subject: The Importance Of A Live Operator For Your Business [print this page] The Importance Of A Live Operator For Your Business
In customer service support, live operators have the primary responsibility of providing quick if not complete solutions to customer concerns. They are the same people who receive inquiries, process them, and supply the right answers. From simple queries, these professionals also accept complaints poured out by customers due to faulty products and services. And to top it all, they also become the avenue where buyers express their anger. Well, all of these situations are encountered in the work life of a live operator. But no matter how much profanity or rudeness they come across in a day's work, they are after all what customers need the most when they encounter problems. Being able to help those who need it is truly a noble job.
If you have sought a third party or are planning to outsource customer care programs to an inbound call center, you need to ensure that such partner will house a group of live operators that possess the skills needed to accomplish their job. After all, anything they say directly affects your brand image. If they make your customers angry, your company's reputation is in trouble. If they make your customers happy, then praises and appreciation are all yours to savor. Therefore, you must first consider the abilities of the live operators than the costs you will be paying. Incurring low expenses for a poor performance will only multiply your losses. But, when exceptional work is provided by the agents, you are on your way to a prosperous customer retention and satisfaction ratings.
Talking about skills and attributes, there are many of them as there are fish in the water. But, only a modest number of which are applicable in customer service support. These abilities include.
Positive Language. The tone and pitch of the voice and the words used are of utmost importance when communicating over the telephone or the Internet (in the form of live chat support). If all of these are positive, a positive image will be engraved in the customer's mind. A simple "Thank you!" or "Please" done sincerely will most likely be reciprocated with appreciation.
All ears. The only way to solve the issues of the callers is to think on their shoes, and this can be done by listening attentively to what they say. Customers desire to be heard and understood, and this can only be achieved with good listening skills. Live operators have to resist interrupting until the customer has finished talking. When live operators do not understand some things, they have to clarify it instead of making their own assumptions.
Patience. Agents will encounter different moods from the callers. In a day's work, they will encounter customers who are angry, have language or communication difficulties, are culturally diverse, and may not know very well the product or service they are using. These and other factors can make live operators lose their patience and may make them say things that they don't mean. It is important that agents have a high amount of patience by being sensitive to the customer's needs and not taking anything personally.
Sales and marketing skills. Inbound telemarketing is also one way of up-selling, cross-selling and down-selling. Agents should be subtle in making a sales talk.
Know the products and services by heart. Until a live operator has an extensive knowledge about your products and services, he/she will never provide solutions to the problems of every customer if he/she himself/herself is ignorant about what is being offered.
Outsourcing your customer care programs to an inbound call center is a wise move; that is if you care to minimize your firm's cost, unload a non-core function to focus on what you do best, install a 24/7 service support, and gain an access to specialized call center applications. To get the best services, you have to be satisfied with the performances of your partner's live telephone operators. If they have the necessary skills and good qualities, then expect the rise of your customer satisfaction and retention ratings.
