Call Center QA Featured Article
Best Practices for Managing the Quality Interaction in the Call Center
Managing the customer interaction experience is the primary focus of the call center environment. How that interaction is managed is often the deciding factor when a customer chooses to either continue doing business with that brand, or moving on to the competition. Best practices suggest a focus on the former, protecting a loyal customer base and managing effective interactions.
BPA Quality, a 3rd party remote call monitoring provider, recently posted a blog on such best practices for guiding the call center interaction. Let’s take a look at their suggestions and how they may make a difference in your environment.
The quality interaction starts with the opening – the caller bases their perception on the first few seconds of the call. Therefore, the agent should be enthusiastic (but not hyper) and use a tone that will immediately reassure the caller that the agent is there to help. This is an important step to offer assistance as it invites the caller to state the reason for the call and how the agent may assist in a resolution.
The quality interaction enables a connection – this means more than just successfully connecting the call. This is where the agent needs to make a real connection by demonstrating willingness and enthusiasm, care and concern, respect for the caller’s time and the use of active listening tools.
The quality interaction includes problem resolution – every caller is seeking some sort of resolution – that’s why they made the call in the first place. It is up to the agent to efficiently identify the reason for the call, take ownership of the issue and address it quickly.
The quality interaction remembers the important closing – every step followed to this point can quickly vanish in terms of value to the caller if the close isn’t handled properly. The customer should leave the interaction feeling as if they had a great experience. To accomplish this, the agent should offer additional assistance, thank the customer for calling and even add a little personalization to the call. Using the caller’s name one more time reaffirms that the agent recognizes them as an individual and an important caller.
The best way to train the agent base on meeting these expectations is to implement 3rd party remote call monitoring and use the recorded calls for optimal training. The calls that hit the mark each time are used for the basis of achievement, while the calls that are completely off can be used for a “what not to do” approach in training.
The ultimate goal is to ensure the best interaction for the customer so they’ll want to continue doing business with that particular brand. With a little practice, recording and monitoring of interactions, any call center can achieve a high level of performance.
Edited by Blaise McNamee
