Since its founding, the call center’s charter has been “Improving Customer Loyalty.” As economic and regulatory pressures continue, the marketing enterprise is under increasing pressure to improve customer satisfaction.
Customer service representatives spend too much time trying to solve customer problems and complaints. Few call centers embrace the concept of proactive customer service–the ability to reach out to clients before they become frustrated and unhappy callers.
Call centers are becoming more strategic and relying on models that can leverage proactive outreach programs to customers. These programs must be cost-effective and efficient and mitigate any customer service problems before they occur.
Businesses can increase customer loyalty by proactively contacting customers at every stage of their customer relationships. This will also help diffuse potentially frustrating situations and allocate agent resources more efficiently.
The Interaction begins
Businesses Interactionccessful understand that their profitability is based on how they manage and maintain the relationship with customers that began at the first purchase. When the enterprise makes doing business with them easy, results are generated. Customers place a high value on quality and speed in their interactions. The more the company can do to make the process easier and quicker for them, the higher the likelihood that they will stay loyal.
The enterprise can differentiate itself from its competitors at almost any phase of a customer’s life cycle by providing customer service that anticipates their needs, streamlines information delivery, and makes each interaction efficient and effective. Interaction companies are aware of the need to streamline and personalize interactions. However, the knowledge and implementation of this practice are often far apart.
The fact that the customer initiates the majority of customer-to-business communication is a major obstacle to streamlining. Calls to a call center are often greeted with a sense of urgency since the customer is initiating the conversation. These calls are usually routine and focus on things like account balances or delivery times.
The inability to anticipate inbound inquiries may also negatively affect customer satisfaction. The more a customer must call to get information or resolve a problem, the more likely they are to become frustrated and dissatisfied, which can compromise a relationship. In the last few years, many companies, including wireless, credit cards, and ISPs, have discovered that increased customer frustration can lead to churn.
To combat customer frustration and churning, many companies are looking for solutions that allow them to communicate effectively with customers while reducing the number of calls received by a contact center. Companies can no longer rely on customers to initiate conversations about products and services.
Companies need to change their traditional business practices to communicate effectively with customers and reduce the possibility of negative interactions.
Customizing Information Delivery
A proactive campaign does not aim to overwhelm customers with unwanted communications. The idea is to give customers relevant and insightful information they will find valuable and be willing to call to find out more.
A proactive communication program’s success depends on determining how and when you will contact your customers. The proactive customer program must be customized to each individual’s preferences. Businesses must personalize interactions and deliver relevant information to customers when, where, and how they want it.
Technology advances have given customers a greater choice of communication platforms. The proliferation of new communication devices, such as wireless, SMS, and email, has allowed customers to access relevant business information in addition to traditional methods of communication, such as phone and fax. The technology also allows businesses to personalize their interactions.
Multiple channels for information delivery can lead to proactive customer service. By allowing customers to choose their preferred device, they can customize the way in which they receive information. By enabling customers to customize the time and means of delivery of messages, they can be proactive in obtaining information. This eliminates the need for repeated calls to call centers.
In order to increase customer loyalty, it is important to push information to customers on their terms. This will reduce the number of calls and prevent frustration from setting in.
Information You Can Use
Giving the customer what they desire is a good way to generate customer loyalty. This mantra is followed by proactive customer communications, which provides the customer with options, from when and how to communicate to what they want. It also allows them to complete transactions rather than receive information.
By providing the information customers need, you can reduce the number of inbound calls. All industries can provide proactive customer service. As an example:
- Telecommunications companies are able to notify customers if their usage is approaching thresholds and offer alternative minutes plans. They can also warn of service interruptions and provide account balances with options to pay via credit card or bridge to an agent.
- Financial service providers can keep their customers informed about the status of their loans, notify them when they have reached or exceeded spending limits, and integrate fraud detection systems to alert them when suspicious activities occur.
- Utilities are able to notify their customers about overdue balances on their accounts, warn critical care facilities when an outage is imminent, and inform them of rate changes.
Conclusion
The call center has undergone a major transformation. Federal regulations, such as the Do-Not-Call List, have hindered marketing practices. However, increased competition has forced customer service business units to reexamine the practices they use to keep customers.
Customer service is becoming increasingly important as businesses, such as those in the wireless and credit card markets, continue to see the commoditization of their products and services.
