8 Training Tips to Improve Your Customer Service

Every business today needs to stand by their customer service and the actions of their frontline staff. Getting this right however is about more than polite telephone manner, but is about creating a company-wide culture that emphasises the importance of building trusting and loyal relationships with customers.

Delivering outstanding customer service means creating memorable and extraordinary experiences for customers. It goes beyond having a friendly telephone call – customer service should be woven into your entire business and emphasized with every employee. There are two fundamental factors in achieving this, first is selecting the right employees and second is training them so that they possess the skills and expertise to leave customers happy after every interaction.

Training that encompasses skills provision, role play and post programme support can be highly beneficial to employees, enabling them to transfer what they have learnt in a meaningful and effective way. Training programmes such an NVQ qualification for employees are a huge benefit for employees and the company. The NVQ confirms a person’s competence in a certain field and therefore demonstrates confidence and self-assurance in performing crucial work, increasing their value as an employee and improving their career opportunities. Find out more about NVQs here.

But if you are going to achieve a first class customer service culture, what can you do in terms of training and development?

1. Recruit the right candidates – Recruitment is about finding people with the attributes that cannot be taught; motivation, attitude and personality. The right people make training much easier.

2. Educate new starters quickly – Every new employee should understand the service objectives and culture from the outset, helping them to appreciate and work towards the wider company goals.

3. Create internal training procedures – Your existing employees are a valuable training asset and can share their experiences and skills with the entire workforce. Subsequently, regular internal workshops and the structure in place for employees to put into practice what they have learnt should be encouraged.

4. Do not script – With wholesale recruitment (sometimes present in contact centres) it can be tempting to give new employees a script to handle customer interactions. This does little to enhance customer service and rarely motivates staff. Training instead gives them the freedom to be human and create positive interactions, whilst following guiding principles. (Read more about scripting - Frontline Service Employees Building Rapport – To script or not to script?).

5. Effective monitoring – Just because your employees have completed induction training does not mean their development journey has ended. You should be taking the time to interview them, monitoring their progress with the initial training and finding out what their next steps might be.

6. Giving Best Practices – By ensuring your employees understand the best practices of their job role you are setting the standard. This is particularly important in a data input situation where data entered incorrectly can be disastrous to effective usage and insight.

7. Don’t forget the management – Your customer service culture must permeate every facet of your business. The management may be busy but if they choose not to undertake the training, they are limiting their effectiveness in a management role and are also setting a poor example to rest of the workforce.

8. Train staff as they are promoted – When contact personnel are promoted to team leaders and then managers it is important to understand that each job role requires a different skill set. As a result it should be procedure that anyone who is promoted is trained effectively for their new role.

Development and training, taken seriously, is evidence that you care for your employees and their future. People care to the extent that they are cared for and have a yearning to grow, to develop, to understand and be all that they can be.  If you develop your carefully selected candidates properly, their desire for career development becomes evident. Do this at every stage of their professional career and you are one step closer to creating a customer service culture that is understood at every level at the business and by every employee – leading to outstanding customer experiences.

Getting the Most from Loyalty Scheme Data

As the economic climate drives customers to hunt better and better deals, loyalty schemes have become an increasingly popular way to gain discounts and special offers. But while loyalty card schemes offer a wealth of data about customers, using this data to its greatest potential remains a challenge for many companies, as does building true loyalty and brand commitment.

 These challenges have been highlighted in recent research pieces. A Forrester report found that 40% of chief marketing officers are disappointed with the “erratic” performance of their brand loyalty schemes. Similarly, a report conducted by The Logic Group and Ipsos MORI argued that while over two thirds (68%) of consumers are members of supermarket loyalty schemes, less than half (47%) actually feel loyal to their supermarket.

Successful Loyalty Schemes

That is not to say that loyalty schemes are wholly unsuccessful, many companies aspire to replicate the two most dominant schemes today; Tesco’s Clubcard and the Nectar points system. These stand out not only because of their size and reach but because they have permanently influenced the way customers behave and built long standing brand/customer relationships. Achieving a scheme as popular as either of these is unrealistic for most businesses, but through intelligent use of data, it is possible to run a loyalty scheme that drives significant revenue and profits.

