CallCenter Profi’s “Outsourcing Guide” explores six measures that contribute to a higher level of customer orientation in the call center. Read a summary of the original article by Harald Henn “Make a wish! A call center from the customer’s point of view.”
Eliminate waiting queues
Eliminating the waiting queue is cited by industry experts as the most important measure for increasing customer orientation. Virtual queue management is a must-have for modern service organizations. After all, long waiting times in customer service are one of the most common reasons for customers leaving.
Introduce efficient routing
A powerful ACD system is characterized by process logic that immediately connects the customer to the appropriate agent. After all, it is not only long waiting times that reduce customer satisfaction, but also the repeated forwarding of a call to an employee who can provide actual assistance. With a skill-based routing method, the skills and knowledge of the employees are taken into account during call routing.
Optimize sales consulting
Many companies seek to train their agents to recognize up-sell and cross-sell potential. However, these measures often lead to standardized sales conversations that are rarely customer-oriented. If technological solutions for sales automation are offered along the customer journey, and only certain parts of the sales conversation are left to customer service, personalized customer support can be successfully implemented by the service department.
Involve customers in the service process
Establishing decentralized structures in service organizations involves genuine transformation, but meets modern customer expectations. Service questions can be answered more credibly by an engaged customer community than by trained agents. Introducing customer forums and writing down customer inquiries also collects FAQs in customer-friendly language that can be used in the service department for follow-up processes.
Align omni-channel communication
Nowadays, service communication is rarely handled exclusively by a call center. The introduction of additional communication channels such as email or live chat is driven largely by customer needs, but also by cost savings and image reasons. However, only when the different communication channels are well integrated with each other can real added customer value be created. To prevent media disruptions, old technologies and organizational particulars must be replaced.
Deliver proactive service
Customer orientation comes from proactive service. Modern service organizations no longer wait exclusively for problems to arise, but contact their existing customers at regular intervals in order to improve their product and service usage by offering attractive conditions. By optimizing classic service communication, new resources for service innovation can be created.
