5 Call Center Customer Experience Failures

More than 50% of customer service managers focus on customer satisfaction as the most influential call center metric, however only 26% of contact centers follow an established customer experience initiative that monitors and identifies weaknesses for improvement.

Assess the following customer service mistakes. Does your business need to upgrade any practices or strategies to enhance customer experiences?

1) Unreliable & Impersonal IVR

A busy signal or slow response can kill a promising lead in zero time. Even if your customers don’t speak with a live representative, you can still provide a personal connection that enhances their experience with interactive voice response (IVR). A well-designed IVR can match the superior-quality services of a highly trained rep if the IVR system can harness customer data, notes USAN, an open forum dedicated to contact center technology and customer engagement strategies. Customers can also access special offers, sales information, and product and service details through an IVR, adds USAN.

Establish personal customer satisfaction by programming an IVR to address specific customer needs, even independently. For example, Zipwire is a pure cloud solution that offers personalized customer menu options with its upgraded IVR that allows customers to get information fast without speaking to an agent.

2) Not Measuring the Customer Experience

A call center must evaluate the customer experience in order to improve it. Evaluate the customer’s perception and interaction with your products and services. Ask yourself if the customer has a positive relationship with you, the supplier? How do your customers value business contacts like phone conversations, emails and online chats?

Improve customer service by monitoring effectiveness, encourages Desk.com, a multi-channel customer service application. Assess effective calling methods and maximize opportunities for growth. Real-time monitoring and metrics will also provide customer insight and identify trends that boost customer satisfaction and sets you apart from competitors.

3) Ignoring Social Media

Social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter can be the fastest ways to engage in dialogue with your customers and gain feedback. Customers are especially comfortable interacting in digital social spaces, and you can effectively respond with instant customer support.

Personally communicating with customers on Facebook and Twitter also enhances your businesses credibility and conveys how you value your customers. Reps have the ability to extend support at any time beyond normal business hours and meet customer needs as quickly as possible.

Datel Software Solutions even recommends adding social media information to your businesses CRM. Store customer data gathered through social media and in your CRM application to review customer account details, such as past issues and reps who have previously provided support.

4) Inadequate Staff

A highly trained staff serves is the skeleton of your call center and backbone of top-notch customer service. Start by boosting employee morale to eradicate poor productivity and high turnover rates that subsequently lead to poor customer service. Build a strong, dedicated staff and ensure they’re equipped with excellent multitasking skills. Representative training should encompass lead generation, upselling campaign tactics, troubleshooting support, and scheduling to meet all potential customer needs.

5) Low Upsell Performance

Upselling not only increases total revenue, it bolsters long-term customer loyalty, which in turn creates profitable customer retention. Low upselling performance can alienate a customer if executed improperly or too aggressively. RDI offers upselling tips to drive profitability. Ensure your reps are trained to do the following:

• Intimately understand products and look for relevant opportunities to upsell.
• Identify buying signals before introducing a product or service.
• Be in the best interest of the customer to establish trust.
• Understand how you are saving them time, energy and money.
• Refer to customer data before capitalizing on upselling opportunities, delivering value and offering customized solutions.
• Establish a set of models that can predict customer buying behaviors and future revenue potential.

Guest Blogger: Jim Burch 

Jim Burch attended college in Kentucky where he studied creative writing and journalism while working as an editor for the Murray State News. His specialties range from movies and television to consumer technology to health and fitness.