Ten Golden Rules For Call Centre Operator

Many customers end up frustrated after dealing with call centres, but here are a few tips to help call centre operators keep the customers happy. 
 For many companies, call centres are the only way they can practically and affordably deal with the number of customers they have seeking information. By their nature, often the call centre operators cannot not know everything about a company and how it operates and sometimes they only know the answers to a list of frequently asked questions. This can be frustrating for customers who want a more detailed reply. However, by following these basic rules, call centre operators can go a long way to making the exchange successful for the caller.

Greeting the Caller

When answering the phone, start by greeting the caller, with name and company, and asking the nature of the call. Do not start by asking the caller for information. So, for example, say: “Good morning, my name is Joe Bloggs from (insert company name), how may I help you today?” Do not start by saying, for example: “Hello, can I have your account number please?”

Time on Hold

If the screen shows that the caller has been waiting to speak to someone for more than a minute, apologise for the delay. If the customer is paying for the call (that is, it is not a free phone number), then offer to call the customer back rather than let them continue paying for the call.

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Call Center Outsourcing Trends: How Outsourcing Call Center Functions Drive Business 2.0

Call center outsourcing has ushered in a radical paradigm shift in the way businesses consider traditional customer service. With the introduction of new technologies, organizations are finding that they can better serve their customers without sacrificing the fiscal and human resources necessary to host these tasks in-house.

However, as outsourcing call center activities is a concept in constant flux, the businesses that utilize best-practices should hold an edge in the market. From wireless technologies to survey-based functionality, call center outsourcing is proving to be a critical spoke in the branding wheel. The concept is simple--give customers a reason to interact by providing convenience and value with every contact. While that may sound easier said than done, call center technologies that incorporate social media networking into their operations have made surprising headway.

The Mounting Challenges Call Centers Will Face

Understanding the roles that call center outsourcing may potentially play in Business 2.0 requires examination of the challenges it faces. The Marktforschung blog cites Datamonitor findings that discuss the state of the industry and how these factors may shape the future. CEOs considering outsourcing call center functions would do well to take these into account for strategic planning:

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Customer Service Back In The Day

I was at a gas station the other day and noticed something that caused me to look twice.
At first, it appeared to be a normal occurrence, a man pumping gas and then cleaning his windshield.
Thinking nothing of this, I continued with my gas purchase. When I again looked at the other vehicle, I saw a man walking to the rear of the same car, yet there was someone else continuing to clean his windshield.

To my surprise, the person cleaning his windshield and tending to this gas was the gas station attendant, not the customer.

This caused me to wonder if the economy might be having an impact on the level of customer service being offered today. As businesses compete for dollars, which are being tightly held by consumers, we may be seeing more of this.

Back in the day, we used to be known for giving great service to our customers and the mantra of "The Customer is Always Right" was a standard policy throughout most every retail establishment and other types of businesses.

Customers were number #1 and intensely loyal. The customer service counter area was always visible when you entered a store, and everyone knew that was where you went to solve problems and get answers to questions, any question.

Briefly, let us stroll down memory lane and look at what our customer service practices used to be. Granted, some of these still exist. Nevertheless, things have definitely changed.

 - If there was an issue with an account, you didn't have to listen to 5 or 6 different message prompts before speaking to a live person, or getting the requested information.

- If you were not happy with your meal, it would be replaced with a freshly made duplicate meal, not put in a microwave and returned.

- In a restaurant, if you needed to take home your leftover meal, the restaurant staff would prepare your carry out package in the kitchen area, rather than have you do it at your table.

- If you had some installation done in your home, cable, telephone etc., the debris would be cleaned up by the technicians, and not left for you to do.

- If you're admitted to the emergency room, you better have health insurance, enough said on this one.

Today, our customer service industry has become more automated with pre-recorded messages, self-service, unassisted online and offline shopping, less emphasis on the customer and a general feeling of having to "jump through hoops" to get a problem resolved or redeem a rebate. I believe we have come to expect less from the businesses we support.

On the other hand, this economic crisis is forcing businesses to go that extra mile in responding to their customers' needs. These are loyal customers who find themselves caught up in the downturn and need understanding. They need a return to the old fashioned customer service that endeared them to your business for life.

For example, have you seen the advertisements from certain auto manufacturers who say they will pay several months of your auto note, if a job loss occurs? This is an example of addressing the customer's needs in this down economy. If this program wasn't in place, these people would lose their vehicles. Why aren't all car manufacturers doing the same?

Here are some other ways to make your customer service more compassionate during these times:

Make it possible for your customers to talk to a live person when calling your business. This will alleviate some of your customer's stress as it shows you care about addressing your customer's issues and concerns quickly. Also, not having to move through several phone prompts can save time for the customer.