What should a loyalty scheme do?

Ultimately a loyalty scheme must offer strong financial rewards and a clear value exchange for the customer. It must also differentiate itself from the myriad schemes out there and ideally provide customers with targeted offers relevant to their behaviour and interests. Naturally the ways you manage your data are key to achieving this.

Research from LinkShare states that 41% of customers have purchased something online that they would never have bought directly because of a voucher or special offer, showing the value of communicating the right deal, at the right time. Such results can be accomplished through effective data management, which can also help to improve customer retention, increase customer engagement and brand commitment through relevant communication. (Read more about The Value of Data Management).

What it shouldn’t do?

Loyalty schemes are not an excuse to bombard customers with offers and are not an extension of your mailing database. Customers join schemes because they want to be rewarded for their purchases and repeat custom, not because they are interested in every sale or offer you are running. As such, a different approach to communication is required, motivating loyal customers to purchase more regularly by clearly stating the rewards they can expect as they collects points, interspersed with offers directly relevant to their data profile.

 

Intelligently using loyalty data

A loyalty scheme has the potential to gain detailed information about your customers and can help you to engage, build trust and loyalty. This is only possible however through effective data management and responsible, intelligent use of data.

In order to get the best out of your loyalty scheme it is important to make sure your data is kept up-to-date and relevant, as this can help gain your company valuable customer insight. Insight that is crucial for understanding which customers to target, when to target them, what rewards are relevant, as well as their behaviour patterns and interests. Do this effectively and you will see an increase of customer loyalty through building a successful loyalty scheme.

If you are interested in the role data has to play in understanding your customers, why not take a look at our Why Data Management is Vital to Customer Insight blog?

How Volunteer Games Makers Revealed the True Meaning of Customer Service

Amidst the accolades being given to the athletes at the recent Olympics it is fair to say that the volunteer Games Makers deserve just as much recognition. Before the Games started many people did not realise how pivotal these volunteers would be to the overall success of the event. But with their enthusiasm, commitment and outstanding service they not only pulled off what has been considered a major accomplishment for the nation, but gave visitors and competitors alike a world class customer experience.

Lessons can certainly be gained from the success of the Games Makers. Just as the athletes trained to ensure peak performance, the volunteers underwent training and development programmes. These programmes gave them the tools of communication, empathy and problem solving so key to achieving great customer service.

But while the technical abilities of the volunteers to solve customer issues were demonstrably important, the culture of enthusiasm and motivation created by the organisers also played a vital role. This culture was at the heart of everything the volunteers did, and it clearly shone through in their dealings with members of the public.

So what lessons can be learned for businesses?

If the volunteer Games Maker programme has taught us anything it is that making people feel part of something special is crucial in achieving a first class service culture. When staff have a sense of pride and are enthusiastic about their role, it will be evident during their engagements with customer, leading to fantastic service.

It also shows us that putting customers at the heart of everything and radiating a positive attitude around the working environment are both fundamental in motivating employees and injecting enthusiasm into the way they deliver customer services and go that extra mile. Such a customer centric approach transcends industries, sectors, products and services; it is relevant for all businesses.

The Games Makers were aptly named; for many they made the Games. They showed the rest of the world that Great Britain can deliver a first class customer service culture and that we have the people, skills and motivation to do it. The next step is for businesses to take up the torch, set up effective training programmes and create company cultures that put customers at the core of every activity, motivating staff to provide outstanding customer service in every interaction.

Outsourcing the 80/20 Rule

Without doubt, sales and marketing in a business to business (B2B) environment has its own distinct set of challenges, especially when dealing with commodity goods and complex distribution models.

In our experience, more traditional models of marketing and sales processes persist. Typically businesses operate in-house marketing departments whose primary function is to stimulate the market and generate interest (email, DM, catalogues) and field sales teams whose job it is to convert the interest into sales.

