Good training teaches employees in the customer service realm how to handle complex customer issues in the most efficient and customer-friendly way possible. This is important, as customer service is the touchstone for all kinds of customer-facing interactions. In training CS representatives, it’s crucial to help them understand a) what they are doing; and b) why they doing the job. It’s also important to encourage them to form strong relationships with customers through consultative communication, and ensure the customer is taken care of through the life of their relationship with a company.
You may think that watching movies and television shows is something you do for sheer amusement – providing little educational value. Well, think again! I know I recently spoke about the importance of reading vs. watching television in my latest blog on the 
The customer service profession is known for high turnover rates and agent burnout, however, some professionals greatly excel in this line of work, and show tremendous aptitude for delivering excellent customer care. Perhaps you’re a customer service rep who thrives in the workplace, and are thinking to yourself, “Do I have what it takes to grow in this profession?” Or perhaps you’re a manager, who has served on the frontline for many years, and wonder whether you’re still in touch with today’s customers. Regardless of age or level of experience, there are a few signs that you already are, or are destined to be, a customer service expert.
Whether you’re a customer service director, manager, or representative, reading a few good words of wisdom always seems to help inspire your next course of action. Especially when those words are from veteran leaders, who have said some amazing things about how to interact with your customers, and how to motivate you and your team to succeed.
We’ve all had our share of amazing customer service experiences, and we can attest that when a company goes above and beyond the call of duty we not only share those experiences, we also become loyal customers. Sometimes these stories don’t get the attention they deserve. In fact, it’s more common that the stories we do hear about are the ones where customers are unhappy because of a bad experience. It’s not fair that we constantly have to shame brands. Let’s take a moment to share 5 amazing acts of kindness from well-known brands across a number of industries.
What does customer service mean to you? One might think the answer to that question is universal, but that’s not necessarily the case. People will define customer service in different ways. A retailer might think it means ensuring customers quickly find what they need online or in-store, and a financial institution might think it means ensuring that they respond to customers in a timely fashion. Since Fonolo is a solution built for the contact center space, I started to think about what customer service means to a call center agent. The first thing that came to mind was handling a difficult customer. For a CSR to be successful they have to understand how to deliver customer service in the most challenging of situations – with an irate customer.
Any career that involves working with the public can be tiresome since making customers feel happy isn’t always the easiest task. You’re often relieved when they’re satisfied, while feeling helpless when they’re not. Unfortunately, 66% of 
It was February 14, 1876, when Marcellus Bailey, one of Alexander Graham Bell’s attorneys, rushed into the US Patent office in Boston to file the patent for what would be the telephone. Today, 141 years later, we celebrate National Telephone Day. On this day we observe the history of the telephone and we use social media to capture our memories of how the telephone has evolved over the years. This day also brings to mind one industry that relies heavily on the telephone, call centers.
Hiring the right customer service agent is incredibly important to the success of your contact center. You’ve probably seen how less-than-stellar support interactions can go completely viral in a matter of hours. It just goes to show that a contact center is only as good as its agents! After all, onboarding committed, motivated, and qualified agents helps your call center achieve its purpose.
It might seem like a simple job, but being successful in the customer service industry requires keen intuition, thick skin, and patience. When new CSRs come to work, it’s tempting to just throw them into the fire and let them handle the stress through first-hand experience, but good bosses know better. They know that if they don’t mentor their staff for success, high turnover rates and constant rehiring is bound to occur (which is counterproductive for any business). We’ve seen it over and over again, CSRs feel attacked or undervalued so they quit on the spot or never reach their full potential.
