You might think that coming up with the perfect product and offering it at reasonable prices may be enough. But the reality is that you have to improve one other aspect of your business as well. Customer service is one area of your business that can truly make or break your brand.That is why all customer service representatives must go through strict training and teaching before they are made responsible for handling live call Also, their performance must be assessed and measured by call center metrics and KPIs.
Sadly, not all businesses understand the significance of good customer service and end up shutting down for good. Today, we would like to inform you about some of the worst possible customer service traits imaginable. Go through them and figure out whether you are making these mistakes or are completely safe from them.
Using Technical Jargon
Customer service representatives may be used to using certain jargon in the company environment. However, using the same jargon in front of the customer can be severely counterproductive. Customers do not need to be aware of all the technical terminologies that are used in the company.
Instead, using words and sentences that make them understand the matter easily must be considered all the time. Carrying on with official terminologies can initially frustrate the customer. And inthe worst-case scenario,the customer may give up on the brand completely.
Not Empathizing with the Customer
No customer ever calls up a customer service department to express their happiness and gratitude. It is only when they are faced with inconvenience by the product that they finally decide to Inbound call center the customer service department of the brand.
At this moment, if the CSR (customer service representative) attending the call is not empathetic of the customer’s problem, it will only make matters worse for both the company and the customer. If the CSR instantly starts to offer excuses or starts blabbing out irritating scripted dialogues rather than apologizing for the inconvenience, the customer is bound to get more agitated.
It is the CSR’s primary duty to apologize for any and all inconvenience and offer rectification methods that are suitable to the customer’s comfort level.
Customer Service Representative Lacking Crucial Knowledge
A customer service representative is at the forefront of client handling. They are the ones dealing with any and all customer queries, whether they are about product/service information, subscription, or issues faced by the customer.
Now, if and when a customer calls up the customer service department about a certain query and the CSR handling the call lacks knowledge of the subject, it can be catastrophic. A CSR must possess at least all the basic knowledge of the matter at hand. Simply telling the customer that they are unaware of the subject or transferring their call is unforgivable.
That is why all customer service representatives must go through strict training and teaching before they are made responsible for handling live calls. And for that, you will need to rely on reliable internet services such as Rise Broadband. And if such internet service providers are not in your region, then simply search for the best “fiber internet near me” on Google, and you will find several dependable options.
Putting Customers on Long Holds
When a customer calls up the customer service department, they are often already irritated. Then if the CSR makes the horrendous mistake of putting them on long holds, the customer is only going to get further infuriated.
We understand that the customer service department might be facing long queues of customers in need but simply putting all of them on long holds won’t solve a thing. Instead, a CSR must make sure to first attempt to resolve the matter at the earliest, and if putting the customer on hold is necessary, regularly notifying them of the status is unavoidable.
In some cases, you might even want to consider the possibility of a callback. That is, if a matter is taking too much time to be resolved. You could ask if the customer would like to be called back with a solution at a time of their choice.
Transferring Customer Calls Again and Again
Transferring customer calls is yet another destructive tactic for the business. Firstly, it shows that your customer service team does not know anything about the business you are running. And second, even if they do know what they are doing, they are too incompetent to keep up with the pace.
One solution for this problem could be to train certain personnel for specific problems. For instance, if the concern is technical in nature, there should be a dedicated team of customer service individuals who specialize in that field.
Using Offensive Language
This is probably the worst trait that CSR could have. No matter how irritating a customer might seem, you have to understand the reason behind their frustration. They are facing issues with your product and that is the only reason they might be sounding irrational.
And if such frustrated customers are greeted by short-tempered CSRs, it would be like adding fuel to the fire. A customer service agent must be trained to diffuse a situation while staying calm at all times. We are not saying that they have to face abusive language and insults. But fighting back with insults and abuse of their own is not an option.
Instead, the CSR could initially tackle the situation professionally. And if the customer is not responding to the bedside manner of a CSR, they could notify their supervisors or even terminate the calls after notifying the customer verbally, provided that a supervisor has authorized them to do so.
Asking for the Same Information All Over Again
The company has already acquired all the necessary information of the customer at the time of their first transaction. Now when a customer calls the customer service department, asking them all the questions again, like their date of subscription, frequency of the problem, and so on, can be quite irritating. Simply asking for the customer ID should be sufficient. From there, the CSR should have access to the entire history of the customer’s interaction with the business.
Hanging Up on a Customer
Probably the worst thing a customer representative could do is hang up on a customer call. A customer is there to seek resolution for the issues they are facing. In such a scenario, they might often be in an ill mood. Hanging up on them simply because they are not calming doing is only going to make matters worse.
Instead, it is the customer service representative’s responsibility to tactfully deal with the customer’s anger and make efforts to first calm down the customer using a polite tone, and then move on to solve their problem instantly. Hanging up on them is only going to show that the company is not capable of managing the business efficiently.
On a Final Note
We understand that dealing with unhappy customers can be a handful sometimes. But that does not give customer service agents the freedom to take the customers for granted. They are the reason for the brand thriving. With a little effort from the customer service team, a company can reach unimaginable heights of success.
