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Why do Customer Relationships Rest on the Phone in a Call Center?

Customer Relationships Rest on the Phone in a Call Center

In an increasingly consumeristic world, what drives businesses is the influence they create with their products and services. 

By striking the right chord, companies aim to build rapport with customers, as customer experience becomes the biggest differentiator.

Much rests on driving customer satisfaction today, a fact underlined by growing attention to the function in the boardrooms too.

A  survey by Deloitte found that 85% of investments into contact centers are primarily to foster better customer experiences.

The most important link to building rapport with clients is the customer service agent. As the voice of the company, they represent an organization’s ethos and commitment to service levels.

On average, an agent spends nearly 4 minutes on each call and the call wrap-up time hovers around 6 minutes, depending on the industry. 

Even with the presence of new technologies and innovations, the human link will continue to dominate where the benefits of building rapport with customers for the company will rest in their hands.

Here are a few metrics that underscore the human connection.

  • 40% of contact center leaders have observed customers stay in the original channel 
  • 61% of the leaders expect complexity in customer interaction to increase in the coming years

It’s firm that customers center agents play a crucial role in building rapport over the phone with customers. We have compiled a list of sure-winners to get you started with the customer service initiatives. 

6  Steps to Build Rapport with Customers over Phone

1. Initiate Action from Day 1

From the first call itself, make an effort to build rapport with customers by earnestly trying to solve their problems aiming for First Call Resolution (FCR).

If it will take time, provide realistic timelines by when the issues would actually be resolved. Overpromising and underdelivering can negate any positive affirmations.

Cultivating relationships takes time, and honest efforts to make a meaningful connection with each customer.

2. Bring Personalized Value

Accurately putting across a customer’s information while conversation makes the customer feel valued and at the same time reduces the time and effort needed to solve queries.

Personalization fosters trust in the customer and inspires him to seek support and guidance from the executive. 

3. Look at Long-term Relationship Building

Customers today are mindful of what they should seek from a company. He compares and researches every product or service before actually approaching the business.

So, the long rope to sales is much shorter and customer executives should try to understand and offer knowledgeable responses to queries to convert into actual sales.

By acting as a subject matter expert customer service executives can look to actualize the benefits of building rapport with customers. 

4. Keep It Simple

Simplicity has the maximum impact when it comes to grabbing mind space in the consumer’s mind.

Rather than creating complexity with information overload and a series of steps towards an interaction, make the process simple.

Customers know what they want and providing the exact solution to the problem rather than circumventing it to reach there leads to building rapport with customers in a call center. 

5. Converge Silos

Every department and function is guided by a set of rules. However, when a customer calls he wants the information to be assimilated and resolved by the customer service representatives without redirecting several times.

Building rapport with clients by enabling resolution at the point of contact by a knowledgeable agent goes a long way. 

6. Stay Agile

Covid-19 underlined this fact more than ever. As customers switch to new channels and adopt versatile interaction mediums, companies and service agents both should be familiar with omnichannel communication processes.

Mapping customer journeys and taking forward the conversations initiated online helps to build rapport with customers in a call center.

Relationships are Everything! 

Do you agree? Making a last-ditch effort to save a relationship gone sour due to missteps can consume a lot of effort and time.

However, proactive service requires concerted efforts over time but yields greater results.

Trust and integrity in service show a brand promise and fulfillment. In certain uncertain times, the benefits of building rapport with customers make an organization resilient. 

What do you think? Share your views with us at …. 

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