In theory, this principal works well if properly conceived and managed, however issues can arise both in terms of resource, managing costs and return on investment. And in more than any other marketplace, the classic 80/20 rule is evident...

80% of effort goes into the 20% of accounts which generate 80% of the sales.

But what about the remaining 80% of accounts generating 20% of the sales?  

Key accounts receive the regular, proactive contact from field sales personnel but lower value accounts are often only serviced on a reactive basis. This can lead to a number of challenges:

• Little customer development or product cross sell
• Missed opportunities to upgrade customers to key account status
• Lower value accounts often complain of “only being contacted when there’s something to be sold”
• The perception of the brand in lower value accounts doesn’t match that of key accounts

So what’s the answer?

First and foremost it’s a question of identifying the development opportunity in smaller (or tier 2 for want of a better phrase) accounts. This can be done by performing analysis on the make-up and profile of the overall customer base, identifying those tier 2 accounts and the products they purchase, their frequency and the revenue generated.

Once the opportunity has been analysed , a communication strategy can be put in place, preferably one which integrates both the marketing and sales functions. It’s at this point that we always advocate the use of Relevance Marketing – relevance of channel, relevance of message and relevance of timing. If you can say the right thing via the right channel at the right time you will significantly increase your chances of successful conversion and make your sales team’s job much easier.

This leads me on to channel. The current or potential value of tier 2 accounts can mean it’s not cost effective to perform regular field sales visits. Indeed an existing client of ours has calculated that it costs somewhere in the region of £150 per successful field sales visit. Telephone based account management however is much more cost effective. For the same cost of a field sales visit, approximately 60 phone calls can be made in a working day of which you could reasonably expect 60% to be constructive conversations with decision makers. This is of course only true in an internal account management scenario where the businesses being called are already customers.

In-House or Outsourced?

Many businesses already operate telephone based account management models supported by structured marketing activity. With the right facilities and structure, it can be preferable to manage this function in-house however this can prove to be costly and problematic when factors such as recruitment, training, retention and contact centre infrastructure are taken into consideration. This is where an outsourced model can be attractive.

It is important though to choose the right partner when outsourcing something as important as your customer communications but what are the key points to look for? I’ve previously written a series of blogs on these topics which cover the following:

Choosing a Contact Centre Outsourcer

Outsourcing Contact Centres – A Path to Reduced Costs?

What are the factors behind a good client/agency relationship?

Whatever the primary reasons for seeking an outsourced partner in the first place, for me the most important are finding a partner who takes the time to really understand your business and products and one who can demonstrate a measurable return on investment.

Specialist business process outsourcing companies (such as ours) will have mechanisms and metrics in place to ensure that the results of the campaigns are measured and that continuous improvement is sought. What sets exceptional BPO providers apart from run of the mill ones is the investment they make, not only in the early stages but on an ongoing basis in really understanding your culture, proposition and the results you’re looking for. This way they can truly become an extension of your own business and a valuable addition to your sales and marketing function. 

7 Reasons to Integrate Your Marketing and Customer Service Teams

Consumers have always had opinions on the products and services they buy (and the service they receive), but the growth of social media has made voicing these opinions easy to do and therefore more visible than ever.  As a direct result, how your customer services handle these opinions is now in the spotlight. As marketing operates in the same channels, bad customer experiences can have a seriously detrimental effect on your marketing activities. The result is that marketing and customer services can no longer operate in isolation and here are 7 reasons why collaboration between the two departments is essential.