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How to Provide Internal Customer Service Excellence

When we talk about customer service, we usually think about how we deal with the people who walk through our doors—both physical and virtual—to purchase our products and services. What we often fail to realize, however, is that we also have customers within our organizations; those customers are our co-workers.


Customer service means being responsive to a customer’s needs and being resourceful in meeting those needs. Customer service is many things: knowledge, communication, skill, attitude, efficiency, integrity, reliability, knowledge, and helpfulness.

How you interact with co-workers and supervisors has a huge impact on the effectiveness of the team. When Dan asks for your help in completing a report, do you tell him that it’s not your responsibility, or do you eagerly offer to do whatever you can to help him meet his deadline? When Bethany points out an error, do you get defensive, or do you view her comment as constructive and vow to improve your performance?

When you treat co-workers and supervisors with respect, when you help them solve their problems and meet or exceed the demands of the job, your value as an employee increases dramatically. Just as you should do whatever it takes to satisfy a customer, you should do whatever it takes to help a co-worker.


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Are Your Customers Getting Uniform Service?

If you want to offer the best possible customer service experience, be sure to be consistent..

How consistent are you with your customers? One sure way to lose business to competing vendors is to give a customer one answer the first time he or she has a question and a different answer the next time the issue is raised.
Even worse is when one customer receives concessions that others do not; such as extending return deadlines or accepting returns on "final sale" items.

And don't forget the importance of consistency of service.
Are customers receiving their product in three days the first time they order, but 10 days the second time around?
This can be confusing and inconvenient, especially for customers in a "continuity program." Inconsistent delivery will get the product to them either too "early" or too "late." It's very important to have a consistent service record.

Customers deserve to know that the company they are dealing with has a consistent approach to taking care of its customers. And the secret to making that happen? Train. Train. Then train some more!

Training is critical to customer service. Training keeps everyone "on the same page" and in the know about your customers and the products they order. And while employees' busy schedules can make finding time to train difficult, the need is not diminished. Training can often be done over the lunch hour, in the evenings or even remotely. And some companies will rotate their employees through the training process to ensure their phones still get answered and customers are still taken care of properly.

When planning your employee training sessions, consider including the following topics:

Phone Etiquette

Answer the phone within three rings. A prompt and pleasant response starts the customer's call off on the right foot. Record in-coming calls periodically; then listen to call center staff to see how they sound and to make any necessary improvements. Call center managers should also listen to their operators periodically to ensure each one is providing the best customer service possible.

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Businesses outsource IT for reasons other than cost

Cost-cutting is diminishing in importance as a reason to outsource IT, according to research of 630 contracts worth £14bn carried out by KPMG.

In its 2012 UK Service Provider Performance and Satisfaction study, the KPMG found 70% of businesses are influenced by cost when making their outsourcing decision. This compares with 83% in the last survey two years ago.

The results, from over 200 participants from user businesses, showed 46% said the need for better quality services was their reason for outsourcing, while 51% said it was due to a lack of in-house skills.

Lee Ayling, partner in KPMG’s Shared Services and Outsourcing unit, said the need for better services combined with a lack of in-house expertise is driving outsourcing.

“Just going for a low-cost option isn’t the de facto reason to outsource anymore. Companies are now looking at how outsourcing helps improve the quality of service they can offer to customers," said Ayling.

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Make the most of those precious opportunities when connecting with your customers..

We've all heard the saying that "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." However, in the world of customer service it's often not about the first impression... it's about the second, a.k.a. the follow-up!

 The truth is that most customer service and sales professionals do not fall down on the first impression.

In customer service, we answer the phone and put on our "game day" voice, politely, cheerfully and respectfully, but if we can't fix their problem immediately on that first call, we choke!
We transfer customers, make them repeat their problems, promise calls back, but then never make them - forcing customers to call back and start the process over and over again—until their issue is finally resolved through their diligent efforts (not ours)... or they leave.

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The Customer Service Tree

Imagine your customers are the branches that support the leaves (revenue), and you company as the trunk of your money tree that supports and supplies the customer branches

Think of how a tree grows; it starts with one or two little branches. Those branches shoot off and create more branches, and so the process continues until a full-grown tree emerges.

A customer who has a positive experience and tells just one person has helped your tree grow.

That new customer branch may lay dormant and leafless for days, weeks, or years, but it is still a customer branch with potential to grow money-leaves.

It takes a long time for customer branches to grow, but in only an instant the customer branches can be cut off and never grow back. At any company the best way to cut off a customer branch is to provide poor customer service.

An unhappy customer who tells three people about his or her bad experience with you company has snapped off a branch - a branch budding with potential to grow more customer branches, eventually creating more money leaves.

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