The phone is key to customer service
Following recent YouGov research which revealed that one in five people have been so frustrated by a call centre experience, that they have later admitted shame with the way they have spoken to an agent, Ian Turner shares his thoughts…
Excellence in customer service has been touted as the big differentiator in a struggling economy. Despite the phone remaining the dominant communication channel when contacting a call centre, many companies fail to grasp, or at least demonstrate an appreciation of the potential to improve the customer service experience through this medium.
The call centre remains woefully under-funded, resulting in de-motivated, unproductive agents and disgruntled customers. Many customers face long queues, only to be misrouted to the wrong department and eventually reach their final destination in an agitated state. Sales reps often travel the length and breadth of the country, tirelessly knocking on doors for leads. However, a customer or prospect rings a call centre because they actively want to speak to that company. This is a luxury that should not be taken for granted. Every call is an opportunity for that company to sell its products or services.
Ian Turner, Nuance
Admittedly, call centre managers have a lot to contend with. Call volumes continue to grow in a sporadic fashion and call centre staff attrition is extremely high. However, this is not an excuse for poor customer service. Technology has evolved to such an extent that automation can now play a major role in overcoming these challenges. The fact is that automation has already, and will continue to, transform customer service. For instance, queuing in a bank to wait for a cashier to withdraw cash probably feels like a distant, even faintly ridiculous memory now that we self-serve at an ATM.
Tweet24 Feb 2010
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Comments on: The phone is key to customer service
IMHO. BT as service providers are the worst offenders in this respect. Consumer Action Group shows hundreds of complaints about billing and penalty charges for paying by cheque and about being shunted between foreign call centres when trying to resolve problems over the telephone.
Posted by David Griffiths — 5 Mar 2010 @ 1:52 pm
customer services – what a nisnomer! Customer services are staffed by people whocannot change their company,product or service. The suffering customer cannot talk to the person who actually makes the product – and the person whomakes the product never gets to talk tothe users who may have valuable feedback. Ask any call centre operative to read back their notes on a call & they are always oversimplified and often inaccurate.
PS all telephone services are difficult to use for the one person in six with a hearing problem
Posted by Sophie Scott — 6 Mar 2010 @ 1:44 am
The phone is not the answer to customer service. Email is! I have neither the time nor the desire to speak to someone who frankly simply works to a script in any case. I wuld prefer to be ab le to ask my question and receive an answer to that question and without the need to hold on for the agent to answer.
Posted by Gillian — 7 Mar 2010 @ 12:28 pm
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