Mantofa Articles Directory

In this day and age of computer technology, the temptation to rely on it too much is always there. Still, when it comes to customer service, there is simply no replacement for the human touch. Answering services are fantastic for making sure all calls are received and routed correctly, but it’s up to the people at the other end of the line to make sure the right impression is left with customers following a call. Whether a company uses voice mail, a touch-tone routing system, an answering machine or other options, the people must respond to make sure the impression that’s left is good.

Good customer service requires common sense and a strong commitment to following the Golden Rule. No one likes to be stuck on hold for a seeming eternity and no one likes to leave messages and have them go unreturned. Whether your employees only deal with each other or they deal with outside clients and customers, it’s important they understand the basics of good phone etiquette and practice them daily.

Smart customer service involves the following, but isn’t limited to it:

* The old adage that the customer is always right can be wrong, but that doesn’t mean that every caller shouldn’t receive respect and be treated with politeness and courtesy. When messages are taken, employees should return them quickly and efficiently. Even if answers aren’t forthcoming, an employee – not a machine – should make a call back to let the client or customer know the situation is being looked into or addressed.

* When on the phone, employees should talk clearly and slowly. They should repeat information to make sure it’s been received correctly. They should also repeat information the client has given them to ensure its accuracy.

* Patience is key when dealing with phone calls. Since accents and other barriers to communication can present themselves, the smart employee makes sure to take the time to understand what a caller wants.

* Common courtesy. Those answering the phone don’t need to have a five-minute rehearsed script to do so, but please and thank you can go a long way to showing courtesy rules at their place of business.

* Return all calls. Whether messages come through voice mail or via a telephone answering system, all calls to a company should be returned and answered within a reasonable amount of time.

* Give respect to command respect. This is key in customer service. Even employees in debt collection departments should treat their calls with respect. Oftentimes this can turn a bad situation into a good one. People are more apt to work with those they feel are willing to work with them and treat them like a person, not a case file.

Telephone answering services, voice mail and call routers can speed up the way business gets done, but the real impression should be left by the human employees at a company. If calls are handled with courtesy and respect, in a timely manner, the impression left by a company will be high in most cases. If employees don’t handle their calls using the Golden Rule, the bottom line and the company as a whole can suffer. This goes for those who deal only with in-house calls and especially those who deal with the general public.

More Resources
Answering services support prompt, professional customer service.

http://www.answeringservice1.com

Make your best impression with great customer support.

http://www.customersupport2.com

Whether the business is credit card collections or customer service for a sales company, good call center software should involve total telephone system management. Systems, whether purchased pre-packaged or developed strictly for that business, should include a number of features to ensure customer satisfaction is key.

Smart call centers make sure all their programs work in tandem to ensure customers are helped quickly and efficiently. Even when calls are transferred from one employee to another, the programs help by making sure that customers’ data pops up on the screen for the new employee to peruse and address any concerns or questions. When the programs are chosen carefully, the end result is expedient service, which of course makes customers happy, but also can improve employee morale and productivity.

Let’s face it, working in a call center is a very difficult task. Even if most customers are happy to hear from the call center or are happy to call into it, the volume, amount of questions and the inevitable unhappy customer can make the job stressful and tiring. When good software enables employees to work at their peak potential, however, the chances for getting the job done and done right are increased. Even some of the most difficult calls can be turned into positive experiences if employees have the necessary information at their disposal.

For the phone system, software should at the least do the following:

* Enable clients to connect quickly to departments or employees they need.

* If a routing system is required, make sure it’s clear and concise and offers clients an ability to reach an operator if necessary.

* Provides a way to handle routine situations quickly and efficiently without having to wait on hold for a person. Bill payments, for example, can be handled in most cases completely by the call in system. If this is the case, offer a feature to store customers’ information so repeat calls can go even quicker.

The computer software that works in conjunction with a phone system should enable employees to:

* Quickly look up a customers’ information. If possible, have it queued with the caller ID for the telephone number or other identifying mechanism. There are few things more frustrating for a customer to have to do then punch a bunch of numbers into a telephone system to only be asked for them again and again as the call progresses.

* Make sure information is transferred along with the call if the situation warrants passing on up the line. Here it’s particularly important for the computer screens to work in conjunction with the phone system. Going through the same story over and over again can turn even the most passive of callers into a growling bear.

Whether a call center’s software for telephone management is custom designed or pre-packaged, it should have an emphasis on customer service. Systems that work well and efficiently, enable employees to handle calls quickly and generally to customers’ liking. Systems that don’t work together can create a nightmare, upset customers and bring down morale.

Manage your call center with smart software.

http://www.callcentersoftware1.com

Superior customer support improves productivity.

http://www.customersupport2.com

A desk. A chair. A telephone and computer. That’s all that’s needed to create a workable help desk, right? Wrong! No matter the type of service a company offers, the help desk should also be staffed by knowledgeable people who have state-of-the-art software tools at their fingertips. When it comes to picking out help desk software, customer service and speed should be top priorities. When these two things are considered, callers will hang up happy.

