Why should businesses be interested in improving customer service in their call center environment? For many businesses, their customer service representatives are the primary means by which the business communicates with customers directly. Agents in a call center environment can help or harm the business image depending upon the level of service being provided to customers. For these businesses, providing superior customer service should be priority number one!
Empowering Customer Service Representatives to Negotiate, Issue Refunds and Credits
As a customer, there's little more annoying than phoning into a call center for support and being directed to someone who doesn't have the power to resolve even the simplest of issues. Customer Service Representatives should not be required to check with a supervisor for approval on issues that they should expect to encounter on a daily basis, like issuing refunds or credits.
Neither should agents be advised to pretend to check with a supervisor or manager when negotiating cost reductions, refunds or credits. Though some businesses believe that this makes customers think that they are getting a 'special deal', more often than not these behaviors just lead customers to believe that the agent they are working with is a 'low man on the totem pole' and that the customer should be speaking with someone else who has the power to grant them the resolution that they desire.
To reduce customer escalations and increase customer satisfaction and retention, businesses should empower their agents to resolve issues involving credits, cost reductions and refunds and use management staff to ensure that customer service agents aren't abusing the authority that they've been given through analysis of metrics and frequent call monitoring and coaching.
Train Customer Service Representatives in Phone Etiquette
Customer Service Representatives say a lot about the businesses that they are representing by demonstrating good (and bad) phone etiquette to their customers. Customers don't have to see an agent with his feet kicked up on his desk to know by his tone that he doesn't take his job, or their call, very seriously. These tips will help agents to present a positive business image, and increase customer satisfaction, through good phone etiquette:
* Avoid personal conversations on the work-room floor. The headsets worn by Customer Service Representatives are often very sensitive. It reflects poorly on a business when agents are overheard discussing which bar they are planning to go to after work that evening, the party at Bob's place last night, or what a jerk Jane's husband is. Even worse, if the agent mutes the call to try to block out these conversations, the customer may think that the agent is participating in the conversation instead of devoting his attention to the call!
* No gum chewing, nail biting, snacking, etc. while on the phone. Some Customer Service Representatives will need a little bit of coaching to get beyond some unpleasant personal habits that prevent them from delivering excellent customer service. Among these are nail biting and gum chewing. In many cases, these behaviors are habitual and the agent may not even realize that his gnawing and smacking in the customer's ear is reflecting poorly on the company. Other behaviors, such as snacking while on the phone, are deliberate and should be met with disciplinary action if necessary to get the agent in line with business standards for of service. In some cases, Customer Service Representatives may suck on throat lozenges to relieve sore throats, frequently a complaint among agents who spend the better part of their day on the phone. To reduce sore throats, agents should be allowed and encouraged to have a sealed beverage container at their desk for drinking between calls.
* Complete work for each call while on the phone with the customer. Customer Service Representatives should complete any necessary work for a call with the customer on the line. From an etiquette perspective, it's very rude to ask a new customer to hold while completing work for the call an agent just completed. Customers should be able to expect from the start of a call to its completion to have the undivided attention of the Customer Service Representative handling their call.
SOURCE:
http://customer-relations.suite101.com/article.cfm/improving-customer-service-in-a-call-center-environment
Empowering Customer Service Representatives to Negotiate, Issue Refunds and Credits
As a customer, there's little more annoying than phoning into a call center for support and being directed to someone who doesn't have the power to resolve even the simplest of issues. Customer Service Representatives should not be required to check with a supervisor for approval on issues that they should expect to encounter on a daily basis, like issuing refunds or credits.
Neither should agents be advised to pretend to check with a supervisor or manager when negotiating cost reductions, refunds or credits. Though some businesses believe that this makes customers think that they are getting a 'special deal', more often than not these behaviors just lead customers to believe that the agent they are working with is a 'low man on the totem pole' and that the customer should be speaking with someone else who has the power to grant them the resolution that they desire.
To reduce customer escalations and increase customer satisfaction and retention, businesses should empower their agents to resolve issues involving credits, cost reductions and refunds and use management staff to ensure that customer service agents aren't abusing the authority that they've been given through analysis of metrics and frequent call monitoring and coaching.
Train Customer Service Representatives in Phone Etiquette
Customer Service Representatives say a lot about the businesses that they are representing by demonstrating good (and bad) phone etiquette to their customers. Customers don't have to see an agent with his feet kicked up on his desk to know by his tone that he doesn't take his job, or their call, very seriously. These tips will help agents to present a positive business image, and increase customer satisfaction, through good phone etiquette:
* Avoid personal conversations on the work-room floor. The headsets worn by Customer Service Representatives are often very sensitive. It reflects poorly on a business when agents are overheard discussing which bar they are planning to go to after work that evening, the party at Bob's place last night, or what a jerk Jane's husband is. Even worse, if the agent mutes the call to try to block out these conversations, the customer may think that the agent is participating in the conversation instead of devoting his attention to the call!
* No gum chewing, nail biting, snacking, etc. while on the phone. Some Customer Service Representatives will need a little bit of coaching to get beyond some unpleasant personal habits that prevent them from delivering excellent customer service. Among these are nail biting and gum chewing. In many cases, these behaviors are habitual and the agent may not even realize that his gnawing and smacking in the customer's ear is reflecting poorly on the company. Other behaviors, such as snacking while on the phone, are deliberate and should be met with disciplinary action if necessary to get the agent in line with business standards for of service. In some cases, Customer Service Representatives may suck on throat lozenges to relieve sore throats, frequently a complaint among agents who spend the better part of their day on the phone. To reduce sore throats, agents should be allowed and encouraged to have a sealed beverage container at their desk for drinking between calls.
* Complete work for each call while on the phone with the customer. Customer Service Representatives should complete any necessary work for a call with the customer on the line. From an etiquette perspective, it's very rude to ask a new customer to hold while completing work for the call an agent just completed. Customers should be able to expect from the start of a call to its completion to have the undivided attention of the Customer Service Representative handling their call.
SOURCE:
http://customer-relations.suite101.com/article.cfm/improving-customer-service-in-a-call-center-environment
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