First Impressions: The Backbone of Customer Service
It’s far more than cliche. Study after study has proven that the first impression is a lasting one, and this is as true for customer service as it is for interpersonal relationships. When it comes time to choose your call center service, it’s critical to select one with excellent people, because those people will become the first impression many customers get of your company. If the experience isn’t positive, it could be the last. Here is how a first impression can impact your customer service.
Customers Determine if They Think You’re Knowledgeable
Customer service today is about building relationships. There are several things customers are looking for in a relationship with the companies they do business with: knowledge, helpfulness, and trustworthiness. The first of these is knowledge: do your customer service reps know their stuff? It’s okay if the first level of support doesn’t have all of the answers all of the time, but it is important that they know where to get those answers quickly.
When choosing a service to handle your calls, be sure that adequate training is provided so that they can handle your callers with know-how and a can-do attitude. This is a two-part process: you have to select a service that provides thorough training, and you have to pass on the necessary information to your service so that they can arm their answerers with the right information to pass to customers.
Customers Determine if They Think You’re Willing to Help Them
The second most important thing is a willingness to help. It doesn’t matter how much information your call center company has if they’re not willing to use it to assist your callers. Attitude is an important factor. Select a service that has an attitude of customer service, and this will flow naturally into their work with your customers. Customers are often willing to overlook one thing they can’t get if the company is willing to make other concessions. For example, if it’s not possible to give them X, Y, and Z with their order, perhaps it is possible to give them a discount instead.
Customers Determine if They Think You’re Trustworthy
Customers who don’t feel they can trust your company aren’t likely to stick around. Did they feel misled by your advertising campaign? Were the claims on the packaging ambiguous? When customers hang up the phone, they need to feel that they’ve been heard, understood and, most of all, that the company is happy to make things right. While a friendly call answerer might make a good impression, if what the customer was promised differs from what they were delivered, they won’t be happy about it. Make sure that your customer service, as well as other departments, are making good on the promises they make to your customers.
As with any relationship, once a solid foundation of knowledge, helpfulness, and trust is established, it can more easily withstand bumps down the road. Once you’ve made these solid first impressions, the customer is more likely to stick with you when things don’t go 100 percent their way all of the time.
Looking for a call answering service that will make great first impressions on your new customers? Signius is your answer — literally! With a staff full of helpful folks, located conveniently across U.S. time zones, you can always find the level of service you need at a price that fits in the budget. Call Signius at 800-295-7000 today.
