Call Center Management Featured Article
The Call Center's Role in Providing Positive Business Outcomes
Customer service is intrinsically connected to positive business outcomes, and good customer service is the domain of the call center. Despite the overwhelming amounts of research linking good customer service to higher revenues and happy, repeat customers, call center managers still struggle to make the case to grow their departments.
According to research compiled by Forbes, businesses with a customer experience mindset drive revenues four- to eight-percent higher than their competitors. And those that excel in customer experience outperform other companies by close to 80 percent.
The increasing power of social media, online reviews and testimonials to influence customer decision making has also elevated the importance of providing good customer service. Customers that believe they have been treated poorly will not hesitate to seek out a competitor who will provide them with the levels of service they deserve.
Call center managers must make the case for investment in high-quality agents and training if they hope to provide and maintain those high levels of service. U.S. call centers have one of the highest churn rates of any industry, and that can be attributed to low pay scales and a lack of training and incentives. According to the Dean Sydney Business School at the University of Wollongong, manager coaching can improve customer service by 450 percent in a mere five months. The research also showed coaching empowers agents, leading to improvements in productivity and engagement.
Engaged agents are one of the keys to customer service success. Beyond coaching, managers can encourage their agents through incentives programs and performance rewards. Providing high-performing agents with more challenging work can also go a long way toward ensuring they are engaged and happy and won't become flight risks.
Technology also has an important role to play when it comes to achieving and maintaining good levels of customer service. According to Gartner (News - Alert), consolidating systems and technology can go a long way toward ensuring agents remain happy and productive. Providing agents with the proper technology tools will ensure both agents and customers have positive interactions and experiences, which will of course drive positive business outcomes.
An investment in the call center is a direct investment in customer service and future growth and profits. Call center managers must continuously make the case for the importance of the call center within the larger context of a business, and emphasize its direct impact on business outcomes and growth.
Edited by Maurice Nagle