Customer service is an area that can make or break a business. Get it right and the word of mouth will work wonders, but get it wrong and you could find yourself on the receiving end of some bad press. It’s easy to be reviewed online now, and people will make their minds up about your business in seconds if those reviews aren’t up to scratch. Some of the most common customer service faux pas are easy to avoid with the help of a professional, outsourced customer service.

1. Curt, abrupt responses

People contact customer services because they have issues that need resolving or they need more information about something. A friendly, helpful manner is important to help get queries resolved; any rudeness or curt replies won’t be welcomed by customers, particularly if they’re already angry about something. Making sure customer services staff have the right call handling training will help provide the best reflection of your business and make the resolution process as simple as possible for customers.

2. A lack of information

Nothing is more frustrating than being put on hold during a customer services call because someone doesn’t have the knowledge to deal with a query – especially when this happens several times in one call. Customer service call handlers should be equipped with the knowledge they need to help customers before they take to the phones, with the right departments clearly advised to ensure calls are dealt with as quickly as possible.

3. Not gathering accurate data

When dealing with customers, it’s important to get their personal details correct to avoid mishaps and to avoid embarrassment by getting names incorrect and so on. Details should be ascertained at the beginning, such as how a customer would like to be addressed and noted to avoid confusion or irritation.

4. Making promises that can’t be kept

This is a common situation inexperienced staff can find themselves in. Often a call handler will be unsure of what can be offered to a customer and give in to demands that they shouldn’t. When it comes to then auctioning these things with a supervisor or manager, it can cause anger and frustration to the customer have them denied at a later stage, or costly to the business through having to comply because of verbal agreements.

Avoiding problems through outsourcing customer services

Frontline offers a managed service which can help you avoid these common faux pas by ensuring customer services of the highest quality. This allows your business to focus on its other activities to attract customers, while we help you to retain them. Find out more about our services by clicking on the homepage.