Member Article

Customer Service of the New Generation

From a simple customer service to solving the business problems

The Call-center is the main department responsible for receiving and processing of customer requests in many companies. Its main task is to ensure the speed and quality of service, which will help improve the level of customer loyalty. To improve the performance and efficiency of call centers many companies turn to the practice of automation of their business processes and operations.

What does call-center do?

Despite a lot of various functions at the call-center functions can be described as customer support service at the level of processing on a predetermined algorithm of incoming requests and queries. After creating such a structure some companies believe the task of improving the quality of customer interactions in terms of a functional call-center is solved. Indeed, in the early stages, it is enough to feel the increase in the number of customers and reducing the churn. But after some time, the deterioration of the dynamics of growth of key performance indicators starts, and, consequently, the efficiency reduces: the call-center works, but its potential is exhausted, without giving more tangible growth.

According to analysts, the traditional call centers, limited by processing of telephone inquiries, gradually go into oblivion. Today they already are replaced by the contact centers which support multiple communications, not just voice communication channels, and the reason is their level of effectiveness and key performance indicators.

But the future is different – to create multi-tasking and multi-functional, or even intelligent customer service.

At this level, you can easily transfer a substantial part of the solution to the problem connected with the implementation of customer relationship management strategy. You can do it now.

Start your own VoIP-based call center as customer service. You are able to do this and go much more ahead of the competition, at the same you will solve the problem of improving the efficiency of the structural unit. It is important that it is quite easy to do. It is just enough to take as a basis the readily proved methodologies, processes, and specialized software. All this you can find at wholesale VoIP termination portal.

Targeting the customer service quality to improve the key performance indicators

Many companies, while analyzing the call-center performance, look at the internal performance of the unit, but do not see and do not analyze the preferences and needs of the customers. In fact, it is a very important element - as the most valuable information about the quality of service depends on them.

The polls show:

• More than 80% of customers called quick solution to their problem (question) the most important factor in creating a positive impression of the customer service work;
• 66% of customers break their relations with the company, and 37% - facing the service incompetence at the first time.

What are the indicators to assess the quality of customer service?

One key indicator is the churn - the percentage or quantitative value of customers who left for a certain period. It can also be expressed in the form of financial losses (loss of profit) as a result of customer churn during the same period. This figure is - is not the only metric. But one of the most motivating to think about change.

Among other important indicators of the quality of customer service there are:

Service compliance to the SLA;

• The level of customer satisfaction and loyalty index;
• The amount (percentage) of repeated and cross-selling;
• Frequency of purchases;
• Average speed of response to treatment and the time of its authorization;
• The number of requests (problems) permitted after a single treatment.

We advise you to apply the approach “of the only one attempt to create a good customer impression of the service and about the company as a whole”. Most clients, when guided by the statistics, are ready to give another chance, but the loss of profit due to those who have abandoned the services, no one will return.

Client Oriented Approach

The modern customer wants to receive the service as it is convenient to him. He will get it from your company or from the other - which can provide such services. The current trend - an active people transfer to the online communications segment, where there is already a lot of channels and means of communication. Telephone and e-mail, of course, still remain in the area of relevance. But to change and provide client oriented support needs to be done now. 50% of companies have already made their choice in favor of the direction of the call-center development.

The practice of Client Oriented Approach implementation indicates that not all companies are prepared to ensure quick and easy upgrade to the broader channel coverage and communication with their clients.

In the first stage, it is important to:

• Choose the software for customer service with support Client Oriented Approach;
• To train staff to communicate with customers

We wish you to be careful in choosing your customer support approach and make a right choice. Good luck!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Julia .