4 Customer Service Mistakes You Are Probably Making Right Now

Good customer service plays an integral part in a business’s long-term success. Numerous studies and statistics over the years have proven this without any shadow of a doubt.

It is for this reason why most call centers are adopting a customer-centric approach in communicating with their clients.

That said, one crucial mistake a company can make is to assume that it’s delivering excellent customer service even when it’s not. This is a disaster waiting to happen.

The first order of business to avoid this predicament, of course, is to become aware of the most common customer service mistakes call center companies make.

So without further ado, here are customer service mistakes you are probably making right now.

1. Not enough focus on active listening

It’s often emphasized how important active listening is when it comes to providing good customer service. Active listening, however, is a skill that’s often overlooked and misunderstood.

Contrary to what others think, active listening goes beyond hearing the words coming out of the customer’s mouth.

It involves listening to all our senses, asking the right questions, and knowing when to shut up, just to name a few.

Active listening is a tough skill to master, but you’d do well to provide your agents with the relevant training in this regard. It’s an investment that is sure to pay dividends in the long run.

2. Call center agents are not motivated enough

As the old chestnut has it, “happy employees create happy customers.”

By compensating your call center agents well for their efforts and fostering a positive workplace culture, you are giving them more reasons to stay motivated at work.

When employee engagement is high, agents tend to take their jobs more seriously. Better yet, they are more likely to take delight in what they do. This results to happy customers. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

3. Long hold times

It’s no secret that many customers don’t like being put on hold. In fact, 32% of customers believe that call center agents shouldn’t be doing so in the first place.

While that is an unrealistic demand, it only goes to show why call center agent have to avoid putting customers on hold for a long time.

To eliminate the need for long hold times, you have to optimize and streamline your call center’s processes so that your agents can pull up customers’ information with minimal effort.

4. Long call queues

Long call queues are just as annoying as long hold times, possibly even more so. It can be very unpleasant for most callers to hear the words “Your call is important to us. Please continue to hold.”

If you want your customers to think highly of your customer service, you have to take the necessary steps to avoid long call queues. Hiring more agents often does the trick. If that poses a problem budget-wise, you can shuffle employee’s schedules in such a way where more agents are available during peak hours.

Another solution that has been proven to be effective is to provide customers with the option to request a call-back.

Final Word

A company’s reputation is only as good as the quality of its customer service. Your brand may have the best product in the market, but if your customer service is poor, most customers won’t hesitate to look to other competitors.

In the final analysis, it’s how well you treat your customers. Treat them like we do at customer service call centers in the Philippines and that will separate your brand from the rest. Considering how fast information gets around these days, you simply can’t afford to make mistakes. Call us today to find out how we can help you optimize productivity, deliver a better customer experience and provide outsourced customer service.