The Great Black Hole Of Customer Service

If you have ever tried to call a customer service hotline, you have probably been frustrated with the numbers system (“press 1 for service, press 2 for billing…”) and the wait time. Today, although technology allows customer service to also operate via email, response time can be even longer than on the phone. As an entrepreneur, there is a great need you can fill for superior customer service, and it’s not that hard! Hire Enough Hands: Don’t be cheap and skimp on the number of call center reps you hire. Bad customer service is one of the top reasons people switch from one brand to another. Even if there are lulls, you should always have enough operators to answer calls promptly during peak hours. Provide Proper Training: There’s nothing worse than a customer service rep who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Customers call for SERVICE and if your reps can’t provide that, you will soon be out of business. Train all of your operators on the proper way to handle any situation, and instill in them the desire to be friendly to customers. Look at the underlying reasons why employees may be unpleasant to customers: are they getting paid enough? Are they working long hours? Make their environment pleasant, and that will shine through the phone. Set Turnaround Times: If you set goals of how quickly a rep should get to a customer, either by phone or via email, stick with it. Customers pick up on that. If your website says a customer should expect to hear back from customer service within 5 hours, make sure that happens.