subject: Answering Service: Top 5 Tips [print this page] Answering Service: Top 5 Tips Answering Service: Top 5 Tips
Call centers have struggled to get their answering service straight because of many reasons. The BPO supervisors have blamed inferior work force, obsolete technology and various other reasons for the poor show of the phone answering unit. However, what they failed to notice are certain conceptual errors in their inbound call center agents. Here are the Top 5 tips through which a call center can make better use of their telephone answering service functions.
1. Solve problems both ways. Customers call up answering service numbers because the need solutions to their problems. They are not looking for a phone answering service that explains what's wrong in better words and technical jargon! They are looking for solutions. Train your inbound call center agents so that they assist the consumers, and not just receive their calls and turn them around from one desk to another. It would be ideal if your telephone answering service agent can offer solutions on two different levels: one immediate and superficial, another long-term. Customers like to know that your phone answering service guy is technically sound in answering queries.
2. Patronize the customer. No customer likes to be told that the problem is caused by their lack of common sense! For example, if the inbound call center agent feels that the problem is just a loose connection, there is no point in flaring up the customer by telling him/her so. The phone answering service agent can try tact. Tell the customer to check for dust in the connection cables. Once they go about doing that, they are more likely to spot their own folly themselves! In this way the answering service person solves the problem without making it obvious that the customer was being foolhardy.
3. Convert customers into fans. This is tough. But by quality call center services you can do that! Once your customers like your company, you can rely on them to spread the good word about your company among their friends and contacts. With neat BPO services, you are not just winning over one loyal customer. You are also making sure that you have this person to dedicatedly speak well of your brand. In the long run, positive word of mouth publicity works better than any telemarketing services.
4. Own up to your mistakes. It's only normal that the lead generation guys pushed things too far and mentioned features that are not there on the product! It could be that in a bid to sell, the outbound call center guy just added some imaginary bonus to the services. When the customer calls up to claim those, you are at a loss. The ideal way to deal with it is accept that there has been a miscommunication. This calms down the customer and opens up a channel of dialogue. The answering service agent gets nothing done by meeting fire with fire. Accept that the mistake was on your part, even if it's something that the customer misunderstood. Remember that you need that sale, not to win the argument.
5. Finally, understand that there are competitors and rivals waiting to pick up this irate customer on the other end of the line. The answering service team cannot afford to lose the customer just because he/she is foul-tempered. The inbound call center gent has to keep his/her temper in check and push for the sale. At the end of the day, it's only the bottom-line that counts.
