Recently, we saw many people take to
mobile smart phones and social networking sites to communicate with brands,
clearly marking an evolution in customer engagement. However, the customer
contact centre remains at the forefront of customer experience and can often be
the only ‘human’ interaction a customer has with a brand.
This is quite possibly the reason why so many still prefer a phone call to a tweet or a Facebook message, so the demand for exceptional customer service is as relevant today as it always has been.
Despite this, contact centres are not always received well by customers. Whilst some practitioners are certainly getting it wrong though, there are many that are providing exceptional customer service.
This is quite possibly the reason why so many still prefer a phone call to a tweet or a Facebook message, so the demand for exceptional customer service is as relevant today as it always has been.
Despite this, contact centres are not always received well by customers. Whilst some practitioners are certainly getting it wrong though, there are many that are providing exceptional customer service.
So how can a contact centre make sure
that they are exceeding their clients’ and customers’ expectations? The
following 12 tips are key to running an efficient contact centre that drives
revenues, maintains service levels and increases the customer base.
·
Quick response – Having a team of agents trained to react quickly to
incoming calls and outbound calls is vital. Ultimately, all calls
should be answered at all times.
·
Eliminating repeat calls – Focusing on eliminating repeat calls to
save time and ensuring enough staff is covering the lines, is something which
should be embedded in the running of every contact centre.
·
Accurate data capture – This is a crucial element to contact centre
management and helps achieve greater customer insight. Bespoke data management
systems can be adopted to make sure that the correct data is captured
accurately and consistently.
·
Become expert– In depth information about the
client’s products and services should be learnt by the agents and management.
The more knowledge an agent has, the more professional they will be in their
dealings with customers.
·
Do not script – Building rapport with a customer is a
vital constituent of customer service and sounding robotic through the use of a
script is unhelpful. Empowering customer
service agents is something that should always be the main focus.
·
Treat customers fairly – Putting
customers at the heart of each and every operation, whilst treating them fairly
and ensuring that agents are able to work around their needs are the
foundations of excellent customer service management
·
Follow up – Exceeding customer
expectations by making a brief phone call to customers, even after an enquiry
or query has been resolved, shows the customer that the business has taken
their problem on board and is seeking to avoid similar situations in the
future.
·
Take ownership of the problem –
There is nothing worse than being passed from pillar to post when you are
trying to solve a problem. This is why it is so important for customer service agents
to stop the cycle and take ownership of the problem themselves, subsequently
limiting the damage to the company’s reputation.
·
Communicate the overall goal –
Making sure that the overall message and objectives are clearly defined and
measured by management is imperative. Creating guidelines and goals for staff
to work towards are both key in fostering a company culture of achieving and
exceeding targets.
·
Real-time statistics – Team leaders and supervisors
should have the insight into their individual and departmental statistics in
real-time, as it has an immediate impact on behaviour and performance.
·
Managing peak time calls –Being fully
prepared for the busy periods of calls and ensuring that right staffing levels
are utilised will improve overall performance. To achieve this it is vital to
forecast future staffing requirements and to implement a flexible shift model
which adapts to call volumes, as these can vary day to day causing over-staffing/under-staffing.
·
Call-handling staff performance –
Key performance statistics/ indicators (KPIs) should be applied as this will
help keep track of staff performance and can indicate the quality of service
delivered by individuals. KPIs could include the number of answered calls per
person and average call duration.
These 12 tips can form the basis for
an effective and successful contact centre that has the capability to deliver
exceptional levels of customer service and ensures that enquiries are dealt
with professionally, rapidly and positively.
