The main focus of a call center is to create a positive customer experience, but too often, customers find themselves lost in one of any number of service pitfalls. Some examples of these service pitfalls are:
- A convoluted selection of options in the interactive voice response (IVR)
- On hold for far too many minutes
- In an endless cycle of being transferred
- Talking with an obviously unhappy, unmotivated, or otherwise unhelpful customer service representative
What should be a quick and helpful call can quickly turn south and morph into more headaches for your customer, which could impact their loyalty to your brand as well as affect the reputation of your brand and your businesses.
To create a positive experience for your customers each and every time they call, here are some common call center complaints to avoid.
Difficulty Reaching a Human
If your IVR (Interactive Voice Response) is too complicated, and it takes several special commands to reach a live person, simplify it. Self-help options can be useful, but make it easy for callers to opt out to a live agent quickly.
Poky Answer Speed
“Hold” is the ultimate four-letter word when it comes to customer complaints. ASA, (Average Speed of Answer) is a key performance metric in professional call centers, as is its corollary, Abandoned Call Rate. Customers will only wait so long for a live agent, and then they will hang up. When that happens, you risk losing a potential sale and your brand takes a hit. If you can’t afford to staff with appropriate personnel, look for ways to create self help options online, add utilize web chat (which is more cost effective).
Repeatedly Repeating Information Repeatedly
Asking callers for the same personal information at every step is more than annoying. It bolsters their suspicion that your company is inefficient or behind the times when it comes to technology. That annoyance may cause customers to question why they do business with you. There are lots of options to incorporate process automation software into your workflow so that information that needs to be utilized in more than one place can be retrieved without asking your customer to repeat it, again.
Untrained Agents
Customers expect call center personnel to answer questions, assist with ordering, or resolve problems. Allowing new agents to go live without adequate training makes it impossible for them to do their job confidently and effectively. Instead, ensure that your call center team receives quality training on industry best practices as well as company products and policies. And give them the authority to make decisions that will help customers right now.
Unprofessional Demeanor
Overly informal or inappropriate language or a crude or bored tone of voice are disrespectful. And lack of empathy virtually shouts, “Who cares?” On the other hand, a professional and sincerely empathetic agent can transform even the angriest caller into a satisfied customer.
Inaccessible Supervisors
Customers who ask to speak to a supervisor should be connected to one. Telling a customer that no one is available or utilizing other excuses only escalates the customer and can make it nearly impossible to rectify the situation.
You Can Fix These Problems
The right agents, with the right training, in an environment where the contact center is properly staffed for the call volume, can send your CSAT and other customer rating scores sky-high. A little investment goes a long way to enhancing the customer experience, generating incremental revenue, and making your contact center a winning proposition.
Having the right amount of staff on your call center team can alleviate some of the pain of poor customer communication. Use our Workforce Calculator to get an understanding of just how many people you need involved in your call center. Also, feel free to contact our corporate office if you have questions or need assistance.
