Call centers can help you keep in touch with customers and solve their problems if you use them correctly. Here are some of the top call center mistakes and how to avoid them.
Around 61{b96076133fe2223c8d05470fe9428b3312879515b4c32f98bade61cbd4879fe1} of consumers say that they’ve stopped transacting with a business after a poor service experience.
This proves how detrimental call center mistakes are. If you’re unfamiliar with the most common mistakes, look no further.
Here are the top 10 common call center mistakes.
1. Keeping Customers on Hold for Too Long
One of the most common customer complaints is putting clients on hold for too long.
Even if you have to put a client on hold, keep it to a minimum. For instance, if you need to consult a manager or find data for the caller, return the call instead of placing them on hold.
2. Passing Callers to Different Agents
When callers ring up a company, they expect the agent to deal with their problem without being passed around to different employees.
If this happens, it shows nobody in the business knows how to handle and solve the query. As a result, the consumer will be irritated, hang up, and head over to your competitor.
Because of this, call center training is crucial as it teaches agents how to improve response time and keep customers happy.
3. Expecting Customers to Repeat Details
When talking to customers, agents must avoid asking them to repeat the details they’ve already shared. Not only does it show the agent isn’t paying attention but it implies your call center technology needs updating.
Call agents should have access to the customer’s information immediately so they can resolve the issue. Invest in call center software that stores and tracks customer’s data so agents can deliver a personalized service.
Check out this call center reporting software, for example.
4. Not Giving Agents Enough Credit
Like all employers, you must celebrate your call agent’s wins and show your appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
For instance, create a performance review system so you can monitor your employees’ actions. You can give them monetary rewards or a half-day off work based on the points they receive.
You must also avoid criticizing an agent for their mistakes. Avoid saying “why can’t you…” and turn their error into a learning experience.
5. Asking Customers to Visit Your Website Instead
Never ask a caller to visit your website if they’re been on the line for a while. It’s understandable agents want to minimize the queue but the customer is likely calling because they couldn’t find the information online.
Employers should remove this request from their agent’s scripts to prevent a surge of annoyed customers.
6. Unengaged Call Agents
Ideally, call agents offer top-quality customer service so the clients are satisfied and keep buying from your company.
But, realistically, it’s difficult for agents to deliver this service if they’re feeling unmotivated. To combat this, create a reward scheme so agents continue striving for top results.
It also lets employers give their team real-time feedback so as to improve the quality of service.
7. Poor Training
Nearly 68{b96076133fe2223c8d05470fe9428b3312879515b4c32f98bade61cbd4879fe1} of employees believe training and development is a company’s most important policy.
Regular training is crucial so your agents know the latest call center technology, techniques, and goals. If not, employees will become less engaged and their customer service will suffer.
Show call agents how to conduct the best customer service call, the right practices for a live chat, and how to deal with unhappy customers.
For instance, staff must show they care, apologize, admit to mistakes, and let the customer talk before making any suggestions.
It’s important to note training doesn’t have to be formal. You can teach them using call center training games as it’s far more engaging.
8. Only Using One Communication Channel
One of the biggest call center mistakes is only operating on one channel.
Nowadays, customers also communicate with call centers via social media, email, and live chat. This means agents must be able to deal with queries however they’re received.
Call centers should invest in a robust framework so you can track the team’s performance and see who’s struggling with each channel. As a result, you know which training needs to be done and have customers’ data stored in one place, making it easier for everyone.
But when you use multiple channels, tell customers what to expect especially regarding live chat hours. You don’t want customers to assume your live chat is available when it’s not.
To avoid this, disable the live chat whenever agents aren’t available or use an automatic message to avoid confusion.
9. Missing Features of a Good Customer-Service Interaction
During your staff’s induction, they should learn about successful customer interactions. A team member should consider:
- Tone
- Active listening
- Speaking professionally
- Effective questioning
- Building a rapport
- Closing the interaction
Agents should never skip any of these otherwise it’ll have a large impact on the outcome of your customer service call.
10. Not Getting Monitoring Consent
Tell customers that the call system monitors and records each phone call. If you don’t have an automatic message, your agent will have to mention it to customers.
Recording and monitoring interactions let call centers know how to improve their customer service and create a robust script for successful calls.
Those Are the Top Call Center Mistakes
Now you know the 10 biggest call center mistakes.
Inadequate training, passing around callers, and keeping consumers on hold can harm a business’s call center reputation.
It’s important to keep agents engaged, give them regular training, and create an incentive so your employees continue delivering top-quality customer service. Good luck!
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