Alright, customers hate call centers. Let’s just accept that fact right off the bat. Ultimately, a wide number of factors has led to this becoming the case over the years, and we’re picking up the mess. We need our call centers to achieve success, but how are we supposed to do that? If our customers aren’t satisfied, how can we get them to engage with us? We engage in creative thinking; that’s how!
To do that, we need to understand why customers hate call centers. So, let’s take a look at the reasons why, and what we can do about them.
Blind Transfers
We’ve all been through this. You’re on the phone to a support agent who has heard your life story for the past thirty minutes. Then, they tell you they’re transferring you to an agent. Suddenly, you’re left starting the story all over again.
There’s nothing wrong with transferring a customer to a colleague. But, implementing the right software systems is important for your center to pass relevant information between colleagues.
Long Waiting Times
This is the big one! Customers hate being made to wait for a response when they’re already irate about something. If you can’t get back to them quickly, they’re bound to grow in frustration before long.
You can’t always prevent long waiting times. But, if it’s a regular deal, your business is doing something wrong. You might need a call center consultant to identify the issue, or you might just need to hire more staff!
Lack Of Training
“Yeah…uh….I think we can do that….hang on.” Sound familiar? In call centers, employees are often thrown into a position with very little training. You can do that if you want to — we’re not the boss of you! But, we highly suggest you take the time to train your employees properly.
The results of a highly trained team of staff will be well worth the cost down the line. And, you’ll be able to leapfrog the competition in an area that is all too often overlooked.
No Satisfaction
Another reason why customers hate call centers is that they get no satisfaction out of them. Often, the resolution to an issue is to call them back or escalate it to someone else. That’s not what a customer wants to hear! They want a solution quickly, and they’re not getting it.
Customers often ask unreasonable requests of our business, and that’ll never change. But, do we need to escalate and call back on such a regular basis? Could it be that unrealistic targets are the cause behind needing to get off the phone quickly? Quantity over quality is all well and good, but not if you don’t have any quality whatsoever!
Repetitive Music
Who ever thought it’d be a good idea to put repetitive, annoying music on a cell center wait line? Customers rightly get angry when forced to listen to it, especially if they’ve been waiting a while.
The solution? Get that endless loop of Justin Beiber off your call center line! No wonder your customers hate you!!!
