Tips on Choosing the Right Contact Center for Customer Service
Skilled communicators are the foundation of any good customer service strategy. One of the most powerful tools used in customer service is the contact center. Its approach to training, employee motivation, problem solving and ongoing skill development is the differentiating factor in the customer service agents provide, and thus whether or not a customer returns to purchase again.
To leverage the power of the contact center, you have to choose a partner with enough experience to generate the brand loyalty you depend on to reach your business goals. But how do you evaluate contact centers? Here are some tips.
Choose the Communicator
Contact center agents need to be expert communicators because one of the most essential aspects of customer service is drilling in on the customer’s deepest concerns, which is difficult to do if the agent is more focused on closing the case than the customer’s total experience with your brand.
Agents should have the skills necessary to listen for the underlying concerns in a customer conversation and empathize when needed. They should have a finger on the pulse of the customer to determine what’s important to them and why they are taking time to have a conversation with your company. Furthermore, a contact center agent should answer all questions and provide further assistance or recommendations where applicable.
Choose a Educator
Time and again it is proven that customers are more satisfied with their experience when they’ve been connected with a well-equipped contact center agent. This level of preparation requires extensive training not only in customer service best practices but also your brand’s quality standards and culture. And that’s just the education that should take place before an agent begins handling customer service calls. When choosing a contact center, ask about their training practices and look for a team that commits to extensive education.
Customer service expectations are always changing, strategies are always evolving, and the dynamics of what a customer is dealing with outside of their experience with your brand can fluctuate depending on what’s happening in the world. Ongoing education gives agents an opportunity to address these elements and adjust accordingly. It’s also important for honing their skills.
However, each contact center places a different emphasis on education because of the cost that goes into training and is eventually reflected in pricing for contact center services. For contact centers targeting the lowest services cost, education can fall by the wayside. Protel BPO knows the value education brings to the customer experience, so training is a top priority. Offering competitive pricing without sacrificing employees’ skill development is how Protel BPO is able to deliver stellar customer experience your brand wants to invest in.
Choose a Culture
As you compare potential contact centers, consider how culture comes through when agents converse with customers. Whether it be friendliness or native language, culture can have a positive or negative effect on the customer experience. Because Belize’s official language is English, Protel BPO agents aren’t hindered by a language or accent barrier when conversing with your customers. The friendly, amiable Caribbean nature also brings a positive mood to conversations that can ease customers’ tensions.
Always Outsource
There is often an attempt to save money by trying to carry out contact center services in-house. While this seems like an economically responsible thing to do, it usually ends up costing time and money in the long run because of the hiring, onboarding, training and turnover that often happen. Seasoned or well-trained staff can be hard to find for an in-house contact center, leaving you with an uphill battle and customers with unprepared agents.
You also need a contact center that acts as an extension of your customer service staff, one that can emulate the culture, quality and customer service commitment of your brand. You need a dedicated team that offers customer service just as if they were within the four walls of your own company.
At Protel, we’re a high-quality, cost-competitive solution that is tailored to handle your customer service calls. Contact us today and let’s talk about how our services will provide you with the loyal, satisfied customers that will keep you coming back.
