Your business may have a fantastic product, but if your customer service is not up to par with what you're offering, it may cause you to lose some customers. Improving customer service, especially over the phone, is essential in making customers happy and establishing great relationships.
It's worth noting that customer service in person is not the same as over the phone. While the two aspects have some similarities, remember that body language, facial expressions, and hand gestures are no longer applicable when on a phone call with customers.
It is why you must train your employees who work on the phone well. With that said, here are 12 proven ways to improve your business's telephone customer service.
1. Practice Active Listening
Active listening is one of the most basic and most effective techniques for improving customer service. It allows better communication and understanding of the needs and concerns of the customers while showing your sincerity to them at the same time.
Attentive listening means you have to pay attention to every word the customers say. It's also better to note down all the essential details of the customer's complaint, question, or concern.
Poor listening skills will lead to missed details and inadequate responses. It is the last thing that you want to happen. If your customer is unhappy with your service, you'll probably lose them.
Allow the customers to talk as they ask questions or express their concerns without interruption. Also, ensure that you won't have to ask them to repeat what they've just said.
Be polite and always give them the gesture that you help them in every possible way.
2. Show Empathy Especially With Difficult Calls
There will always be a time when you'll have to deal with angry customers over the phone. Even though it's a challenging situation, you should still treat them with empathy. Even if you get to answer an angry customer who gets rude, abusive, and keeps asking the same questions again and again, you should always show patience and empathy.
Talk with frustrated customers calmly and patiently, even if they're rude. Also, it would be best if you never hung up the phone when they yelled at you. Angry customers want to vent their disappointment with lousy service, so give them that freedom and let them talk.
Answering calls confidently and caring can go a long way in building relationships with your customers. Once your customers have already finished talking and expressing their frustration, assure them that you completely understand their situation and quickly find ways to resolve the matter at hand. If the issue requires the help of other personnel from your business, inform the customer how long it'll take or offer to call you back.
3. Use Technology To Your Advantage
Technology is vital to modern customer service. It can be impossible to satisfy your customers without it, especially if you're doing most of your business transactions online.
When used correctly, technology can provide numerous advantages for you, such as:
Faster communication
Customers don't like to wait for you to answer their calls. They also don't want to be put on hold. If you use auto-attendant software, you can eliminate long phone queues in your business line.
Deliver more direct results
You can enjoy the convenience of having automated self-service such as Drop Cowboy, especially when sending messages to your customers.
It comes with intuitive automation to respond to your customers faster.
Reduce costs
Technology also aims to reduce costs by speeding up customer transactions over the phone like Drop Cowboy does, as shown in this video:
Automation allows your customer service to do their job better and quicker.
Improve customer satisfaction
Automating responses over the phone can lead to customer satisfaction and increased retention.
Fundamentally, technology is the customer service industry. It allows agents to be smarter with their job while not wasting any client's time.
4. Be Positive
No positive customer service experience can come out if your business employs grumpy agents and sounds unhappy. One of the easiest ways to make your callers feel that they receive good customer service is to answer them with a positive and cheery attitude. If you put a smile on your face as you answer calls, you're also putting a smile on your voice as you speak, making you sound happy to the ears of your customers. It's also worth noting that being positive is infectious. It can make your customers smile, too, and all callers love customer service that can put a smile on their faces.
How you answer customers over the phone from the start can immediately affect the outlook of the call. If a customer calls you because of bad service, apologize for the negative experience. But ensure that you only use positive language throughout the conversation. Instead of saying something like 'sorry for the inconvenience,' it's better if you say 'thank you so much for your patience.' Also, avoid telling your customers with phrases such as 'Sorry, but we can't do that,' or anything that sounds negative.
Staying positive throughout the call can help assure them and give them a better taste in their mouth after talking with you. Making subtle changes in your language and attitude when picking up the phone can be more than enough in improving customer service.
5. Show Courtesy For Their Time
Time is valuable. And it is for that reason your business should always have a sense of urgency when it comes to handling caller's problems. By doing so, you can create a positive image for your brand, and everyone will readily recommend your products or services.
Aside from that, your customers are more willing to call you again if they experience good service from you.
One of the best things that can promote a positive customer service experience over the phone is to use auto-attendant software on your business line, such as Call Cowboy.