1. Improving Customer Service on Social MediaYour social media manager is unlikely to be the most qualified person to handle customer service on social media channels. To improve effectiveness, bringing members of your customer service team into the equation means they can deploy their expertise and participate in the handling of enquiries or complaints.
2. Creating Engaging ContentYour customer service team understand the needs, wants and problems of your customers. As such they are a source of valuable and engaging content. Using their experience in the creation of content benefits your marketers’ efforts with information that contains true insight.
3. Understanding Purchasing BehaviourThe basis of effective marketing campaigns is understanding your customers. As the personnel on the front line, your customer service team is likely to be the most valuable resource at your disposal in discovering the triggers and reasons that drive your customers purchasing decisions.
4. Managing Customer Expectations The offers made during marketing campaigns unfortunately may not always deliver what they promise. In such instances the customer service team are ideally placed to help marketers understand which elements were misleading and how campaigns can be improved in the future.
5. Unifying Your Messaging and GoalsFor many customers the first port of call with a question about a campaign goes through the customer service team. As a result it is imperative that the team know which marketing activities are being carried out, so they are adequately equipped to handle any issues or questions. Briefing sessions or documents are a painless way to implement this unified approach.
6. Identifying and Promoting Customer SuccessesCustomer services don’t just handle negativity and equally, positive experiences feature. Having your customer service team pass these positive customer experiences onto marketing is a fantastic source of marketing collateral. The feedback can be used in case studies and testimonials for PR or customer-centric marketing campaigns.
7. Realising the True Worth of Your OfferingMarketers base much of their work on the supposed benefits of a product or service. But these benefits, often developed internally may not actually align with the real world advantages of your offering which can be sourced from customer services, helping to make marketing more effective.

The increasingly joined up world in which marketing, sales and customer services operate has made these departments indivisible. Inter-departmental communication, combined with collaboratively developing strategies and plans is the best way to achieve successful campaigns that are perfectly aligned with the needs of your customers and the objectives of your business.

12 Top Tips for Contact Centre Management

Last year we saw many people take to mobile smart phones and social networking sites to communicate with brands, clearly marking an evolution in customer engagement. According to a recent Econsultancy report on the 30th November 2011 however, the customer contact centre remains at the forefront of customer experience and can often be the only ‘human’ interaction a customer has with a brand.

This is quite possibly the reason why so many still prefer a phone call to a tweet or a Facebook message, so the demand for exceptional customer service is as relevant today as it always has been.

Despite this, contact centres are not always received well by customers. Understandable when the myriad reports surrounding contact centre performance, especially abroad are considered. Whilst some practitioners are certainly getting it wrong though, there are many that are providing exceptional customer service.  

So how can a contact centre make sure that they are exceeding their clients’ and customers’ expectations?  The following 12 tips are key to running an efficient contact centre that drives revenues, maintains service levels and increases the customer base.

•       Quick response – Having a team of agents trained to react quickly to incoming calls and outbound calls is vital. Ultimately, all calls should be answered at all times.  
•       Eliminating repeat calls – Focusing on eliminating repeat calls to save time and ensuring enough staff are covering the lines is something which should embedded in the running of every contact centre.
•        Accurate data capture – This is a crucial element to contact centre management and helps achieve greater customer insight. Bespoke data management systems can be adopted to make sure that the correct data is captured accurately and consistently.
  
•      Become an expert– In-depth information about the client’s products and services should be learnt by the agents and management. The more knowledge an agent has, the more professional they will be in their dealings with customers. 
•      Do not script – Building rapport with a customer is a vital constituent of customer service and sounding robotic through the use of a script is unhelpful. Empowering customer service agents is something that should always be the main focus.  Why not read this blog to see why scripting should be avoided? 
•      Treat customers fairly – Putting customers at the heart of each and every operation, whilst treating them fairly and ensuring that agents are able to work around their needs are the foundations of excellent customer service management 
•      Follow up – Exceeding customer expectations by making a brief phone call to customers, even after an enquiry or query has been resolved, shows the customer that the business has taken their problem on board and is seeking to avoid similar situations in the future. 
•      Take ownership of the problem – There is nothing worse than being passed from pillar to post when you are trying to solve a problem. This is why it is so important for customer service agents to stop the cycle and take ownership of the problem themselves, subsequently limiting the damage to the company’s reputation. 
•      Communicate the overall goal – Making sure that the overall message and objectives are clearly defined and measured by management is imperative. Creating guidelines and goals for staff to work towards are both key in fostering a company culture of achieving and exceeding targets. 
•      Real-time statistics – Team leaders and supervisors should have the insight into their individual and departmental statistics in real-time, as it has an immediate impact on behaviour and performance. 
•      Managing peak time calls –Being fully prepared for the busy periods of calls and ensuring that right staffing levels are utilised will improve overall performance. To achieve this it is vital to forecast future staffing requirements and to implement a flexible shift model which adapts to call volumes, as these can vary day to day causing overstaffing /understaffing. 
•      Call-handling staff performance – Key performance statistics/ indicators (KPIs) should be applied as this will help keep track of staff performance and can indicate the quality of service delivered by individuals. KPIs could include the number of answered calls per person and average call duration. 

