Call centers can do more harm than good if they aren’t addressing customer needs
Today’s market is a highly competitive one and companies are constantly looking for ways to improve their brand image and deliver effective customer service. While many companies are incorporating live chats, support forms and social media to address customer needs, the fact is the most-used, and therefore most important channel, for customer service is still the phone.
But while it is important to have a communication channel customers prefer to use, your call center can sometimes do more harm than good if the phone system is no longer reliable.
So how do you know if your call center is helping or hurting your company image? Here are some tips from our business communication pros.
Call centers are hurting your company image in non-obvious ways if they are:
- Making customers feel undervalued
When a customer calls, they are looking for a quick response or solution to their problem. Call centers that let a customer’s call go unanswered or keep a customer on hold for too long reflect poorly on the company. Having a reliable phone system can optimize calls and quickly match customers with the right agent.
- Setting false expectations
A phone call to the call center is often a customer’s first impression of a company. If your company image involves excellent customer service, but your call centers are not receiving customer calls or have a limited number of phone lines, you’re setting the wrong customer expectations.
- Costing you customer loyalty
Call centers with outdated phone systems are often inflexible and have terrible call flow. They require customers to weave through numerous steps to reach an agent—putting both patience and loyalty to the test.
With the right phone system, call centers can help your company image by:
- Offering service around the clock
One advantage of a new phone system is the ability to use your office phone number to make and receive calls on any mobile device or computer. Agents from your call center can be accessible to customers anywhere in the world, at any time.
- Providing metrics of measurement
Call centers can help your company image by providing you with what you need to know to improve how you communicate with customers. Metrics like abandonment rates, which measures the percentage of callers who hang up before they reach an agent, can help you make needed changes. Learn more about the most important metrics for your business to track here.
- Empowering agents with the best tools
Call centers with updated technology can better equip agents with the tools they need to solve customer problems or address customer needs. This improves company image and builds customer loyalty.
Your customers are trusting you with their time, money and loyalty. If they have a problem, they need to have the confidence they will find help with one call. Voxtell’s phone solution can be customized to fit the operations of any business, regardless of size. Don’t let your current system hold you back and contact us today.
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