Call center interactions involve more than just having the ability to speak with customers. It also involves the ability to effectively answer inquiries, resolve concerns and consistently deliver valuable, top-quality performance. The importance of this is pretty self-explanatory; many customers will stop doing business with a company strictly due to a poor customer service experience. In fact, 89 percent of customers have shown to already have done so.
The good news is that companies have the power to turn a poor customer service experience around and, as a result, skyrocket customer retention rates. These four simple steps can help you get from A to Z (or in this case, customer defection to complete loyalty). Check them out below:
1.) Show compassion: Most obviously, empathizing with the customer in a situation can help the client feel as if the agent is there to assist, instead of arguing with them. Not only this, but every customer deserves to be treated like a human being, never a statistic. Remember that the voice on the other end of the line is not just a number.
2.) Assess: Evaluating the situation objectively can help agents find an alternative solution that can help pacify and, hopefully, satisfy the customer. It’s certainly simpler for reps or agents to take the easy way out, but taking the path less traveled and actually putting in the work will undoubtedly prove worthwhile. As a call center manager or decision maker, remember to encourage the quality of your staff’s calls as opposed to the quantity.
3.) Take action: A large part of the call center world is finding a resolution and playing an active role as part of that solution. Reflective of the second point above, agents shouldn’t’ just look to satisfy the current problem, but should try and take this one step further by identifying and acting upon long-term solutions.
4.) Come full circle: Proactively following up on a problem – even after it’s been resolved – will without a doubt help ensure that customers are satisfied with the final outcome and, as a direct result, strengthen your company’s credibility.
Apply these techniques and your company can easily retain a vast majority of its customers by minimizing the negative effects of a poor experience.