These 12 tips can form the basis for an effective and successful contact centre that has the capability to deliver exceptional levels of customer service and ensures that enquiries are dealt with professionally, rapidly and positively.

 

Why Keeping Your Data Safe is Key to Customer Confidence

In modern business capturing data, in whatever form, is a common activity in companies large or small, in retail or hospitality, B2B or heavy industry. But whilst everyone understands and appreciates the role that captured data plays, not everyone takes data security as seriously. 

Whenever someone fills out a form and gives their data there is an expectation that it will be kept secure and used discretely, working to improve the information and service they receive. The truth is that this is not always the case. In the recent Adestra Email Marketing Industry Census 2012 it was stated that of client side companies, only 56% have policies in place to guard against data breaches, and worse still, just 47% of supply-side companies have data security processes in place. 

The report further evidenced the problem by stating that around a quarter of agencies failed to know what data security policies were in place and amazingly, some didn’t even know if policies existed in their company. The statistics reveal that in some sectors there is an utter lack of awareness of the issues surrounding data security and that many operators are woefully underprepared to respond to and proactively protect against security breaches. 

It is not simply inadequacies in preparation and negligence of the issues however. A recent article in the Sunday Times and Marketing Week highlighted the malicious misuse of data and the burgeoning black market surrounding the personal details of UK residents in Indian contact centres. This illegal sale of data is according to one police source; “out of control” although fear of negative publicity has led to many cases being covered up.  

The illegal sale of data in Indian contact centres is currently being investigated by the ICO, providing yet more impetus for UK companies to keep their contact centre operations onshore and appear more committed to protecting their customers’ data.  At EWA it has been one of our objectives for some time to make sure that we make sure we promote and protect our clients and their reputations through pursuing robust data security measures.  

To do this it’s critical that we keep client information secure. If we fail, then we compromise our clients’ integrity and their customers’ rights and even safety. If you are looking for a contact centre or outsourced contact solutions then from a security point of view, ISO27001 Accreditation should be seen as a priority in your selection process.

So how do you keep data secure?

We protect against internal threats by having a clearly defined barrier between contact centre agents and the data centres where raw data is stored. This prevents a member of staff from manipulating or downloading data directly and is achieved by not storing data locally, and insisting that remote servers are used to view data. This ensures that the employee can see the data, but will never have access to all of the customer’s details. 

We protect against external threats such as third party hackers by ensuring all access points into the IT infrastructure, whether they are agency of client side are secure. This security is ensured by installing multiple layers of firewalls and implementing infrastructures which can be segmented to enforce traffic segregation, eliminating data traffic misrouting. 

Dealing with threats is one thing; protection from the technology itself is another. With huge amounts of personal data being stored it is vital that contact centres have the ability to not only store data securely but also to return intact data on request. This requires the contact centres to not only be experts in customer contact, but also experts in the archival and retrieval of data. 

Having these security measures is vital for any agency that holds customer data, it is equally important however that there are tools, processes and procedures present that will monitor and test the ongoing performance of such security measures.  Only through this continued vigilance over the data being passed from the database to the right client or agent is it possible to instil confidence in customers that their data is being actively protected from risk.