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Best Practices for Customer Service Calls

by Elaine Berke, EBI Consulting, Inc.

From: Best Practices in Customer Service Newsletter

Customer satisfaction is the ultimate driver of business success. It is the critical success factor for marketplace leadership. Yet managers in customer service, support, and call center environments often describe their jobs in terms of serving two masters, quality and quantity.

“Remember the clowns at the circus who balanced themselves on a constantly moving board placed on top of a rolling ball,” said one Vice President of a financial services call center, “that’s how I view my role in balancing quality service with quantity and efficient output.” Managers may want to focus on quality service and emphasize the need to build customer loyalty through memorable service experiences, but the fact is they are measured on a variety of operations, process, and production statistics.

If you think of customer service as a continuum with quality on one end and quantity on the other, some companies clearly focus on or gravitate to one end or the other. There are companies where quality service is the most important master and a clear strategic focus for the business.

In these companies, managers have the training, resources, staffing, and support to provide customers with the total value and service they deserve. Customer service reps succeed in companies like these by understanding the strategic goals and the big picture. They are encouraged and trained to take the time with each customer to listen effectively, understand the customer’s needs, and provide a helpful and knowledgeable response. Managers in these companies serve one master, while keeping a watchful eye on all measures of efficient operations. Companies who focus on service are often distinguished as leaders and written about as models of excellence.

At the other end of the continuum are companies who focus on process. They are driven by volume and quantity. Their service level may fall within an acceptable, minimum range of quality, but it is not memorable or personalized. In these instances, the customer’s experience is more likely to be perceived as a transaction rather than an interaction. The customer may be left feeling like a number, rather than a person. Customer service reps are successful by following tightly controlled scripts and procedures, taking a high volume of calls, and completing the calls within the specified number of minutes. These environments can be plagued by high turnover, burn-out, low motivation, and poor quality leadership. Service reps may lack the training, knowledge, and skills to provide customers with the quality they deserve.

In most companies, the mandate from the top is to serve both masters, focus on quality but keep volume high and costs low. The following five tips can help you maintain the right balance.

1. Communicate the need to serve both masters.
Reps need to understand that customer satisfaction is a competitive advantage and there is real danger in providing only an acceptable level of service. Give appropriate time for discussion of both quality and quantity in your training and coaching sessions with reps. Some reps will be able to achieve both goals, while others will feel more comfortable with one or the other whichever comes naturally. Review your performance measurement systems to be sure you are giving appropriate weight to quality and quantity.

2. Respond to the question, “Which is it?”
Reps want to know “What should I pay the most attention to? What do I need to do to be successful?” These questions provide great opportunities to talk about customer demands and competitiveness issues. There is usually no one right answer. Managers need to help reps see both sides and use good judgement. For example, in times of peak volume and decreased staffing, it may be necessary to focus on quantity but continue to use a tone of voice and language that sounds helpful and friendly to the customer. Give reps some control over choices they can make on calls especially in resolving problems and complaints, how to use scripts as guidelines, how to know when to escalate, how to recognize the needs of different types of customers and respond accordingly.

3. Avoid Stepford service. Next....Next....
One sure way to turn off a customer is to sound like a robot, speak in a dull, flat tone, or use overworked phrases, like “have a nice day.” Make sure the rep sounds like a real person. Create a feeling climate by considering tone of voice and word choice. Too many calls sound like this: “Account number - zip code - that will be shipped in three days - anything else?” By adding a friendly greeting, name, and thank you, the response is somewhat improved. Stepford service turns into disaster when used in problem solving. Customers with problems are emotional and need real people. Let reps evaluate themselves, especially their tone and language, by listening to their own recorded calls and finding ways to sound alive, personable and attentive.

4. “Do unto your employees as you would have them do unto your customers.”
Putting the customer first can create problems if you put employees last. Your people are your greatest resource. It is essential to create an upbeat climate and listen to your employees as is they were customers. People respond well to quality leadership. Managers need to invest in employees’ personal success as well as their professional success. Sometimes all it takes to achieve higher performance is to build self-esteem, validate and support the personal and professional issues that are part of everyone’s daily lives.

5. It’s about mutual respect.
The following words, our Communications Countdown, will help you build trust, appreciation, and a more human workplace.

Elaine Berke is the president and founder of EBI Consulting, Inc. a management consulting and training firm in Westport, MA. EBI develops customized solutions to help clients achieve marketplace leadership and create customer loyalty. Since 1981, EBI has worked with over 300 clients from Fortune 1000 to rapid growth companies. Over 30,000 people have attended EBI workshops. Elaine can be reached at (508) 636-5656, fax at (508) 636-4171, e-mail at eberke@ebiconsult.com, or visit www.ebiconsult.com.

EBI Consulting, Inc.
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T: 508-636-5656
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