The only real competitive advantage over time will be the way a company treats its customers, says Chris Wagner, vice president of marketing for InfoCision Management Corp.
“Customer care will be the true differentiator,” says Wagner. “In a global world, it will be increasingly difficult to distinguish between products, so the customer’s experience will make all the difference.”
A recent study conducted by a client indicates that people who have an unresolved customer service issue have a 12 percent to 15 percent shorter customer lifecycle than those who don’t.
InfoCision, recently recognized by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce as one of the top 10 employers in the state, has a great deal of experience in ensuring quality service for the customers who dial in to its call centers.
Smart Business recently spoke with Wagner about how to find the right people, develop their talent and keep them on staff.
Describe a ‘quality’ customer service experience.
You have to define your audience. What are their needs? And what is your competition doing? Do you want to meet or exceed the service they are providing?
How can a company gauge whether its customers are satisfied with their call-in experience?
There are three main ways to do this: (1) randomly select callers and ask them to stay on the line to complete a brief survey after the call is finished; (2) send them a direct mail questionnaire; and (3) survey via e-mail.
The first method is the most cost-effective way to survey customers and probably gives you the best information. The key word here is brief. Limit the survey to about five or six questions.
Typically, the most important thing a customer cares about is whether his or her issue was resolved.
Where does a quality experience begin?
You have to select the right people, motivate them with performance-based incentives, train them, give them the proper tools to do their jobs effectively and, finally, retain them.
Before we hire new people, we develop a ‘profile test’ and develop a template of the ideal candidate. Customers want to talk to someone who is mentally alert and who can move through a call knowledgeably. We look for people with a good vocabulary, an understanding of current events and a can-do attitude.
How can a company ensure it is hiring the right people?
First, conduct a phone interview with interviewees before you even meet them in person. How do they act and sound on the phone? Can you ‘hear them smile?’ Next, have them meet with your HR professional. Finally, ask them to spend half a day at your organization, listening to the types of calls they’ll be taking, meeting the management team, and learning how you measure performance. This will give you a good idea of whether they will be fully engaged.
Keep in mind that in order to be this selective, you have to have a quality, local labor pool from which to attract talent.
How can management measure performance and keep employees motivated?
Set up key performance indicators (KPIs) so each employee knows what he or she will be measured against. These might be different for each program the employee works on.
Too often, budget-minded companies use the ‘average length of call’ to measure performance. This, however, can cause the employee to move through calls too quickly, thus leaving customers frustrated.
An alternative to this approach is ‘call control,’ where the employee is trained to keep the call moving quickly, in a specific direction.
Other KPIs might include attendance, error rate, upsell ability, call resolution percent, customer satisfaction percentages, abandon rates and ready/log in time.
Other ways to keep employees motivated include written quality assessment reviews, meeting with them to critique digital audio recordings of their calls, and holding structured meetings with both teams and individuals.
What about ongoing training and retention?
Once employees understand the basics of phone service, you can move them through advanced, customized training modules, such as call control and upselling.
Supervisors and managers should also receive ongoing training and be measured by their own set of KPIs. You can’t just train and leave it at that. You need to measure effectiveness, and one way to do that is to evaluate the trainers.
As for retention, there are going to be some people you just shouldn’t keep. Specific performance indicators can be set up to help you determine when it’s time to let someone go.
To retain your star performers, provide them with a professional environment and a clearly defined career path. Help them set their goals, and celebrate with them when they achieve those goals. A call center should be an enjoyable place to work, where employees are recognized and rewarded for their achievements.
CHRIS WAGNER is the vice president of marketing for InfoCision Management Corp. Reach him at (330) 670-5132 or [email protected].