| When your customers buy an important
product from you, they trust your company will support them after the sale. In many
companies, this trust is being violated. Customers are experiencing "customer service
blow-offs" and translate these experiences into your company saying:
- "You've already bought. Now our priority is getting
more new customers".
- "You want service? Go figure it out on the Web or wait
on hold for one of our poorly trained customer service representatives".
Per my company's research findings, the damage from
poor Customer Service Call Center experiences is serious. Here's how…
- Sharply reduced willingness to buy from the company: 86.3%
- Negative perception of the company: 98.9%
- Sharply reduced likelihood to recommend the company to
others: 91.5%.
Poor Customer Service is Not Company or Industry Specific
Companies spanning all industries and sizes are hurting
their company image and credibility with their customers due to poor customer care
experiences.
In fact, in one of our recent studies about the impact of
poor Customer Service Call Centers, we discovered that two-thirds (66%) of professionals
rated their recent Customer Service Call Center experiences as negative or neutral. Only
34% report positive experiences with Customer Service Call Centers.
This alarming statistic demonstrates the strong need for
companies to focus on customer service, if they want to keep customers and grow their
business. The first step in improving and re-engineering your Customer Service Call
Center, is to know exactly what customers want.
Top 7 Customer Service Improvements Your Customers Are
Begging For Now:
1. Issues resolved in a single call by one customer service
representative who speaks clearly, understands their needs and has access to customer
records quickly.
2. Customer-friendly experiences including an easy-to-use
menu with a minimum of clutter to quickly reach a representative.
3. The ability to call back the same rep, should the need
arise
4. Don't out-source customer care centers. In our recent
research we discovered that most professionals (98%) report a negative to neutral impact
when Customer Service Call Centers are located offshore or out-sourced in the United
States
5. Adequately trained representatives who know how to
actually solve customer problems, and who will provide customers with a case number they
can use for credit if they do not receive great service.
6. Rapid access to a live person from a company with
sufficient staff so customers are not on hold for more than five minutes.
7. The ability to speak to a highly-qualified supervisor
quickly if the customer problem is not resolved in an efficient manner.
Here Are 3 More Tips to Help You Improve Your Customer
Service Call Center
- Do not view customer service centers as cost centers. These
are revenue-generating centers. In your rush to cut costs, you must consider the financial
ramifications of losing customers due to poor post-sales experiences. Positive customer
service call center experiences solidify relationships between your customers and your
company resulting in more future sales.
- Do not cut back on training, quality control procedures and
investments in Customer Service Call Centers. The damage from poor customer service call
center experiences have significant impact on repeat purchase likelihood and willingness
to recommend the company
- Personally check your Customer Service Call Center to see if
it's up to your standards. Take note on the amount of time it takes to get a live person
or just to navigate the phone tree. Experience the frustration of talking to someone who
is not a native speaker. Ask questions that are not in your pre-made scripts and
experience the irritation you get when you talk to someone who is not familiar with the
product or service they are selling.
By improving their customer service call centers using
these guidelines, one of our clients, Golden Rule Insurance improved their sales
conversions by 88%. You can expect to achieve this magnitude of increases to your bottom
line as well when you follow these proven customer service call center techniques. |
