How to Develop a Customer Service Strategy for Your Contact Center

Customer Service | 4 minute read

No matter how great your product or service is, the success of your contact center largely depends on the customer service you provide. Ultimately, if customers don’t have a good experience, they’re likely not going to call back.

According to research from Khoros, 86% of clients say they’re more likely to turn into lifetime brand advocates if they receive exceptional customer care. That’s great news because your current customers are the most affordable marketing resource you can tap into — loyal customers are more likely to tell their network to buy from your business.

Your best plan of action? Develop a strong customer care strategy.

Your current clients are your most affordable #marketing resource, since loyal customers are more likely to tell their network to buy from your #business. #customerservice #customerexperience Click To Tweet

A customer care strategy should be put in place to ensure the service your agents provide is always top notch and that the customer experience stays consistent throughout your organization. If customers receive the same high-quality service every time they get in touch, they’re more likely to keep calling back.

Developing a customer care strategy can be overwhelming, but when you break it down, it becomes a lot more manageable.

Start by creating a customer care vision and set goals.

What does top-tier customer service look like in your call center? How should a customer feel before they get connected to an agent, during their call, and after? You should ask yourself these questions and many more while you start thinking about your customer care vision.

A fundamental part of any service strategy is goal setting. Having both short-term and long-term goals can help agents sharpen their customer service skills while tracking your overall progress over time. You might set goals that include:

  • Earning a high average score on a customer satisfaction survey.
  • Improving inbound call wait times.
  • Monitoring customer interactions to ensure each agent knows the basics.
  • Increasing your social media following to build brand engagement
DID YOU KNOW?

58% of consumers have higher standards when it comes to customer service because of COVID-19.

Ensure your agents receive effective customer service training.

In any industry, excellent customer service begins with exceptional communication. If your agents are unable to properly communicate resolutions every step of the way, customers will likely not receive the help they require and leave the call with a negative impression of the interaction.

Start by offering agents customer-focused communication training that provides them with empathetic phrases they can use during calls. For example, responses like “am I understanding you correctly?” and “thank you for your patience”, show that your agent is actively listening and respectful of a customer’s time and opinion.

Support customer service efforts with appropriate technology.

Fast response times play a major role in effective contact center customer care. Even the longest standing gold-star agent can get overwhelmed on a busy day. It’s important to equip your call center with tools that can help agents keep up with high call volumes. Tools like call-back technology and smart routing ensure call loads stay manageable for your agents, and prevent customers from waiting on hold for extended periods.

Automated reports are another tool you should add to your arsenal. Knowing stats like how many issues agents are resolving, how quickly they’re resolving them, and how many customers are hanging up while waiting, can help you find and fix holes in your customer service strategy.

Put customer feedback at the forefront.

When it comes to information about your contact center’s customer service, who better to ask than the customers themselves? At the end of every call, it’s best practice for agents to ask customers if they have time to participate in a quick satisfaction survey. You’ll get a pulse on where your customer service stands and your customers will feel more heard at the end of their interactions, adding to their experience.

At the end of every call, have agents ask customers to participate in a satisfaction survey. You’ll get a pulse on how strong customer service is in your #contactcenter and your customers will feel more heard at the end of their… Click To Tweet

You may have noticed companies addressing comments and concerns on social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Being quick to publicly respond to issues posted on your pages can help you show off your company’s dedication to diligent customer care. Think about hiring a support team or person who manages social media in all respects — posting, keeping up with trends and promptly addressing customer feedback.

Prioritize agent wellness for improved customer service.

A happy employee makes for an engaged employee. If your agents are provided with the tools they need to succeed, benefits to take care of their mental health, and plenty of opportunities to grow within the company, they’re more likely to respond to issues calmly and positively. Both joy and tension can be felt even on a phone call, so the happier your team members are, the more likely they are to have positive interactions with their customers.

Continue to invest in customer service even after you’ve nailed down your strategy.

The needs of your customers are always changing, so your customer care strategy should be as well. Continue to set goals and find ways to improve customer interactions — your employees will stay engaged and your customers will experience the difference every time they call.

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