Effective software like this can help you direct your callers to the right personnel and avoid delays. This way, the conversation between your agents and customers is prompt and direct to the point.
6. Know Your Product Or Service
You can't offer customers excellent service if you don't know everything there is to know about the product or service you're offering. You should show your customers what kind of benefits they'll enjoy from using your product or service. Your staff should also be capable of troubleshooting anything if a problem or issue arises.
It is essential to know the products and services you are selling. It will help you improve your customer service and make them feel more comfortable. If your staff members are knowledgeable about your products and services, they will be more willing to assist customers. When customers are happy, they will be more inclined to recommend your products.
7. Avoid Putting Customers On Hold
Another tip for improving customer service over the phone is to make sure your callers do not have to wait on hold for too long. This tactic might seem simple at first, but it can help you earn the trust of your customers. Customers value efficient service, and most hate being put on hold.
It's important not to put a customer on hold while on the phone. Not only does it annoy the customer, but it can also aggravate the customer. It's not uncommon for a customer to be frustrated when a caller is placed on hold for an excessive length of time. It could also lead to a customer never calling you back.
8. Clarify & Attention To Detail
If a customer calls you to make an order, you should ask for their name and phone number. This way, if the call gets disconnected for any reason, you can quickly call them back. It's also critical that you clarify an order to the customer to avoid making mistakes by reading it out again. It is especially true for words that are hard to spell or you can't hear or understand over the phone.
If the customer calls to make an order for pick-up, give them the complete address where they can pick up and how long they have to wait. You can even go the extra mile by giving them additional information such as traffic details, current parking situation, and the pick-up procedure.
Keep in mind that customers don't like inconveniences. If you want to make them happy, take the extra time to get the job done correctly on the first try.
9. Provide Customer Service Training Programs
Customer service training helps employees develop a customer-centric philosophy. It will help them better understand how to treat their clients, ensuring a positive experience. It will also help improve the overall customer experience.
When employees are well trained in handling clients, they will be more effective at providing answers and solving problems. Ultimately, this will improve the company's bottom line.
Your company can stay ahead of the competition by providing employees with multi-channel communication skills and teaching them proper phone etiquette. Having knowledgeable staff is key to creating a good customer experience. The team should also be able to answer queries and offer helpful information.
10 Ask For Feedback
Asking for feedback from customers is an excellent way of showing them that you value their opinion. Giving them the freedom to say something about you can also help them feel appreciated.
You can do this by having them fill in feedback forms, answer surveys or questionnaires when they complete their orders or purchases. Feedback is crucial as it tells you what your customers think about your company and the products or services you're offering.
You can then use feedback to improve your customer service services. Take the time to review each customer's opinions about your business as a whole to identify the areas that need improvement.
11. Preach The Importance Of Follow Throughs
Your customer support agents might be well-trained, engaging, and great problem-solvers. But if they don't know how to follow through all their efforts are useless. Follow- ups are even more critical, especially if the problem is unresolved. The customer might need to submit some paperwork, take other steps, or wait for something to be processed first before you can complete their request.
It would help if you taught your agents the significance of following up with every client or customer. After that, educate them about the proper follow-up methods such as when to make a phone call, when they should send an email or SMS, etc. Follow- ups are essential because it helps retain customers and gain their trust.
12. Always Say Thank You
Saying 'thank you' after every phone call can go a long way when it comes to providing excellent customer service. Customers always remember sincere gratitude. It also helps them remember why they've called you in the first place. So, don't ever forget to say thank you before putting down the phone, even if you're dealing with angry callers.
Final Thoughts
Customer service over the phone is one of the most significant components of the customer service process.
A company needs to build a strong rapport with its customers, as an awful one can ruin a business' reputation. Having a good customer service policy can make or break a business. Ensure your agents are well trained to give superior quality of communication to customers.
They must be accessible, knowledgeable, and courteous. Also, it demands excellent listening skills and the willingness to walk through a resolution. Having this can ensure that it can be an asset to the business.
By focusing on your customers, you'll increase the chances of attracting new ones, ultimately increasing your customer base. Most businesses that are successful acknowledge the significance of providing outstanding customer service. So, ensure to study the in-depth subject and pay timely attention to your customers.
Besides boosting revenue, a tremendous phone-based customer service department can boost the company's brand image and encourage repeat business. It is why good phone-based customer service is so vital for a business.
