Avoiding Customer Service Cliches and False Promises
There are certain cliches that have become so ingrained in the fabric of customer service agents that they appear to have lost all meaning. At this point, if a customer hears a someone use one of these phrases, they may immediately tune out or stop trusting that organization. It is also important to note that it is the intent behind these cliches that is important, not the actual phrasing. If you’re relying on tactics like this to provide good customer service, be aware that it may be time to adjust your policies and to start dealing with your customers in a more forthright manner.
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The Phone Transfer Cliche
Being told that you’re about to be transferred to someone who can better assist you is a huge red flag for anyone that has ever been stuck on a customer service call for long periods of time. There is nothing more frustrating than explaining your situation, providing your account information, and then being told that you’re being transferred to the correct department (sometimes several times), where you will inevitably have to jump through all the same hoops again. Empower your agents to be able to address customer concerns at a single contact point, and use record keeping software that ensures that if you absolutely have to transfer someone, that all information can be shared electronically to prevent customers from having to answer the same questions more than once. The most modern answering service providers realized a long time ago that agents should be able to handle a laundry list of customer needs, and when you work with a company like Signius, you’ll find customers needs are met with their first point of contact.
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The “We’re Busier than Expected” Cliche
This happens when sitting in restaurants, waiting in a phone queue, or trying to get service in a brick-and-mortar store. Someone apologizes to you and explains that the company isn’t used to this much traffic and that the wait is going to be longer than normal while they attempt to eventually get to you. What this actually says to the customer is that saving a few dollars by under-staffing the company is more valuable than the customers time, and that is absolutely not a message you want to send. Cutting down customer wait time should always be a top priority.
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The “I Will Inform Management” Cliche
In the majority of cases this one should be avoided by your customer service team at all costs. When a customer is extremely upset about something, a standard fallback by many poor customer service teams is to assure them that their complaints will be passed along to the powers that be. What this really says though, is that nothing is going to be done to help improve the customers experience. At this point, most people are savvy enough to realize that this type of promise is an empty platitude, and that’s not how you want to treat your customers. If there is really nothing that a customer service agent can do for a customer, they should instead schedule a follow up appointment with that customer so they can seek guidance from someone on else on how to improve the customer experience.
Signius can help you avoid the many pitfalls of false promises and typical cliches. Call 1-800-295-7000 and learn more about our customer service answering service solutions.
