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Dec
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Customer service is one of the fastest growing arena in business world. Also it’s probably one of the most competitive field as well.
The customer experience is the next battle ground. Truly said by Jerry Greg.
Hence it’s all the more imperative that common customer service mistakes are avoided to attain success. The mistakes in offering customer service can have far reaching effects.
To increase profits and reduce losses one must avoid common customer service debacles .Here are ten major customer service mistakes which are common place:
1) Not Adequate Providing Training for Agents.
The most common and dangerous mistake that any customer service provider can commit. Trainings to conduct the business smoothly is most important aspect of any set up. If agents are not well equipped to handle customer service scenarios then blunders are bound to happen. Something which no customer service provider can afford. That is why so much emphasis is currently on providing quality training to the agents .A well trained agent can do wonders in customer service.
How to fix it?
This can easily be fixed by catering to all the training requirements of the agents. A well-staffed and equipped training department with state of the art techniques and latest updates can work wonder for any customer service set up .This is probably one of the most important investments that any company can do and reap benefits .
2) Not measuring the agents performance
Another common mistake is to skip measuring agents performance .I f we do not know how an agent is performing then how are we supposed to work on it .Any deficit in agent performance is required to be worked upon .And worked upon urgently for that we need all the data and analysis .Measuring agent performance is extremely important to reach to any conclusion .Pointers like:
If we are going in right direction
If we have hired the right sort of agents as per the requirement
If we need to upgrade communication or improvisations
If our customers are satisfied and happy with the agents services
If the trainings and updates are working and conducting pre and post analysis.
How to fix it?
Anything which is backed by data is always a better deal and helps in making decisions smoothly .Agents are the core asset of any customer service and required to be dealt with sensitively .What we need is a state of the art set up complete with appropriate software that offers real time data analytics and reporting .The tracking mechanism need to be in place.
3) Making false commitments
In customer service making false commitments could be hara Kirri .The entire industry is based on dealing with customers and offering the best service .In such a scenario there is no place for short cuts and false commitments .This is one of the most common mistake that agents tend to commit owing to sheer ignorance and fear of losing valuable customers .Honesty is probably the best policy where dealing with customers is concerned .The most common error is not adhering to the timeline in resolving issues . If a particular issue takes a certain amount of time then the same needs to be informed to the customer and not some earlier date just to get the customers off their backs.
How to fix it?
The entire team needs to be trained in such a manner that there is no scope for false commitments .Regular case studies and data needs to be shared with the team .Alternatives to such commitments need to be educated to the customer care team .Open and clear communications are to be encouraged at all times . How to handle tough customers and how not to make false commitments need to be shared in no uncertain terms with them.
4) Ignoring latest communication channels
Customer service is no longer limited to traditional tele calling .The technology is ever changing and evolving and we can no longer afford to remain immune to the latest trends and technologies. While smaller companied feel that investing in such technologies can be extremely expensive but that is not the case .This is one of most common mistakes and needs to be addressed immediately.
How to fix it???
There are many communication channels available that can be utilized without much fuss and fear of big investments like:
Chabot – this feature can be created by your own web developer
Social media channels – these social media channels are FREE and only need one person from the team to stay online and answer the queries of your customers online. This has emerged as one of the most important factor.
These are just a few examples of different communication channels and these can be helpful because the customers don’t have to wait while call transferring and wait times
5) Giving more importance to company policies and not customers
How often do we hear ” Sir / Madam sorry but we can help you as this is the company policy “.Now we need to be clear that customers are way beyond company policies and if needed required to go beyond them .Nothing angers a customer more and ends up in losing customers then this one liner .Now we need to be really clear that everything can be bent to pave way for a win – win situation .The customer service is all about catering to customers need and requirements.
How to fix it???
High time we stop making this mistake of giving more importance or value to company policies. The customer is the only person to be given extreme importance. So, always keep in mind that bending a few company policies won’t affect your business success, but, your customers will.
6) Indulging into Random Team Hiring
There are too many customers and lots of scope and we need to hire somebody to take care of them. Hiring customer care executives is a very detailed and exhaustive process and own which needs to be executed very carefully. However at times as urgent requirements arises we end up hiring hurriedly and then repenting in earnest later .We must not commit this another common and fatal error.
How to fix?
So, we must keep strict deadlines with our HRs when it comes to hiring. Whosoever the HR brings in, we must try to close the requirements appropriately post understanding the skills, qualities and experience required for a customer service executive. This needs to be done with precision and extreme care.
Rather than hiring too many people at a stretch, it is advisable to find a few such people who are extremely good at serving customers. We must check out the communication skills, include them in the practical calling tests, etc. This will help us to hire only the right person with the excellent customer service qualities. This is extremely important and critical.
7) Failing to Focus on Gathering Regular Customer Feedback
Call center agents don’t get enough time to call the customers for collecting feedback. In fact, they are not encouraged on calling the customers for just discussing the reviews they have for the organization. This is also a common mistake that can hinder the customer service success in the big run.
How to fix?
Gathering customer reviews should be given enough importance .Agents should be trained to schedule the calls with customers to gather the required data .Regular follow up calls are to done to ensure that we do not lax on this important aspect .
8) Failing to Choose the Right Call Centre Software
Most companies have this notion that every call center software is a tool that offers only the calling options like call transfers, recording, scheduling, etc. But this could be the biggest mistake considering the ever changing technology scenarios.
How to fix?
We need to carefully choose the call center software that not only focused on tele calling but also have CRM integrations, real-time analytics and reports, automated call routing during heavy call traffic, etc. So, look for the best call center solution rather just wasting your time and money behind the basic ones. One must move ahead with times and this is the call of the hour to focus on all the latest technologies on offer.
9) Not building customer relationships
When agents communicate with a customer they usually think of it as just a single event. But customers have a totally different perspective .By dealing with agents they are basically dealing with the entire organization .Customers prefer brands that value them, empathize with them, and truly understand their goals and aspirations. The agents need to consider that building long-term customer relationship is extremely crucial to the company.
We must focus on building such long term relationships with customers so as we end up having a loyal customer base. A base which elevates our position by canvassing by sticking around.
The business will only flourish when we focus on building effective relationships with customers.
How to fix?
Regular reiterations and grinding of the fact that we value our customers .Launching incentives so as to promote customer relationships .Using technology for staying connected with customers Not taking any customer query and issue lightly .Having a customer centric approach at all times .
10) Not auditing calls and creating checklists
Auditing of calls is extremely crucial for the organizational health .A firm quality department working hand in hand with training unit is definitely required .Creating checklist out of the findings and sharing data with training department is a given .All this is required to deliver quality in the calls . Regular analysis of customer support calls is something many customer service providing companies fail to do. Providing timely feedback on calls taken is extremely important .It helps in streamlining the process and content overall.
How to fix?
Making sure that quality department is not there just in name but is available at all times as mentor and guide to the calls .Regular auditing of calls and timely feedback sharing is required to ensure smooth running .Inputs need to be given to the training unit to ensure that appropriate action is timely taken .
This is of utmost importance and cannot be avoided.