Preventing and Addressing the Most Common Customer Complaints

While call centers often give customer service representatives a chance to interact with friendly and interesting people, the job isn’t always so easy. One of the realities of working in the line of customer service is that there are going to be complaints, and occasionally there are very angry people on the other line. 

While it’s always preferential to avoid giving customers a reason to complain, anybody who is going to work in a call center needs to be fully trained on how to address these complaints when they do arise. Here are some general guidelines to follow when dealing with a customer who has called to complain about a product or service:

• Apologize. Even though you’re likely not the person at fault, you are representing an entire company when you speak with customers. The situation may be entirely out of your hands, and a solution might not be able to be reached. All you can do is apologize as sincerely as possible, which should hopefully help smooth things over. However, once you’ve made your apology, it’s time to get to the bottom of the issue at hand.

• Make sure they know you care. People who are calling in to complain want to be sympathized with, so just let them know that you are invested in their problem. A bad experience with a customer service representative could drive this customer away from the business for good, so it’s important to tactfully handle these situations and come across as friendly and caring as possible. Perhaps even send the customer a handwritten apology or a coupon of some sort to try to make it up to them.

• Present their options. Is there another product you offer that your client would like? Are there any options to remedy the situation at hand? If so, this is when you should present these options to the caller.

• NEVER get into an argument. Your caller is likely already heated enough without anyone riling them up even more. Even if you are completely right, you will never win an argument with an angry customer. Tell them what you will do to make the situation right, and try your best to calm the person down. This is the best thing you can do.

While all organizations strive to be perfect, even the best will have to deal with an unhappy customer or two at some point. When this happens, look at it as an opportunity to learn and to make a bad situation better!

The TeleDirect Training Technique

  

You already know about the software and technology that help make TeleDirect a successful call center. However, the real secret lies in how we train our wonderful Customer Service Representatives. 

We specialize in the Moment of Truth, the moment at which sales happen, and we have developed a fine-tuned training method to help our CSRs create them. Rather than simply training our employees when they begin work and hoping they remember the information forever, we make sure to keep a constant steam of communication going so that they retain the training information they need to do their jobs well.

Each CSR with TeleDirect has his or her own dashboard that shows current training issues and quizzes that need to be completed. A training center helps ensure that the trainer at a time like 1 p.m. has the same accountability as a trainer at 1 a.m., so that all of our representatives are getting exactly the same level of training.

Training issues can be added by any supervisor or manager. Minor problems, concerns or updates can be addressed using self-trainable platforms that representatives read on their own. Non self-trainable training issues though, such as more major concerns or brand new accounts, are usually addressed in a classroom environment. We make sure that before our representatives take one more call for your company, they have completed all of the training that has been allotted to them.

Since representatives are in charge of their own training databases, we need to be sure that they keep them up to date. Therefore, a large percentage of bonuses our representatives receive are based on how they manage their training databases. Since bonuses are a significant portion of our reps’ salaries, you can be sure that any issues you want attended to will not go unnoticed. 

Once a representative is trained, a log is created to record his or her progress. We also make sure there is a high retention rate with training issues through our online quizzes, which can be created by any supervisor or manager. Trainees must score at least 80 percent to pass the quiz, and they get three chances to pass. If they fail three times, they are locked out and have to meet with a supervisor or manager so they can learn why they failed and how they can improve.

This system has allowed TeleDirect Call Centers to maintain over 200 customer service representatives, while still keeping high standards of training and performance. Now that you know the TeleDirect Training Method, you can be sure that you are in good hands with our call center services! 

How to Keep Your Best Sales People

 

Putting together a great sales team can be tough, but keeping that team together may be an even bigger challenge. Everybody suffers from lack of motivation in the workplace from time to time, but in the sales business in particular, unmotivated employees are not likely to stick around for long. Therefore, it’s up to you to keep your sales team motivated.

At TeleDirect, we've learned a lot over the years about keeping our CSRs performing at their highest level at our call center. Here are some of the best methods you can use to improve how your employees work:

 

• Keep them involved. Workers like to know that the higher-ups in their company care about what they think. Keeping your team involved in the progress and direction of overall organization lets them know that they are important to your business.
• Keep lines of communication open. Communication is key in any relationship, and employer-employee relationships are no exception. Most employees want to hear regular updates on the progress of the business, and on their own performance in particular. Whether you’re using memos, email, phone calls, or face-to-face conversations, keep talking to your team to let them know you care.
• Recognize good performance. People like to be told when they are doing a good job. There are all kinds of creative ways of doing this, from simple compliments all the way to birthday and thank you cards and impromptu lunch parties. The more you do for your employees, the more they’ll do for you in return.
• Challenge them! There is, of course, a fine line between challenging your team and overworking them, but keeping people challenged will keep them from becoming complacent. 
• Give your team what they need to succeed. Nobody will stay motivated if they don’t have all the tools they need to do their job right. This can include the proper training, equipment, marketing materials, and more! 
• Recognize poor performance. Just as good performance should be recognized, poor performance should be dealt with (politely, of course). Holding your call center team to high standards shows that you believe them to be capable of greatness.
• Lead by example. If you don’t treat your employees with respect and if you don’t stay constantly motivated and working hard, there’s no reason to believe your team will, either. Lead by example, and your team will follow. 

 

For many businesses, retaining a crack sales staff is critical to their success. For more tips on how to keep your employees happy and motivated, speak with the professionals at TeleDirect Call Centers today!

Advantages to Domestic vs. Overseas Call Centers

One of the most common debates that rises among businesses looking to employ a call center is whether it is more advantageous to use a domestic call center or one that is based overseas. At TeleDirect Call Centers, we firmly believe that our domestic services hold many advantages over your average overseas call center, for a variety of reasons:

There’s no language barrier.

Isn’t it frustrating when you call a customer service line and you wind up being connected with a person who speaks only broken English? With a domestic call center like TeleDirect, your customers can be sure that there will be no language barriers. They will be able to get through a conversation swiftly and get clear solutions to their issues.

You’re keeping jobs on American soil.

In a time of high unemployment, every job that stays in our country is extremely important. Using a domestic call center keeps jobs in this country and is a sign that you are doing your best to help the American economy.

They’re more personal.

Most overseas call centers are extremely large, and the prevailing mentality in such a workplace can be a very “clock in, clock out” mindset. Domestic call centers like TeleDirect feature more of a small office environment, which provides more opportunities for employees to build relationships with each other and with customers. This in turn creates a better working atmosphere, so your callers will be speaking to an enthusiastic CSR, rather than a disgruntled one.

That “close to home” feeling.

Perhaps most simply of all, it’s just comforting knowing that you are speaking to someone who is close to home. There is a part of our minds that enjoys knowing we’re speaking to someone who is likely to have had a similar life experience, a more similar way of thinking and basically, someone you can relate to. Domestic call centers offer that “close to home,” relatable feeling.

TeleDirect offers first-class customer service call centers with that personal touch your business is looking for. Contact us today, www.TeleDirect.com, for more information on what our business can offer yours!