Customer care is of utmost importance for any business or organization. If customers do not feel valued, they will not likely buy again for that company. Therefore, a company needs to ensure that it retains a good relationship with its customers, and this is often done by means of a call center.
However, it is not enough to have a call center made up of a number of operators who can reply to incoming calls. A call center can be much more than that, and in fact it can have a significant impact on your firm’s success.
Thus, it is of utmost importance that call center metrics are taken into consideration. This means that the call center’s performance needs to be measured, evaluated and improved, if possible.
First of all, customers need to be served. So, when a customer calls and is answered by one of the call center operators, the customer needs to get the question/s answered in an appropriate fashion. The customer needs to feel satisfied with the answer, and this involves various aspects.
For instance, the operator needs to be polite, helpful, empathetic and able to provide the information fully but in a simple way, so that the customer can understand him/her. Therefore, the call center operator needs to provide a positive customer experience.
It is important to measure the average hold time until they are able to talk with a customer service representative. Obviously, sometimes will be busier than others, however waiting times need to be minimized so as not to bother the client, or make him/her wait ages until he/she eventually gives up and has to call later.
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These are the most basic metrics. These are generally referred to as the call answer time, the abandon rate, the cost per contact, and the level of customer satisfaction. The latter is generally acquired after evaluating surveys that customers are asked to complete every now and then. Other important metrics include occupancy, number of calls offered, service level, quality adherence and quality monitoring scores.
The role of the contact center needs to be considered in relation to the firm’s successes. Because, at the end of the day, disgruntled customers will probably call here, and if they are not properly seen to by the operator, they will most likely make a bad name for the firm. They will end up complaining about the service offered with their friends and relatives, and this may lead to more lost customers too.
Call center metrics can be greatly improved if modern tools are utilized. There are various ways of acquiring better results.
For instance, the traditional calls can be coupled up with emails and social media customer service. Many people all over the world make use of social networks such as Facebook, and there are many who find it easier to ask a question via an email or by posting a comment on the firm’s page.
A properly designed and regularly updated website could also work wonders in offering a better customer service to clients. These tools are essential in this day and age, and they need to be given importance and utilized well.
An ideal additional option is to add a modern tool to an age old practice. Allow the customer to do it themselves. Add tools such as WalkMe, which enable customers to guide them through the tasks they need, such as changing their password, or paying bills in simple step by step tip balloons.
No longer will non-issue “problems” come through the call center. This can dramatically lower many of the metrics, while creating interactive between the customer and the site.
Trained staff cannot be emphasized enough. The customer service representatives and call center personnel need to be provided with extensive training and information so as to be able to serve customers properly.
Besides being polite and well versed in the relevant areas, they need to inspire confidence and make customers feel at ease and happy with the service they were given.
Self-service tools, such as interactive FAQ’s and live chatting are other good ways of improving your contact center for your clients. So make sure to consider these tools and their possible impact and relevance for your firm.
The more you center your decisions on your customers’ needs and expectations, the more you can succeed in this venture towards customer satisfaction and retention.
Stefanie Amini is the Marketing Director and Specialist in Customer Success at WalkMe, the world’s first interactive online guidance system. She is chief writer and editor of I Want It Now, a blog for Customer Service Experts. Follow her @StefWalkMe