Call Center Management Featured Article
Why Call Center Management Must Focus on Quality Agent Training
Agent training is one of the most important responsibilities for call center management. Agents are often the only point of contact between a company and its customers, making their representation of the brand absolutely essential. The wrong response, an irritated tone or even a hint of impatience can send the customer to the competition. Are your agents properly trained to give the right response?
An enlightening post was featured on Business2Community which outlined a recent customer service – or lack thereof – experience for the author. While visiting an H&M store to make a purchase, the service delivery by the sales associate was nothing short of embarrassing for the brand. The author did record the interaction and contacted the appropriate corporate channels after leaving the store.
In this case, H&M did follow up on the incident and pledged to develop the sales associate in the proper manner in terms of customer service. One may wonder where the training and development went wrong in the first place. It also points the importance of treating every customer as if they have access to a multimedia news channel where the story is then read by millions of current and potential customers.
This story has a happy ending and the way H&M handled their response ensures they won’t lose business over the publicity. It also hands down an important lesson for any department or company responsible for the customer experience: proper training and development are essential. Don’t assume the employee or agent knows how to make the customer feel special; it has to be a priority that is developed, trained and reinforced over time.
For call center management, it has to be a way of life. Agents are hired, trained and retained to deliver on customer expectations. If the foundation isn’t set from the beginning, maintaining a higher standard of care is nearly impossible. For that reason, solid training must be in place on how agents are to respond to customers, whether the interaction is good or bad.
The development of a script is healthy to provide agents with a roadmap on how to lead the conversation and ask the right questions. But agents should also be trained on how to manage the interaction once the customer goes down a different path. The irate customer, for instance, cares little for protocol or processes. He or she is upset and wants resolution immediately.
The agent able to calm the customer, get to the heart of the problem and deliver resolution and satisfaction is exactly what the company needs to ensure long-term revenue opportunities and customer loyalty. Keep in mind, customers don’t remember much about the interactions they have with your agents, until something goes wrong. How your agents handle it from that point on will dictate whether the customer stays or goes. To keep them in place, make the right training a priority.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi