Call centre teams are the unsung heroes of many large corporations. They are on the frontline providing helpful advice, taking the heat from frustrated customers and dealing with complaints. Here are three quick ways you can help your teams to improve their phone calls and the overall customer experience they are delivering.
Smile
Have you ever been on a call with a company and you can tell the call agent is having a bad day? That’s because they are not smiling and are probably a bit fed up.
Regardless of how the day is going, agents have a duty to deliver an exceptional service on every call. One of the easiest ways to do this is by speaking with a smile. This may sound a bit weird, but it really does make a difference! To implement this method, encourage your team to do the following:
- Answer each call using the same intro and smile all the way through it
- Continue to smile when explaining information or delivering news
- Smile at the end of the call when saying your final remarks
Remove Distractions
Call centre work can be monotonous, routine and may get a bit boring. Agents may be tempted to do other things whilst on a call such as looking at their phones, browsing the internet or even doodling.
To avoid this temptation, adopt a ‘clear desk policy.’ This means desks should be neat and tidy, free from mess and personal phones should be put away. This will improve customer interactions as team members will be more focussed on the call and won’t miss important information.
Take Notes
The most essential tools a call centre agent can have is a good old-fashioned pen and paper. The first thing that should be noted down is the caller’s name as this can be easily forgotten. All other essential information should be noted down unless the agent is typing notes straight onto a system. Notes provide a place of reference for key points in relation to a call and can support an agent when they are repeating information back to their caller.
By implementing these simple methods, customer satisfaction will increase, and agents are likely to get more positive feedback from callers.