Help desks might not always handle the same kinds of calls, but they all are held accountable for good customer service – even when those customers are in-house employees. Whether your help desk is meant to cater to employees’ technical questions or customers asking about their latest purchases, there is a formula for setting up a solid help desk. What’s needed includes:

* Functional and practical call in system. Let’s face it; no one wants to sit on hold. No matter whether your call desk deals with employees only or it’s meant to help clients at large, a good phone system is required to expedite calls and ensure speedy service. If call volume is high, try to include a messaging feature or at the very least an option for callers to go to a Frequently Asked Questions recording that might help them solve their own problems.

* Knowledgeable employees. This means the folks who man the help desk should know what they’re dealing with inside out and backwards. There are few things more frustrating for a caller than to sit on hold for an hour only to find out the person on the other end of the line knows less about the situation than the caller did in the first place. A smart company staffs its help desk with the best. The per employee fee could be a little higher, but the end result of good customer service will be worth it.

* Useable software. Any programs designed to assist help desk employees hunt down troubleshooting tips and advice for dealing with technical issues should be simple and easy to use. There should not be 10 screens to fill out before a customer’s question is answered. Make sure the software included for the help desk is user friendly and is able to update as products and services change.

* Customer service-oriented attitude. The entire point of a help desk is to assist employees or clients with issues relating to a product, service or in-house technical issue. If the folks behind the help desk aren’t friendly, your company will be labeled as such. Or, if they’re difficult to deal with, employees may choose to limp along with a partially functional workstation rather than calling in for help.
* Consider the returns. When a help desk works as it should, the financial returns might not be readily noticeable, but when it doesn’t, the results can be painfully obvious. When setting up help desk software and other amenities, remember the better the desk operates, the more likely your customers are to return for future products or services.

When it comes to creating a solid help desk for just about any type of service or product, the keys are customer service, knowledge and a good software set up to ensure expedient service. When the help desk runs smoothly, customers are kept happy. When it doesn’t, an entire business can pay.

Provide service and support your clients will never forget for the right reasons!

http://www.helpdesksoftwareguide.com

Fast, professional service is simple with the best call center software.

http://www.callcentersoftware1.com

In their book, Accountability: Freedom and Responsibility without Control, authors Rob Lebow and Randy Spitzer take us on a journey of discovery as they look at a new way to manage our organizations and ourselves. Their fictional character, Kip (Stan Kiplinger) says this: “Accountability is the issue! If you can’t find a way to get people to be accountable, you’re going to find it hard to make anything else work, let alone your business.”

How true it is. At the risk of oversimplification, I have recently been pondering the issue of accountability, and how the lack of it seems to be at the heart of so many of our societal woes. In fact, some time ago, I read an interesting study that had been done in a California prison. When inmates were asked why they were in prison, there were many replies, such as:

The personal touch is often overlooked in this fast-paced computerized society. It seems there’s just never enough time in a day to do everything that needs to be done and return every phone call that comes into a business. But, the most successful businesses know customer service must be a top priority. A 24-hour answering service can really help any business make sure the personal touch isn’t overlooked. It can, however, only go so far.

Businesses that use a 24-hour answering service to ensure calls aren’t missed are one step ahead of the competition, but their obligation doesn’t stop there. It’s important for any business to remember there are people on the other end of the line, people who want to spend money, get questions answered and so on. Without these people, no business will be successful. Businesses that view incoming calls as the lifeline for their success tend to do well.

Here are some tips for top-notch customer service, regardless of your field:

* Treat each customer or client as you’d want to be treated. This means showing respect and personal attention.

* Return all calls. Even if you can’t answer a client or potential customer’s questions, it’s important to acknowledge the call. If no answers are forthcoming, tell the client you’re working to get the answer and you’ll get back with them as soon as possible. And, then of course, do this.

* Treat client’s concerns as if they’re your own, because they are. An unhappy client is perhaps the worst phone call a business can obtain, but that disgruntled call can be turned into a lifelong customer if the right customer service approach is used. Seek solutions, use courtesy in speaking with all clients – even angry ones – and try to turn those problems into solutions.

* Demonstrate good customer service even in house. Even your co-workers are technically your customers. When employees treat each other’s requests with respect and expediency, an entire business can benefit. Don’t overlook the importance of in house communication and customer service.

Picking up the phone and answering a client or customer call might seem like a pretty basic undertaking, but it’s much more than that. Whether you use a call service around the clock, or you man your phones with an employee, those calls are links in to your business, links in that can produce big results or big problems. Good customer service begins with the people who work for you.

Make these things a priority:

* Handling each and every call with care, concern and expediency.

* Honesty and respect. When clients are treated with this, they’ll come back when they need your services again. If they’re not, they won’t.

* In-house courtesy. Employees who work well together and help each other with basic tasks help improve morale, which is good for the entire operation, no matter what kind of business it is. Remind employees that co-workers are important, too, in the customer service chain.

It’s not always possible to pick up the phone and answer every call yourself and this is where a good call service can really help. However, the service can only do so much for you. It’s up to you and your employees to ensure those calls are returned and clients receive the personal attention they deserve.

Put an answering service to work for your business and care for your customers 24 hours a day.

http://www.answeringservice24.com