Excellent customer service is important to any business. When done right, customer care can dramatically affect a company’s bottom line. According to a report published by Marketing Week, eight out of ten customers believe that customer experience is just as important as a business’ s service or product. What’s more, a majority of respondents said that taking their business elsewhere is easier than ever.
Even if you’re offering a fantastic product or service, you’re bound to lose customers if your call center agents are hard to talk to, unreliable, unhelpful or insensitive. Investing in customer satisfaction, therefore, is instrumental to the long-term success of a company.
If you want your call center representatives to deliver stellar customer service over the phone, give them these tips:
Invest in Quality Headsets
A headset isn’t just a tool that allows agents to speak with customers. It also plays a role in providing excellent customer service.
When a customer is calling your business, they expect a problem or a concern addressed properly and efficiently. The voice and tone of the agent need to sound clear. An inferior headset will result in poor communication between the agent and the caller on the other line. If this happens, the customer may choose to take their business elsewhere – and this is all because of a problematic headset.;
So make sure you buy high-quality phone communication tools for your agents, such as a Plantronics call center headset.
Greet Your Customers Warmly and Maintain a Clear Tone
The greeting and introduction spiel are crucial in any call. Customers getting in touch with you over the phone are likely to perceive your company on how well your agents greet and facilitate over the phone.
When a call comes in, greet your customers properly, introduce yourself and ask the name of the caller. Also, make sure that the tone of your voice is both clear and consistent.
If you’re explaining important details to your customer, such as a step-by-step guide to troubleshooting a wi-fi extender, pause after every sentence. This way, your customer will have time to understand and take note of the steps you’re providing.
Handle Tough Calls with Patience and Empathy
Not everyone calling your business is a joy to speak with over the phone. Some customers, for instance, will keep on raising the same questions repeatedly. Others are rude and downright abusive over the phone.
Handling these calls requires tons of patience and empathy. When you’re speaking with frustrated customers, adopt an empathetic tone, be patient and respond appropriately. If a customer belittles you or says something offensive about your product or company, never respond rudely. Let the caller vent their anger. Then, apologize for any inconvenience and offer solutions.
Listen Attentively and Take Note of Vital Customer Details
Active listening is a key customer service skill. Show your callers that you hear them loud and clear when they take the time to talk to you. Listening attentively also raises the likelihood that you’ll hear the real problems of your customers and provide effective solutions that result in a positive outcome or resolution.
You could demonstrative active listening by using key phrases, such as “Do you mean” and “Let me make sure I understand.” Restate (and not parrot back) the problem of the customer to show that you heard them and understand the problem or concern.
Use Words or Phrases with a Positive Connotation
When taking in calls, you should use statements, phrases and words with a positive meaning. Instead of saying, “No, I don’t think so,” “I can’t do this for you right now” and “What you want is against our company policies,” explain what you’re able to do for the customer. Phrases like “Please” and remarks like “I’ll make sure to take care of this right away” can contribute to customer satisfaction.
Study Your Product
Expansive knowledge of a company’s products is an important customer service skill. Call center agents will be spending the entire working day troubleshooting for customers. Being a product expert, therefore, is necessary to perform the role properly.
Show how much you know about the product by discussing the features, use cases and benefits in an insightful way. You want the customers who bought that product to know that what they purchased is worth their money.
End the Call on a Memorable Note
All customer calls should conclude on a pleasant note. Encourage your callers to reach out again if they encounter further issues. Also, tell them that you look forward to doing business with them in the future.
Customer care representatives should take note of these suggestions to deliver stellar service over the phone. By providing excellent phone service, you can win the trust of your customers and help your business succeed.
