My other friend called the same person 15 minutes later. He explained our dilemma and asked what the possibilities were. He listened. He empathized with the difficulty of the request. He shared that we had stayed at the resort for 5 years in a row and really enjoyed it. He put himself in the customer service rep's shoes. He connected and made small talk. And guess what? We stored our bags at their offices and were all set for a great day of skiing.
It often seems as though the customer is at complete odds with the customer service rep. From a customer perspective, wouldn't it be great to better understand the world of the rep behind the scenes in order to know how to get more effective service?
Here are 7 tips from behind the barricades from our customer service experts that should help you as both a consumer and a service leader:
- Stay courteous. You may be legitimately angry but do not become abusive. The polite caller is more likely to get satisfaction with their complaint than the nasty, threatening caller. However, it is said that if you are "talking" to a computer, a raised voice might speed your call along to a real person and expedite a solution.
- Know that if you are a regular, long-term customer, you have an edge. Once your record is on view and the rep recognizes your valued customer status, you will be treated with more respect and are more likely to achieve the objective of your call.
Read All 7 Tips to Get and Provide Better Service
Learn more about Customer Loyalty
About LSA Global
Founded in 1995, LSA Global is a leading performance consulting and training firm that helps high growth technology, services, and life-science companies create a competitive advantage by powerfully aligning their culture and talent with their strategy. Learn more about getting aligned
If you lead a contact center, you know how difficult it is to consistently meet customer expectations while also satisfying internal success metrics.
The performance pressure is especially high when your customer service strategy includes generating new revenue in addition to providing great customer service and keeping costs low.
While most of our clients have already made some initial moves to incorporate sales into their contact center, the majority continue to struggle with the transition from service to sales and finding the right balance between serving and selling. Some customer experiences are so fraught with up- and cross-selling that it is difficult just to buy a sandwich without having a 5-minute conversation about chips, drinks, specials, etc.
Based upon decades of research and hands-on experience, we have identified the top 6 call center myths that impede success. Once you understand what they are, you can build a plan on how to overcome these myths in order to:
- Better and more consistently motivate call center reps to serve and sell in a way that works for your customers
- Recruit and interview top contact center talent that fits your unique culture
- Identify, develop and measure the critical few service and sales competencies that matter most
- Reward and recognize sales and service reps in alignment with your strategy and culture
- Use proven performance coaching to drive sales and service
Read the 6 Biggest Call Center Sales Myths Now
Learn How to Live Your Brand Promise through Service
About LSA Global
Founded in 1995, LSA Global is a leading performance consulting and training firm that helps high growth technology, services, and life-science companies create a competitive advantage by powerfully aligning their culture and talent with their strategy. Learn more about getting aligned
