4 Tips to Improve Your Call Center

Your call center that takes questions and complaints can be one of your most powerful ways to connect with your customers. Just as great service and thoughtful customer support representatives ("CSRs") can cement customer loyalty, a bad experience with your call center can do a lot of damage to your public image. Here are four tips that insure your customers have a great experience when they phone you for help.

1. Listen, Listen, Listen

When a customer calls in, make sure your CSRs are trained to listen. Pick out the key issues. Don't interrupt. Give the caller time to express their concerns. In today's fast-paced world of phone trees and anonymous corporations, it's nice to be heard by a sympathetic CSR who is genuinely interested in solving the problem.

2. Respond, Don't React

Sometimes, customers will phone in very angry. The best thing your CSRs can do is to let the person vent. Acknowledge and empathize with what's being said. "I hear your concern, Mr. Smith, and I understand exactly why you're upset." It's not easy to listen to someone when they're fuming. However, it's crucial that CSRs don't react to the customer, but instead keep their distance and choose an appropriate response. (That may also be politely ending the call if the customer is too belligerent). Give your CSRs the power to offer creative solutions and turn the problem into a win for both the customer and your company.

3. Get Automated

There is some great call center software out there. Invest in it! Being able to objectively track call center activity is invaluable. It can open your eyes to performance issues and light the way to improve the efficiency and operation of your call center. Once you put the software in place, review your performance. Look through the dashboards. Study how many open trouble tickets you have—and why. Analyze your average call time. Use the software to categorize the kinds of calls that are coming in. Information like this can make all the difference when it comes to improving the way your call center operates.

4. Share Your Findings

Once you have a handle on your call center reporting, share your findings with the entire company. Let engineering know the kinds of calls you're taking so they can start improving the product. Give the service department a heads-up on potential repair issues. Create a customer satisfaction index and share it with your executives. The more the team knows about the experience customers are having with your product or service, the more everyone can work together to make it even better. That's the power of a call center: connecting you to your customers.