13 February 2018

Integrating Phone Service with Other Aspects of Customer Service

telephone-1223310 1920If your business is looking to integrate telephone customer service with its current customer service options, you may need to consider a few things. Here are some tips to keep in mind when integrating phone service with other aspects of your customer service.

People want options

Your customers may want to speak directly to live person, 24 hours a day. Or, they may want to be able to use a self-service system instead. Ideally, you’ll offer both, but in a way that makes it clear that the automated system is simply one option. It’s frustrating to call a customer service telephone number only to be pushed towards a self-serve or automated option immediately. If you offer automation or self service via the phone, make it easy to skip straight to a live person, too.

Integration is important

While it’s important that your customers can reach a live person at any time, they may only choose to do so after they’ve emailed or left a message via social media. For many customers, a phone call is seen as a ‰Û÷last resort’, so make sure that when your customers reach the service rep, they don’t have to repeat describing their problem once again.

Try to ensure that your telephone customer service reps can access any communication linked to that customer by using customer service integration tools for a seamless customer service experience. This means that no matter how your customer contacts you, the representative currently handling the call can see all previous interactions with that customer. It will allow you to offer better service more efficiently.

Understand the importance of good telephone service

Telephone service requires skills that other types of customer service do not. Customers are more likely to express their anger freely over the phone, protected by the invisible barrier the phone offers. Telephone customer service reps require great social skills, patience, and flexibility, especially if they need to use integrated services such as social media or email to resolve the customer’s issues. Make sure your telephone customer service staff are trained to meet all the needs of your customers at every call.

For more tips on telephone customer service, contact Answer 365 today.