Working at a call center is a simple enough job: provide the customer with a great experience by answering any questions they may have about your company’s product or service.
Despite this, customers often leave negative feedback about the service. Many reasons could explain why customers may be dissatisfied with the call center: untrained call center agents, a lack of understanding of the customer’s needs, and a cold demeanor can all ward off potential clients.
Improving customer experience is vital as it results in consumer retention and boosts sales. While it is critical to improve customer experience, it is easier said than done when dealing with a demanding individual.
While the more seasoned call center agents are well-versed with such customers, the newbies might fumble easily. Maintaining a call center agent performance scorecard can help track a call center agent’s record. A few tips that can help improve customer service and should be part of the scorecard include:
1. Improve Communication
Your call center job becomes much easier when you think of the customer as a real person instead of just a voice behind a receiver, leading you to communicate better with them. If you gather some customer demographics, you can use them to create a customer persona.
2. Pay Attention To The Stage Of Marketing
The process of getting a customer to buy the product is extensive, starting with introducing the product to the customer and ending with them making a purchase. This process is known as a marketing funnel. How you communicate with the customer depends significantly on how far along the funnel the customer is.
For example, a new customer expects a warmer greeting, and you should give him more generic information regarding your services. A customer who is about to make a purchase would want more specific information about the product.
3. Don’t Be Robotic
Just as you should create a persona to communicate better with the customer, you need to have an emotional connection with them as well. Try to think of different narrative devices you can use instead of monotonously repeating information in a flat tone.
For example, you could use storytelling devices that highlight your product and the impact it can bring in their lives. Sounding like you care about the customer’s woes would help: you should have good concentration and not be distracted.
4. Ask For Customer Feedback
Asking for customer feedback and acting on it is crucial for a successful business. Every customer service call should end with a prompt to the customer to share their comments and concerns.
Doing so signifies that the company values knowing about the customer’s needs and wishes. Once you know what the customer liked and didn’t like about their interaction with you, you know where you need to improve and what you need to retain.
5. Decrease Customer Effort
The simpler your procedure is, the better experience your customer is likely to have. To minimize client efforts, the customer service department should integrate one-click checkouts, fast communication, and instant replies. A few things call centers can do to decrease customer effort include:
- Offer them a call back in case of disconnectivity, saving the customer from the hassle of contacting you.
- Provide extra information after the call that supplements your services.
- Try to solve the customer’s problem in the first call instead of them having to contact you repeatedly to get it fixed.
6. Execute A Courteous Greeting And Conclusion
The most crucial part of your job is how you start and end the call. The customer’s first exchange with you will be the greeting; if you don’t start on a good note, the customer will likely remain dissatisfied during the remainder of the service. Likewise, the conclusion is the last thing the customer hears from you, so you must also have a good wrap-up.
Go for a courteous greeting at the start. Say good morning or good afternoon, depending on the time of the day. Introduce yourself and ask how you can help the customer. Add an emotional touch to your greeting; it should not sound like you are checking off a list.
Conclude by summarizing all focal points of the interaction and a plan of action to solve their problem. Ask if they have any other questions and request their feedback. Do not end the conversation abruptly, and ensure that the customer is satisfied before concluding your call.
7. Reduce Hold Time
Long hold times cause incredible customer frustration and have tripled since the COVID-19 pandemic. Call center agents should move on to the next call in the queue as quickly as possible to reduce waiting time. Additionally, when you reroute a call to the relevant department, ensure the rerouting time is short and the customer is not put on hold unnecessarily long.
Endnote
How well your customer service treats your customer is directly related to how many customers your company can retain. Providing a great customer experience is as important as producing quality products or services.
Call center agents tend to make many small mistakes that severely impact the customer experience. A performance scorecard tailored to the agents helps them reduce errors. Consider making a performance scorecard to enhance your call center’s customer service.
