Phone Customer Service
Customer service, reviews and referrals have always been integral to companies. Great customer service leads to great reviews and happy customers refer their friends and family. But what happens when there is a bad customer service experience? It can ruin your brand and affect your revenue stream.
We make our agents aware that we are an extension of all our client’s offices. Our interaction with the caller effects not only Kelley’s, but our client’s reputation and revenue stream.
Here are “Five Easy Ways to Improve Customer Service Over the Phone” from Canadianbusiness.com.
- Be courteous: Basic manners are the foundation of good customer service. This includes answering the phone with the company’s and staff member’s name, and utilizing polite language: please, thank you, and have a good evening. Tone is especially important over the phone, when you can’t rely on body language. Callers should feel that they’re being listened to, and that the person they’re talking to cares. Always end calls by asking if there is anything else the customer needs.
- Be prompt: Answer the phone and respond to voicemails quickly. “The customer typically expects calls to be answered within three rings and a 24-hour maximum response time with voicemail,”.
- Be clear: At Kelley’s we prefer live answering. Is the answer phrase easy to understand and include an introduction? Is there any information you might need from the caller and did you set the expectation of when they will receive a return call. End the message by informing them of any further relevant information (such as restricted hours during holidays.)
- Be calm: If a customer is angry, it’s hard not to respond in kind—but expert customer service representatives know how to put on a shield and let people vent. For more suggestions see our previous blog on Angry Callers.
- Be helpful: Experts tell the caller what they can or will do, never what they can’t. Our objective is to train our staff to find results for customers and their callers. It’s about problem solving.
Kelley’s is locally owned and operated in Kennewick, WA. We offer 24-hour Answering Service, Virtual Receptionist Services, Overflow, and Appointment Scheduling. Kelley’s has provided business solutions to companies small, medium and large for over 47 years: Local, Regional and nationwide.