We've all been there; making a call to your telecommunications provider's call center to either inquiry about a bill or the latest device. It's not uncommon for both the caller and CSR to dread this interaction, but it no longer needs to be that way. A happy customer starts with a positive and motivated CSR that knows excatly how to handle each call.
Take this excerpt from a 2003 article in Tech Republic:
Outsourced call centers and some company help desk departments have been referred to as the new millennium sweatshops of corporate America.
"You can smell the lack of self-esteem when you walk through the door," said Kirk Weisler… Weisler laments that too many employers don't see the connection between a motivated, happy staff, peak performance, and higher profits for their company. "They'll pay for network certifications to get computers connected, but they won't pay to get people connected."
That was 2003, and this is now, but as you scan more current articles, posts and research on call centers and morale the language may be less impassioned, but the issues are still the same. Call center morale is generally lousy. Reps come in positive, but they don’t stay long.
For me, one particular statement of Mr. Weisler’s rings particularly true:
"They'll pay for network certifications to get computers connected, but they won't pay to get people connected."
In telecommunications especially, this seems like a case of the shoemakers’ children going barefoot. Telecommunications companies are in the connectivity business. They live and die by their ability to provide clearer, faster, broader connections for their customers. Yet, a recent study shows that trust in, and perceptions of service provided by telecoms, it woefully low, for example:
Less than ½ of customers (42%) reported being satisfied with the treatment, relationship and services they receive from their mobile network operators.
A number of factors can, and no doubt do, contribute to these service issues. But the poor morale and rampant attrition at call centers all across industries—including telecoms—definitely hurts.
It doesn’t have to be that way. At some of the highest performing call centers worldwide, reps are empowered to provide excellent service. They are connected to the rest of the organization across channels and lines of business. And they have the tools and insights they need to turn customer complaints into dialogues and questions into opportunities.
There is nothing like a success to boost morale—and nothing like being a contributing member of the team to keep reps onboard. The empowerment that connectivity can provide gets them off the bench and into the game. It’s time to give call center reps a leg up on providing real customer service. Give them a real-time view of the whole of the customer relationship. Help them evolve the call into a custom conversation based on the customer’s situation and the reason for their call. Queue up the best next action for them. And, watch: They’ll start making customers happier. They’ll start generating profits. It’s a huge step toward more motivated, happier staff—and reducing that acrid odor of low self-esteem.
To learn more about how connectivity can transform call centers, check out our webinar series: “Establish a Customer Centric Call Center" You’ll discover how you can turn call centers into profit centers through the power of real-time decisioning—boosting satisfaction in the process. Check out our preview video bleow to learn more!
February 16th, 2012 - 11 AM EST
Unleash the Power of Real Time Decisioning: The Telco Call Center- Register
February 23, 2012 - 11 AM EST
Customer Centric Call Centers: From Cost Centers to Profit Centers -
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