By Linda Ruffenach
Contact centers have a lot of moving parts. It can be hard to know which pieces and programs to focus on in order to improve customer lifetime value. That’s why we’ve put together a must-read list to help you focus your customer service efforts and make your contact center more effective and efficient.
GlowTouch has a proven model for successfully building and enhancing contact centers. We have been consistently meeting and exceeding expectations for almost two decades, with a record of outstanding customer service. Our agents are 100% dedicated to customers’ accounts and trained to excel in their role. Customers rely on GlowTouch to successfully represent their products, services, and reputation.
Looking to learn the secrets to our success? Check out the 5 Tips we share below…
#1: Prioritize Contact Center Agent Engagement
Agent engagement and retention is one of the most important measurements of a contact center. Our belief is to always treat your agents like your customers. Listen, advocate and follow through is exactly what your customers are seeking so we as leaders should do the same for our frontline. Show them what good customer service looks like.
I can’t emphasize this point enough: Customer satisfaction cannot exist without agent satisfaction. Consider the Golden Rule for business. Internal customer care is as important as external customer care.
Agent morale low lately? See the 5 Tips below…
#2. Educate Your Contact Center Agents
Education means more than how to handle an incoming voice, email, or online chat customer interaction. Rather, it’s the bigger picture.
It’s critical to ensure agents are educated on your business and overall objectives.
Ensure agents are aware of your company history, core values, and products. They’re the voice of your company and sometimes are the only live interaction a consumer may have with your brand.
Verify they’re knowledgeable and able to deliver the right information in the right circumstances. The more they understand the business, the better they will serve your customer.
#3. Listen to Your Agents: They Can Deliver ROI
Did you know that most answers to your business challenges can be found on the floor of a Contact Center? It’s true.
Agents are a valuable asset. Find ways for them to tell you where they see challenges, opportunities, and ways to improve your business. In many cases they know your customer far better than anyone at a leadership level. They talk to your customers every day and know firsthand what’s important. Sharing this transformational feedback helps you improve your products and services and more importantly the customer experience.
Follow a similar path, and your company’s management team will thank you for it.
#4: Feed Customer Information Back to the Organization
Share and use the information you’ve gained from the frontline with top leadership. Feed it through the rest of your organization—from leadership to sales to marketing to operations. This will aid your business in developing the best strategies that have a real impact.
Contact Centers Agents: Hey, I’m a Human Too!
At GlowTouch, we recognize that contact center professionals are a company’s most valuable assets. Here are five tips we share with our best-in-class agents, whether they interact via phone, live chat, or email.
1.
Expect to be challenged.
Remain calm; it’s better for you than responding in the same way and escalating tension (even though you may want to yell back!).
2.
Remember, the customer isn’t angry at you personally.
They’re unhappy with something they’ve experienced, but it isn’t a personal grudge.
3.
Try to put yourself in their shoes.
Chances are good that you’ve been on the other side of the equation. Have you ever experienced poor products or customer service? Think about how you felt and empathize with customers.
4.
Apologize as your most charming, honest self.
A simple, straightforward proclamation of understanding is usually all it takes. “I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you. Let’s see how we can make this right.”
5.
Take a few minutes for yourself.
Especially after a difficult experience, use your break time to brew some tea, listen to relaxing music, or read a magazine.
#5: Ensure Marketing and Customer Support Are Aligned
Marketing can have a big impact on customer care. Have you trained your agents on your latest marketing campaign? Do they know how to close the new prospects? Even more fundamentally, is the volume of contacts about to spike?
In every case, you don’t want to lose potential new customers because agents didn’t know how to handle the calls. Make sure they’re aware of the outcomes you’re trying to drive.Even the smallest of marketing campaigns can have an impact on service levels.
Successful managers ensure staffing levels balance the workflow and meet demand. The ability to scale up or down is vital. Management should be able to pinpoint how many agents are needed to meet fluctuating customer service needs without over- or under-staffing.
#6: Walk A Mile in Your Customers’ Shoes
As leaders we sometimes forget what it is like to be a customer or never take the time to consider what it takes to be a frontline customer service agent. Take time to field calls, engage in live customer chats, and solve customers’ problems. This will provide you with a stronger perspective from a customer point of view. evolve their contact center strategy.
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#7: Ask Your Contact Center Agents, “What else can I do for you?”
And another great question is, “What else can we do for the customer together?”
Make listening an ongoing process. The return isn’t just for your customers. When your agents feel that they’re being listened to, and they see that you take action on their feedback, they will know their input mattered. You’ll achieve super-high levels of agent engagement and retention.
Do you have any habits that you’d like to add to this list? Reach out to us and let us know! For more information, email us at info@glowtouch.com
