Must Read- 5 Tips For Superior Call Centre Etiquette
Whether you have just started a business or are running one from a long time, customer service and customer experience are two fields a business can never compromise with, unless you want your business to fail.
Call centre agents are the first of your business. They are the ones who communicate with the customers and help in maintaining the quality standards of the industry. For this reason, it is important that the agents follow certain etiquette and guidelines to ensure excellent customer service.
According to a study, a bad customer service experience resulted in 59% of customers ceasing business with that company, and 55% shifting to a competitor.
This statistic implies that even a single bad experience can cost your business customers. Hence if you want your business to excel, it is imperative that you maintain a constant customer service throughout.
Let’s look at five tips your managers and agents should be aware of for maintaining a superior call centre etiquette:
1. Body Language And Professionalism Counts
Like verbal communication, non-verbal communication is equally important for a call centre agent. It refers to the body language and posture a person portrays.
Although non-verbal communication is mostly talked about in cases where you are physically having a conversation. However, believe it or not, your body language does play a role in reflecting your interest and attentiveness on the phone.
While speaking on the phone, if you are sitting in the lounge watching television on mute, chances of you sounding disinterested and bored are much higher in comparison to when you’re sitting upright on a chair on your office desk.
2. Learn How To Be A Good Listener
Sometimes, a customer support agent might hear the same problem again and again, but it is imperative first to understand whether the agent can solve the problem or not. Thus, they should patiently listen to the customer problem till the end and then decide if a call transfer to another agent or department is required.
Merely listening to the customer can help in making the customer feel valued. When customers are happy, they are more likely to recommend and advocate for your services. Listening to the problem also helps the agents in understanding where the customers are coming from and what they need from this conversation which in turns helps in understanding what the customer wants and how to give them the service they need.
3. Always Ask Permission Before Taking An Action
Call Centre agents sometimes have to transfer the customer call to another department or put them on hold to check information. If customers are put on hold or if their calls are transferred without any prior information, it is likely that they will get frustrated and register a bad image of your business.
If you ask for permission beforehand, the customers feel valued can better comprehend the provided solution.
4. Always Keep Your Customers Informed
First call resolution is a critical metric in the call centre industry these days. Customers do not have the time to wait for a fast resolution to their problems, and the call centre managers are always thriving to achieve a better first call resolution rate.
But sometimes, complex problems cannot be solved in a single call. In such cases, it is important to inform your customer exactly how much time the problem will take and the steps you are going to take on their behalf.
If you’re uncertain of the exact time required to solve the problem, you can ask for more time. This provides you the room to handle any unavoidable circumstance without delaying the issue resolution. And if you solve the problem before time, you will gain a happy and loyal customer.
5. Handle Frustrated Customers Carefully
The capability of call centre agents can be primarily be determined by how they handle a frustrated customer. If an angry customer gets on your nerves and enables you to lose your calm, you should probably consider choosing another career option.
As a customer support person, you should start by not telling the customer to calm down as it makes the situation worse. You should start by saying things such as,
“I understand”, or
“I would react in the same manner if I were you”, or
“You’re absolutely right to be upset.”
Saying these things will help the customer feel understood, and they will know that you are on their side.
Once the situation is under control, it is essential that you give the customer a detailed record of what you are going to do and how they resolve the problem in future, if it recurs. You can end the call by apologising for the inconvenience and assuring that their issue will be taken care of as soon as possible.
Wrapping it Up!
These call centre etiquette will not only help the agents to improve their skills and provide better solutions but help the managers to give an overall increased customer experience.
Providing a quality service should be the number one priority of every call centre. The decision makers should define rules and guidelines that are followed by every call centre agent in their conversations.
When all agents stick to the guidelines and follow the rules, it creates a positive brand image and a happy customer service, which is the ultimate goal of every business.