Your call centre is one of your most important touchpoints when it comes to customer engagement. As a result, you need to ensure that it is running as smoothly as possible, without the disruption or delays that will negatively affect your ability to provide an organic and profitable customer experience.
As one of the most cost-heavy departments in any business model, the call centre is an essential element to get right, and from hiring new team members to prioritizing constant and evolving improvements, it might be easier than you think. If your contact centre is not working as well as you think it could, then here are some of the most commonly used methods for both large and small brands to get more from this vital touchpoint.
1. The operative’s toolkit
One of the first areas to assess and develop is the desktop toolkit that your contact centre operatives will be using. These can often be needlessly complicated, meaning that it takes both time and money to get new hires up to speed. You can reduce this by outsourcing your contact centre training to professionals who have experience with the most commonly used software choices, such as Sabio. More effective staff training will mean less waiting time for effectiveness, as well as reduce staff turnover and the expensive hiring process.
2. Join the customer journey
By far, the best way to assess the efficiency of your contact centre is to experience it yourself. This isn’t about testing the knowledge or work habits of your team, but understanding just what journey a customer goes through when they make the decision to contact you. This is all about identifying the bottlenecks that will result in a no-sale or an increase in website bounce rates. You will have an idea of the ideal customer journey, so it’s imperative that your vision matches the reality.
3. Listen to your team
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make as a business owner is to assume that you know everything about your company. It’s essential that you listen to those that are working on the front lines. They will have ongoing, full-time experience using the system that you have developed, and that means that they will often find simpler and more cost-effective processes that can only be of benefit. Your forward-facing team are the ones who will always have a clearer idea of what’s going well and what’s causing problems when it comes to the effectiveness of your contact centre.
4. Strengthen the team
The more well-trained and experienced your contact team are, the more intuitively they will work together. This can be very important when it comes to transferring calls to the right people and ensuring that the customer experience is not dragged out. You could:
- Start a daily team huddle
- Set healthy competitions and rewards for achievable goals
- Have staff development plans for each member of your team
There are many ways to develop a stronger and more unified team. Prioritize this element of your contact centre, and your business will grow stronger in a far more organic way.
When consumers are overwhelmed with choice, they are able to spend their money with the brands that provide them with the best value. This is now less about product cost and more about the loyalty and the positive customer experience that have with a brand. Develop your call centre strategy, and your most important consumer touchpoint will be far more valuable to you and will have a far more noticeable effect on your bottom line.