Customer Service Post-COVID-19: How Call Centers Can Play a Role in Your New 2020 Strategy

Customer Service Post-COVID-19

As we move into the business reopening stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies in virtually every industry are facing new challenges in how they manage customer and prospective customer calls. Although many companies were able to function throughout the COVID-19 crisis, rules permeated by states and cities sending their populations into lockdown are experiencing different challenges.

Some may have an overflow of calls due to pent-up demand and the fact that it may not be possible to bring all of their operator staff back to work due to social distancing requirements. Many will need to reduce their costs for staff but need call overflow support more than ever to sustain their business.

One thing that all business leaders know for sure is that each call their companies receive is vital to their future. They are mindful that, in today’s environment, their staff’s ability to ensure a top-quality customer experience may suffer for many reasons, and that creating new processes to address this may take longer than expected to implement with an internal staff but are still desperately needed – and quickly.

When you work with a professional call center, you never miss an opportunity to please customers and grow your business.

A call center operates as a seamless extension of your customer service staff, providing all of what your call answering staff does – but adds significantly more value. Your costs are considerably less than hiring staff to take calls and call center operators can serve your customers and prospects 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The right call center understands your needs in each area and creates a customized program to meet them, train their staff in your business’s policies and procedures, and optimize inbound customer service call management.

There are a variety of customer service call functions a professional call center can expertly handle for you, including:

In addition, call centers can help you better understand how to serve your customers in a challenging environment in which your needs may have changed. Important outbound customer service-related solutions include:

Responsive Call Center is Your Trusted Solution to Manage Customer Contact

For more than 40 years, Responsive Call Center has created and managed customer call flow for many industries, and now in a world with a new normal post-COVID-19, we are here to offer our expertise and assistance. Our experienced live operators are available all day, every day to handle your business calls the same way you would, so you do not have to rely on answering machines or automated systems as you try to keep up with the increased call flow. Our state-of-the-art equipment and highly trained staff allow us to make sure you never again miss your customers’ calls. Contact us to find out more about how we can help you best manage the calls that are most important to you – especially as businesses start to reopen after COVID-19.

Making Your Customer Service Memorable

The differences between call center agents with a great attitude for customer service and those whose attitudes need some improving are often very clear. Because the effects of both are going to impact your business, it’s important to not only look for certain traits in those you hire for the job but to also train people with certain behaviors in mind. The following tips highlight how to ensure your agents are successful at providing quality customer service.

The Ultimate winning traits when it comes to customer service.

  • Knowledgeable Agents
    Successful call center agents know the company and what it offers well. Make sure that your staff is sufficiently trained and updated regarding products and services regularly. An agent who is prepared to answer your customers’ questions will deliver memorable customer service.
  • Organized Agents
    Organized agents can navigate customer issues using the tools they are working with because they are set up and ready to be deployed.
  • Rapid Response
    Agents who provide a rapid response to customers are ready to take the next call as soon as they finish the one prior. This gives customers a smooth and pleasant experience when they contact your company.
  • Attentive Listening
    Successful call center agents are completely engaged in their conversations with customers, actively listening to the points they are making so they can provide solutions that match customers’ expectations as closely as possible. Making your customer feel like the agent’s number one priority is key in providing memorable customer service.
  • Patient Agents
    Call center agents must always be prepared to encounter frustrated customers. In these situations, being patient means allowing customers the opportunity to explain their situation in full, not reacting negatively to them, and calmly providing an explanation and solution.
  • Clear Communication
    Using industry jargon to explain solutions to customers can become confusing. Make sure to clearly communicate situations and solutions in clear, layman’s terms – keeping answers concise and as free of extraneous information as possible.
  • Empathetic Interaction
    Empathy is the ability to put yourself in another’s position to understand their viewpoint. An empathetic interaction with the frustrated customer involves reassuring them that their issue is understood, that it will be given attention, and the specific steps that will be taken to resolve it – as well as a timeline for doing so.
  • Positive Attitude
    Displaying a negative attitude toward customers will always have negative results. No matter how upset customers can be, agents must keep a positive attitude that centers on using positive language that reassures customers their issues will be resolved.
  • Adaptable Agents
    Because change is a constant factor in call center agents’ daily experience, they should have the ability to easily adapt. They need to be prepared to handle a variety of customer demands, switching between channels, and technical issues. Because each customer interaction is different, successful call center agents need to adapt quickly and go with the flow and provide the best solution possible for each customer.

Responsive Call Center’s team of professional and experienced call center agents knows what it takes to provide excellent customer service for your callers. Contact us today to discuss how our team can partner with your brand to provide memorable customer service experience for every one of your callers.

Ultimate winning traits for customer service

Support Your Brand’s Social Efforts in 2018

Support Your Brand's Social Efforts in 2018

Handling customer satisfaction through social media platforms was an idea that many people could not comprehend less than 10 years ago. A few years ago, it may have been questionable whether social media could be a way to take care of customers or market products. Today, social media is used more and more to address consumers’ questions and concerns, therefore, it is advisable to review the various platforms and how they can benefit your business.

Social Customer Efforts are evolving

While some customers still prefer face-to-face or over the phone interaction, many consumers turn to social media as their first choice when contacting a company they do business with. Most people will expect a reply to their social media comment or question within a day or even hours. Managing customer satisfaction on a social media platform is difficult as it is there for everyone to see, at any time. Transparency and professionalism are the most important features when responding to customers.

Social media platforms allow consumers to speak and be heard by many. They can easily post on your social channel whenever they have a question or concern, and expect to be heard. It has been found that businesses who treat these interactions with their customers with respect and address their concerns promptly, benefit greatly.

Responsive Call Center is the Answer

As more businesses turn to technology to handle their social interactions, it is clear that robotic responses will not survive. The modern consumer prefers organic interactions. Scripts and robotic responses are not acceptable to today’s consumers; they prefer to interact with someone who is “listening” to them and is capable of offering a reasonable solution.

The representative needs to have an understanding of the brand and their goals in order to be effective. Here are some other skills an effective agent can demonstrate:

  • • The ability to make good decisions on the spot
  • • The ability to cope with tough interactions professionally
  • • Excellent writing skills
  • • Appropriate sense of humor
  • • The ability to handle technology and stay up to date with the latest features of the social platforms
  • • Show empathy when appropriate

Once the foundation has been laid, ongoing training should be required of all agents to make sure everyone is comfortable with the ever-evolving social platforms.

Companies are using various social platforms to interact with consumers, therefore, every business needs to keep up with social media strategies and train agents to quickly respond to the demands of customer social interactions.

If your business needs assistance maintaining your social media efforts, contact Responsive Call Center today – it’s all in our name. We are here to help!