We are officially two weeks away from Halloween! The annual celebration of costumes, candy and creepy crawlies will soon be upon us and the MeloTel team can’t wait! We’re suckers (see what we did there?) for Halloween and look forward to all of the upcoming festivities that will culminate with a night of trick or treating.
But when it comes to your business, it’s always important to treat – not trick – your customers. Here are three ways to do just that:
1. Make it easy for customers to find the right department.
There are few things more frustrating for customers than calling up companies only to be transferred multiple times between several representatives. Time is valuable. And most people just hate having their time wasted. Be sure to have your phone system set up so that callers can select the departments of their choice. As well, be sure that your phone agents are well aware of which company representative is best suited to handle each call. This will minimize transfers.
“It’s imperative that you make it simple for the customer to speak with the proper party depending on their concern,” insists Heather Johnson on ReturnCustomer.com, “Often it seems that the customer has to speak with different departments in a company to find the answer they want. Eliminate the need for the customer to travel through the cross section of your company to receive proper attention.”
2. Show your gratitude.
There are few words more pleasant to the ear than “thank you”. It’s never a bad idea to show your appreciation to the people who support your business. After all, where would your business be without its customers? Never hesitate to utter those two special little words, but consider different ways to go the extra mile to express your gratitude now and again. And be sure to always make your show of thanks genuine.
“Always be genuine when you thank them because your clients and customers can spot a fake easily, which may cause them to feel lied to and cost you a client,” advises Kayla Sloan on Due.com, “If you want to win client and customer loyalty you need to be authentic. One way to thank your clients and customers is to offer them something special at the holidays such as a small gift or card.”
3. Let your humanity shine through.
People like speaking to people. Your customers would much prefer to hear a live human voice than a recorded message. But those human voices need to actually be human! Give your phone agents the freedom to be themselves. A light-hearted approach to excellent customer service (one that may involve some friendly banter) is one that usually impresses customers the most. As Johnson advises, you should humanize your call centre.
“There is often pressure on the people you have answering phones to handle a call in a certain amount of time and to handle a minimum number of calls in a given day,” she writes, “Let your representatives be real human beings and let them attend to a customer’s complaint or issue in a manner that leaves the customer feeling good. Ultimately, this is more important than statistics.”
At MeloTel, we take great pride in the way we treat our customers. Experience it for yourself by calling us at 1-888-MELOTEL or using the Live Chat feature on our website!
