The IRS, the DMV, and How Customer Service Reflects On More Than You Think

The IRS, the DMV, and How Customer Service Reflects On More Than You Think

Can your small business learn a thing or two from the IRS or DMV? Of course it can! These two essential companies are known for offering notoriously bad customer service. This reputation reflects on much more than just customer service, though, which is why you should consider working with a call center to improve your company’s relationships with clients:

What is Bad Customer Service?

There are many elements involved in maintaining a strong and successful business. Customer service is one of these elements, but unfortunately it sometimes gets ignored. Every business aims to provide products and services that clients will want to purchase again and again. But in order to ensure that customers are happy and getting the most out of their purchases, it is important to provide ways for customers to interact with representatives of your company. Bad customer service occurs when businesses neglect these responsibilities and leave customers feeling helpless when faced with a problem.

How Can Bad Customer Service Impact Your Business?

Most people either have or have heard a horror story about dealing with customer service at the IRS or DMV. The horrible part is that customer service seems to be non-existent in these locations! With so many customers coming in and out daily, the IRS and DMV put customer service on the backburner in order to stay afloat. Unfortunately, this leaves many consumers with a bad impression of both of these industries. Bad customer service makes it difficult for customers to make a connection with a business, potentially leading them to bring their business elsewhere.

How Can You Improve Customer Service?

If you do not have time to focus on customer service, start working with a call center. These companies provide answering services, secure messaging, after hours support, and much more. Your customers are sure to feel a stronger connection and more loyalty when their questions and concerns are addressed in a timely manner.

Contact One Call Center can help your company reach out to customers! Contact us at (800) 278-3347 to learn about our answering services, after hours support, and secure messaging and find out how they can improve your company.

Why All Your Employees Should Be Customer Service Savvy

Why All Your Employees Should Be Customer Service Savvy

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

Are your employees customer service savvy? If not, you might be losing business! Customer service is an essential part of every company, which is why every employee should know the basics. Take a closer look of the advantages of training every employee in customer service:

You Never Know When an Interaction Will Occur

Customer service is always important. This is especially true for today’s businesses dealing with the modern consumer. Customers now have a variety of ways to reach out to different businesses, including phone calls and online interaction. That is why businesses must be ready to handle customer questions and concerns at any time. Training every employee on the basics of customer service will give your company a better chance of having a pleasant and successful customer interaction.

Customers Want Information Right Away

Now that customers have so many different ways to interact with companies, they have gotten used to getting information quickly and easily. Both current and potential customers may contact you with questions before deciding to purchase a product or service. If you do not respond quickly, the customer may decide to take their business elsewhere. It is easier to respond to every customer’s inquiry in a timely manner when every employee is trained in customer service.

Poor Customer Service Leaves a Lasting Impression

It is important to make a good impression on customers, as this is what keeps them coming back. Customer service plays a large role in how customers view the companies that supply the products and services they use. If you answer customer questions and listen to customer suggestions, your customer base will be much more loyal. Training every employee can help you make the best impression with every customer that has a question or comment.

Training all employees can improve your company’s reputation with customers. Working with Contact One Call Center can help you provide even better customer service! Discover the benefits of using our after-hours support and answering services by calling us at (800) 278-3347.

Customer Service Trends on the Rise

Customer Service Trends on the Rise

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

No matter what products or services your company offers, it is important to provide excellent customer service. Customers want to feel a connection and if that connection is not there, they will find it somewhere else. Stay on top of your customer service game by following these trends:

Self-Service

An overwhelming number of today’s consumers are taking control of their searches for information. Instead of waiting for an appropriate time to call with a question, consumers are now going online to find the answers they want as soon as they want them. That is why it is important for companies to provide online sources where consumers can find the information they want.

Proactive Support

Another big customer service trend comes in the form of proactive support. This trend involves providing customers with the best experience possible instead of waiting to provide answers when questions arise. Boost your business by recognizing problems before they become problems. Providing proactive support ensures that every customer gets the most out of his or her purchase, creating a stronger and more loyal client base.

Product Development

Customer service does not only come into play after a product or service is introduced; it can also be a part of the development process. Including client feedback and concerns into the development process is useful for creating the best product possible while also providing clients with the features they desire.

Multichannel Support

Gone are the days where consumers would simply call a business to inquire about products and services. Consumers still rely on answering services and phone interactions, but they also have many other ways to communicate with businesses. Multichannel support is essential for reaching out to all clients. Providing answering services, online chats, and after hours support can help you provide exceptional customer service.

Improve your customer service reputation with help from Contact One Call Center. We offer numerous answering services and amazing after hours support. Call us at (800) 278-3347 to see how we can improve your company’s customer relationships.

Find More Customer Service Tips At These Websites

Find More Customer Service Tips At These Websites

Blog/ Customer Service/ Professional Services/ Small Business

Have you enjoyed our recent blog posts? If you are looking for more customer service and small business tips, then head to these websites. To get help managing your phone calls, appointments, orders, and more, get in touch with Contact One Call Center at (800) 278-3347.

