Our Viewpoint Blog » Latest Articles
May 11, 2022 Gregory Hough

How to Transform Your Contact Center for Customer Service Excellence

Long wait times. Being passed around to different agents and departments. Having to repeat a query or issue over and over again. Not getting help until frustration builds. And, in the worst situations, not finding a resolution to their problem at all.

These are common complaints customers have with calling customer service. They’re so common, in fact, that many customers come to expect these problems before they even dial the phone. And that can set even the best agents up for failure.

So, what can you do to transform your contact center and set your reps up for success? We’ve listed five tips to set your call center up for customer service excellence

Download How to Outsource Guide

1 - Understand your customer service journey

While there are some standards that every business needs to meet, excellent customer service doesn’t look the same for every company. The best way to set your contact center up for customer service excellence is to know what your customers’ issues are. Maybe their list is made up of the common issues (long wait times, being passed around, etc.) or maybe their pain points are more specific to your company.

Take the time to map out your customer service journey and consider where in the process you think (or know) customers are getting frustrated. You may even want to survey your customers to get firsthand insight into their issues with your process, or use AI technologies to gain valuable insights from customer service interactions. 

From there, you can start to find solutions that will meet your customers’ specific needs.

2 - Don’t assume everyone likes self-service

Self-service is something every business should offer. This can include helpful resources, how-to videos and FAQs. But not everyone wants to use self-service and not all questions can be answered with an easy step by step guide. Not to mention the generational divide, where some generations are committed to traditional means of communication while others want everything to be on their screen.

To help transform your customer service experience, have multiple ways for customers to contact you, whether they’re in a hurry, need accessible options or just want to sit down and talk it out.

3 - Don’t depend completely on tech

Technology has come a long way and can be used to streamline many processes. This is especially true for simple tasks like updating information, checking gift card balances and making reservations. But customers will always have more complex issues that require a human touch.  

When solving customer service issues, 83% of consumers still prefer human interaction over digital alternatives. Try to strike a balance between digital and real people to help maximize the customer experience.

Not to mention, customers feel more connected and are more loyal to companies when they can speak to someone.

4 - Having said that, it’s important to take advantage of new customer service tech

While you don’t want to depend on tech for everything, it’s important to take advantage of new tools and programs. There are many technologies that can help make your contact center more successful.

One highly effective technology is contact center AI that centralizes and evaluates customer data from all channels so that agents can quickly access information in a single view. This will stop customers from repeating themselves and make transitions to new agents or departments more seamless.

5 - Never stop training

Customer service training isn’t something that is one and done. Customer service processes and expectations are constantly evolving, which means your agents need to evolve too. Customer service reps also need to stay on top of changes in messaging, as well as new products and services.

If they do not have the knowledge they need, your agents are less likely to be able to answer customer questions. Even worse, they could provide customers with incorrect information that could cause even more problems.

That’s why training needs to be consistent and constant. It will keep your contact center current and equip your agents with the information they need to do a truly exceptional job.

Interested in learning how you can transform your contact center and achieve customer service excellence through contact center outsourcing? Get in touch with Advantage Communications today. We’d love to help.

READY TO OUTSOURCE YOUR CONTACT CENTER?  THIS EBOOK GUIDE WILL HELP!

Published by Gregory Hough May 11, 2022
Gregory Hough