Preparing to cater to frustrated customers may be a role no call center agent wants to tackle. After all, the point of taking the job was to be able to sell things to nice people who simply want to enrich their lives with more stuff. Assuming this is the typical call center activity may be the first indication the person isn’t right for the job.
Hopefully very few go into the industry with such a lofty view of the role they are set to play. While misconceptions can be corrected at the recruiting stage, there are other opportunities within call center training to get the professional on the right track. Fortunately, there are several technology advancements that can streamline this process and ensure agents are ready to start delivering great quality service from day one.
The point of having a live customer service agent is to ensure that someone is available at all times to take a customer call. Without this kind of access, you might as well put self-service options in place and let customers do their own thing. While this channel is an important piece, it is not the only channel you should make available. Give customers the choice.
If that choice is self-service, you still need to have the live agent at the ready, prepped to handle the customer call if such self-service options are falling short. It is not uncommon for a customer to have a question when they get to a certain point in the transaction. If the call center agent can help from that point on, the customer experience is enhanced.
At the same time, live agents should focus on being real. If a customer calls and all they receive is a canned script, they’re likely to find less than satisfying information. The live agent should be ready to address the real person through real engagement. This can be taught through call center training, so don’t miss out on the opportunity.
With that, don’t be afraid to adopt technology that can enhance the experience across the board. As customers are likely engaging with the company on a variety of different channels and levels, it’s very possible that manual processes won’t be able to keep up. This is where automated processes can lend value, providing customers with what they need, when they need it. If it is also integrated with the CRM system, the information can be automatically customized for the customer, enhancing the experience even further.
Keep in mind that call center training should focus on outcomes, but it doesn’t have to encourage the live agent to handle all challenges all at once. Instead, look at what’s available to enhance the experience all the way around, providing agents the tools they need to address issues as they arise.
Edited by Blaise McNamee