Excellent customer service is the key to any successful business. At the core of providing satisfactory customer service is empowering call center agents. Call center agents might feel as if they don’t have any autonomy or authority, however. Spending all day listening to customer complaints about problems they didn’t even cause and feeling limited in their ability to solve the issues is the likely reason for constant staff turnover in the customer service industry.
Yet when call center agents feel empowered, company culture improves and customer satisfaction increases. In fact, a Gallup study showed that the most successful managers — those in the top quartile — engaged with 77 percent of their employees. In today’s digital age, where maintaining good customer service is becoming increasingly vital for companies, having agents who feel useful (and not like a scapegoat for frustrated customers) is imperative.
You’ll find numerous benefits to an empowered customer service team, but we’ve outlined the top three reasons how it can help your company.
Improves customer relations
If you want happy, loyal customers, strive to empower your employees. Part of the issue with poor customer service is the agent who the customer reaches usually doesn’t have the answers or authority to address the problem. Therefore, customers have to go through hoops, speaking to different agents and departments, to finally get their issue resolved. Understandably, spending time and energy speaking to several people to fix a simple problem is frustrating for consumers. So having agents with authority to handle common problems that arise allows for more functional, smoother customer relations. Plus, agents can spend most of their work actually helping customers rather than putting them on hold and requesting permission.
Empowering your customer service team starts with training and having effective Bright Pattern call center software. Agents need to be well-trained to handle a multitude of issues and have the right software available to help them assist customers efficiently.
Achieve better customer insights
Call center agents communicate daily with customers, and through these interactions, they have gathered a trove of customer information. They know what problems customers have experienced and can provide customer feedback on services and products. Companies should use this valuable resource to better understand their customers and gain critical insight. Having call center agents contribute to monthly reports and customer data is sure to benefit your business.
Builds a more loyal and stronger team
Remember that we mentioned constant staff turnover in the customer service industry? Well, that can all change with a more empowered team. Call center agents who feel they’re needed, have authority, and play an important role in the organization are more likely to want to stay at the same company. Having an empowered customer service team improves company culture and creates a more enjoyable work environment. Agents who feel they’re recognized and rewarded for their patience and work ethic in high-pressure situations are more likely to remain loyal to their company. Employee satisfaction leads to customer satisfaction. Employees who are happy and passionate about their company traverse that sentiment to the customers they interact with. In essence, empowered call center agents creates better customer satisfaction and a loyal consumer base.
In our fast-paced, work-driven culture, call center agents can often be overlooked and feel undervalued. But ignoring the needs of your agents will only hurt your business in the long run — whether that’s poor customer satisfaction or high employee turnover rate. Having a supported and empowered customer service team can resolve internal and external issues. Call center agents are considered the most patient workers in the service industry, and that patience should be rewarded, not mindlessly dismissed.
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