We’ve all experienced the frustration of calling a call centre to fix an issue, only to get stuck in a queue, get put on hold, and finally speak to an advisor who doesn’t want to listen and does not understand your problem. Contacting call centres can be exasperating and if the customer experiences any of these problems, they may move their business away from you to a competitor. Take heed of our top tips on how to avoid these issues and provide your customer with the best level of service possible.

Empathy is important

Irate and upset customers are never easy for an advisor to deal with, but a little bit of understanding as to why the customer feels that way goes a long way. Usually, the customer is angry at the business or a particular service that has failed to deliver, not the person on the phone, so an understanding manner and gentle questioning is needed to get to the bottom of the issue and leave the customer satisfied.

Waiting times

Customers can feel frustrated waiting a long time to get through when they need their issue resolving quickly. If long wait times do occur, an apology is sometimes all it takes to get back on an even footing with the customer. You can prevent waiting times by outsourcing your contact centre to a business like Frontline who will answer your calls quickly and efficiently. Another tip is to refund the customer's call costs if they are waiting a while, helping you show how much your business values their time.

Use positive language

Getting your advisors to avoid using words like 'no' and 'can't' can make all the difference to the way a call progresses with a distressed caller. By using positive language and repeating back to the customer what was said to confirm they were heard and understood can show the customer the advisor does want to help.

Don’t take any chances of losing your customer’s business by using expert outsourced customer service. Frontline offer a telephone answering service using highly skilled advisors who will keep your customers coming back to you again and again. We offer services in many areas including first line IT support, funeral call handling, property management calls and frontline retail service.