebrate Success

Finally, continuously measure the impact and communicate it internally:

• Key KPIs: Track reduction in call volume (number and %), reduction in average handling time overall, cost savings (estimate dollars/rand saved from deflected calls), and customer satisfaction scores for those interactions. 
  
  

• Customer feedback: Monitor feedback channels. Are customers liking the new process? Often you’ll get unsolicited positive comments like “Wow, that was easy” in surveys or social media. Share these testimonials with your team – it boosts morale to see automation making customers happy.
  
  

• Operational impacts: Maybe agent occupancy has dropped, or you’re able to handle seasonal spikes without extra hiring – these are tangible benefits. If the automation helped avoid hiring 5 extra temps this quarter, quantify that saving.
  
  

• Share results with execs: Producing a short report or dashboard for leadership will help reinforce support for further investment. When the COO sees that service levels improved while costs went down, you’ll likely gain even more buy-in for future projects. It flips the script from viewing operations as a cost centre to being an efficiency driver.
  
  

• Recognize the team: Implementing these changes is a team effort (Ops, IT, compliance, vendor, agents adapting, etc.). Celebrate the win – maybe an internal shout-out or a small reward for the team that led the charge. This not only rewards them but also signals to the organization that these types of innovations are valued.

8. Expand to the Next Use Cases

With one successful workflow under your belt, rinse and repeat for other call types. Use the momentum to tackle the next priority. Perhaps after missed payments, you automate routine account inquiries with an AI chatbot, or you digitize the loan application status updates via instant apps.

Over time, you’ll develop a robust communication layer composed of many workflows, bots, and messaging solutions, all working in concert to serve customers. This layer will handle the bulk of straightforward interactions, while your human team focuses on those high-touch moments that matter most.

9. Maintain the Human Touch Where It Counts

A final note in your playbook: automation is not about removing humans entirely; it’s about leveraging humans smarter.

Always identify which interactions should remain human – for empathy, relationship-building, or complex problem-solving.

By clearing away the simple calls, your team can double down on providing stellar service in the moments that matter: comforting a fraud victim, walking a confused elderly client through digital banking, negotiating a difficult loan settlement – the things no app can fully replace.

Make sure your strategy includes training and empowering agents for those scenarios, using the extra time they now have.

Your new communication layer should also seamlessly hand over to humans whenever needed (as we planned in escalation paths). This ensures customers never feel stuck in “automation hell.”

In fact, with the right design, customers will experience it as a fluid extension of your service team: they start in a digital channel and only if needed, a friendly human picks up, already informed. That’s an ideal mix of efficiency and personal care.

By following this toolkit, you can methodically transform your operations. You’ll go from a legacy call centre model to a modern digital-first communication hub. The cost savings will be real and measurable – fewer calls, fewer minutes, potentially fewer agents needed over time – and the customer experience improvements will be evident in faster service and higher satisfaction ratings.

Lowering Call Centre Costs Doesn’t Mean Lowering Customer Experience

Cutting call centre costs without cutting customer experience is not only possible – in 2025, it’s the new normal for those who embrace automation.

By debunking the cost-vs-service myth, targeting the right call types for self-service, and implementing smart workflows, you can deliver efficiency gains that were once unimaginable.

We’ve seen routine calls evaporate, resolution times plummet, and customer satisfaction climb as a result of these changes.

The playbook is clear: make it easy.

Customers reward companies that remove friction from their lives. When you save them from long holds and give them instant solutions at their fingertips, they repay you with loyalty and trust. And the bonus is you’ve saved your organization significant money in the process.

As you apply the steps from our toolkit – auditing your processes, piloting new workflows, and scaling up – remember to iterate based on feedback. Continuous improvement is part of the DNA of automation. Each cycle will uncover new opportunities to refine and expand your communication layer.

In the end, the best customer service is a fast, hassle-free service. By investing in a low-cost, high-experience communication layer, you’re not just cutting costs, you’re future-proofing your operations.

You’re building a scalable foundation that can handle growth or unexpected surges (like pandemic spikes) gracefully, and you’re meeting customers on the channels they prefer with service that feels modern and convenient.

The year is 2025: call centres no longer have to be cost centres. With the right playbook, they become value centres – delivering great customer experiences at a fraction of the old cost. It’s time to retire the false choice between saving money and delighting customers. You can do both, and now you have a roadmap to get there.

So here’s to cutting costs and raising customer love in tandem – the new way of operations.