Call Centers can Help You Create Loyal Customers
In today’s world, just about everything gets studied. Whether through scientific journals, universities, or privately-owned companies, chances are you can find some research about any subject. Call centers are no exception. Plenty of research has been done to prove the usefulness of call centers and provide statistics to improve operations, create loyal customers, and show what areas of the business need more attention. Below are some interesting factoids that everyone should know about call centers, whether you work in one or with one.
Loyal customers are always worth more.
According to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, a loyal customer is worth up to 10 times as much as their first purchase. Loyal customers are great for a business. After all, it should be the goal to keep customers coming back for more. Through proper upsell and cross-sell techniques, along with helpful technology such as CRM and cloud call center software, a person can easily be more than just a one-time sale. The call center needs to provide the level of attentiveness and personalization required.
Customers will terminate a conversation mid-sale if they receive poor service.
A study conducted by American Express found that 78% of customers ended a transaction before it was complete or did not make an intended purchase because they experienced poor service. Just because a customer says they want to make a purchase doesn’t mean the sale is in the bag. How call center representatives treat people over the phone is critical to the day-to-day operations and can have a lasting impact on a bottom line.
A majority of companies provide effective tools and training to their representatives.
Thanks to a study by Peppers and Rogers Group, we know that 65% of companies that own or employ a call center provide their representatives with the proper tools and training to gain trust with their customers. With technology such as call monitoring, reporting, and tracking, there is an abundance of call center software tools to assist with the training of employees. Call recording, for example, provides new hires a chance to listen to customer interactions with seasoned representatives to identify proven strategies and best practices. A company that is willing to provide these types of technologies is a company invested in quality service.
Representative knowledge is best for customer relationships
Harris Interactive reached out to several customers regarding their experiences on the phone with a call center and revealed that customer service agents failed to answer questions 50% of the time. Given that the representative is meant to be an extension of the business and should know all about the offered products and services, this statistic does not bode well for customer relations. The ability for representatives to achieve first-call resolution is essential in keeping happy, loyal customers.
Americans tell more people about bad experiences than good ones.
American Express revealed another important factor during their research. The company determined that Americans tell an average of only nine people about good experiences but 16 people about poor experiences when it comes to talking about customer service. We’ve repeatedly mentioned the importance of meaningful relationships with customers, and if representatives aren’t trained properly, their negative calls can result in more than just one unhappy customer.
Information is always crucial. The more actionable information a business has, the better it can operate. There is plenty of information readily available for call centers. It would be helpful to read up on some of it if your business wishes to have happy, loyal customers.
