Most people have a bad customer service story. Maybe it was an unbearably long hold time followed by a brief interaction with an agent who couldn’t resolve the problem. Perhaps it came at a time when you were stressed out and the agent trying to help you showed no recognition of the emotions you were experiencing. What’s become abundantly clear is that without empathy, the customer experience doesn’t meet consumer expectations.
On the opposite side of a bad experience, what was it about the good experiences you’ve had with customer service professionals? It was most likely that the agent recognized, understood and tried to relate to your situation. Yes, customer service is there to provide answers and solve problems, but this is also a chance to create a positive experience that will deepen the relationship between customer and company.
Put Out the Fire
Every company has had a problem that had the potential to cause a customer to leave the brand forever. Customer service professionals know how to diffuse situations like this and save the relationship.
It starts with acknowledging the situation and the emotions stirred up by the problem. This can instantly calm the negativity and begin the process of resolving the conflict. Can the problem be solved without acknowledging what the customer is experiencing? Sure, but showing a lack of empathy may not lead to a good customer experience for a consumer. A skilled communicator shows empathy and can turn an angry customer into a smiling one.
Prevent Future Problems
When a customer service representative demonstrates skill in communication, conversations open up and more can be learned about the customer, including problems they’ve had that they might not otherwise bring up. Active listening includes asking questions, which means the conversation becomes a learning experience where light is shed on things that need to be fixed.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Consumers know that when they call customer service, the person they are connected to is paid to provide answers and solve problems. When they do their job right, these things happen, but contact centers that empower their employees to go the extra mile and personalize the interaction with warmth and friendliness see an increase in customer satisfaction numbers. A satisfied customer is a return customer.
When your customers report that the service they receive falls well short of a friendly, personalized and empathetic interaction, it’s time to bring in the professionals. At Protel BPO, we focus strongly on communication skills and providing positive interactions with consumers. Contact us and let’s discuss our process. We will also tell you about our success stories and how your company can become one of them.
