Saying Thanks Isn't Enough
It's National Customer Service Week and companies everywhere are saying "thanks" to their contact center agents for all their hard work throughout the year. But based on the findings of a online recent survey conducted by Witness Systems in celebration of National Customer Service Week, thanks may not be enough. It seems that what's also needed is giving agents the tools, training, information, and authority to resolve issues during the first call and deliver a better customer experience.
First, the good news: Companies are taking the time to applaud their agents' contributions. Respondents to the Witness survey recognize their contact center by
42% - Having a party in the office
24% - Conducting an awards ceremony recognizing high achievers
14% - Providing gift certificates to a select group or all service representatives
6% - Providing special scheduling arrangements for a certain amount of time
14% - Other (invite other staff to listen to calls, themed events and activities)
Now, the "opportunities for improvement": Based on findings presented in the survey, companies need to better train and support their agents to acheive their service goals. Check out some of the key findings.
When it comes to improving customer service, what is your number one challenge?
37% - First call resolution
23% - Customer satisfaction and retention
11% - Root-cause analysis
9% - Creating effective training initiatives
8% - Agent satisfaction
6% - Improving up- and cross-selling rates
6% - Other (insufficient staffing, retaining good employees)
After listening to customer interactions, what were you surprised to hear?
35% - Inconsistencies in responses, voice tone, attitudes/poor service from agents
25% - Customers express gratitude for great experience/agents go above and beyond the call of duty
10% - Agents need more training on company products/services and communication skills
2% - Customers not familiar with products they purchased/call in multiple times asking repeat questions
3% - Customers are rude and/or they have unrealistic expectations as to the level of service they should
receive
3% - Problems weren’t solved the first time and caused the customer to call back multiple times
22% - Other (easier to upsell after problem was solved, better agents are low performers)
Perhaps some of these issues might be taken more seriously if upper management checked in on their contact center operations more frequently, or if information was better shared across departmental silos. When asked if members of their senior management team listen to/review customer interactions, respondents replied:
28% - Regularly
49% - Occasionally
17% - Do not listen
6% - Don’t know
And when asked whether they share customer interactions with other departments in your organization, respondents said:
38% - Training
17% - Sales and marketing
9% - IT
6% - Human resources
9% - Executive
5% - Engineering and product management
9% - No
7% - Other
Perhaps it's time for a change in the contact center. Perhaps it's time to add to the service celebration with the gift of training, information, and empowerment. What's your view?
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