This post on FutureSimple.com shares five ways to provide great customer service, regardless of your title or role.
Find out what Zappos.com did for one customer who travelled to a friend’s wedding without his shoes!
Here are a few tips for handling angry or difficult customers on the phone.
Read this post about 10 legendary customer service success stories.
Forbes.com writes about the winning approach to excellent customer service.

3 Tips For Starting A Business

3 Tips For Starting A Business

Blog/ Customer Service/ Professional Services/ Small Business

Starting a business is a life-changing event that can either bolster or hinder your financial and professional success. Many would-be entrepreneurs have a great idea for a product or service, but become intimidated or uncertain of the details needed to launch their new venture. If you are considering starting your own business, then review these three tips below:

1. Ask Questions and Do Research

The Small Business Association (SBA) recommends that potential business owners ask these 20 questions before starting their business. The questions, including “Will I need a loan,” and “Who is my competition,” prompt potential entrepreneurs to think critically about their funding, marketing, potential customers, and more. These questions will give you a more realistic vision of whether your business may thrive.

2. Write A Business Plan

A business plan is a document that helps keep the business owner, investors, and executive employees on track for the first three to five years. Having a formal business plan can make it easier for a new business owner to receive funding and to share their vision with new hires. The plan outlines in depth how the company will be structured, managed, and funded and how it will market itself and grow revenue. For more information on drafting a business plan, visit these guidelines on the SBA website.

3. Take Care of The Details

Before your business is up and running you’ll need to determine your legal structure. There are a variety of ways to structure a business including LLC, corporation, and non-profit. New business owners will also need to register for state and federal taxes, and obtain a tax ID number plus any state or federal licenses and permits. To handle your finances, you’ll need to set up a merchant account with your local bank. If you plan to accept payments online, then you’ll want to partner with a PCI-compliant vendor who can securely process transactions.

When starting a new business, you can outsource your incoming calls, appointment setting, and even order fulfillment to a trusted call center. Contact One Call Center specializes in supporting small businesses and organizations with top-notch customer service. Learn more by calling (800) 278-3347.

Recruiting Employees for Great Customer Service: What to Look For

Recruiting Employees for Great Customer Service: What to Look For

Blog/ Customer Service/ Professional Services/ Small Business

Hiring customer service representatives means looking for personalities that will shine on the phone. If you are looking to recruit new hires for your customer service team, then consider the following four traits:

A Positive Attitude

Some people will always think the glass is half empty. In customer service, you want to lean toward candidates who have a more positive or optimistic attitude. During an interview or sample phone conversation, note the kind of language the person uses. Look for individuals who can easily re-frame problems in a more positive light.

Friendly and Engaging

Great customer service representatives don’t necessarily have to be outgoing. They do have to be generally friendly, nice, and engaging. These traits can help your customer service representative to be more empathetic and really connect with customers on the phone.

Creative and Bright

Creativity and out-of-the-box thinking are vital for success in this position. Customer service superstars have to multitask and think on their feet. They must find creative solutions to help people solve problems. Look for bright candidates who can succeed even with an unusual call or request that strays really far from the usual script.

Patient and Good Listener

When customers call upset or angry, you’ll need someone who is patient and calm and can focus on the problem at hand. The right candidates should be able to actively listen to customers and allow customers to vent if they are angry about a problem.

What does your organization look for when hiring customer service representatives? To get help managing your inbound calls, appointments, order taking, and more, get in touch with the experts at Contact One Call Center. Call us at (800) 278-3347 or visit our website to learn more about our call center and live chat services.

Tips for Managing Anger in Customer Service

Tips for Managing Anger in Customer Service

Blog/ Customer Service/ Professional Services/ Small Business

When you’re dealing with an angry customer, it can be challenge to remain calm. Sometimes when conversations get emotional or hurtful, our instinct is to respond with even more anger.

Don’t let anger harm your customer relationships. Instead, practice the three tips shared in this video for reducing and managing your anger in professional situations. The video walks through the difference between expressing yourself assertively versus aggressively. You can also learn how to use calming techniques to minimize your own anger. For example, pausing and counting to 10 before responding or taking deep breathes to let go of your anger.

Watch the full clip to learn how to respond to customers clearly and without any destructive emotion or hurtful language. For more customer service expertise, get in touch with Contact One Call Center by dialing (800) 278-3347.

How To Deal With Difficult Customers

How To Deal With Difficult Customers

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

When something goes wrong with a customer’s order or appointment, that customer can become angry. The customer has spent time and money to get their product or service from your company, and when things don’t work out, the customer may feel cheated.

Enter the call center representative. Many times receiving a phone call from a customer means dealing with an upset or difficult person. The best customer service agents realize that the customer simply has a problem and they are getting in touch looking for a solution. Here are three tips to deal with difficult customers and help them find the answers or solutions they are seeking.

1. Listen Carefully

Let the customer explain their problem, complaint, or question fully. Don’t interrupt and really hear what they are saying. Try to hone-in on the root of the problem so you can eventually offer a solution. Ask any necessary questions to get the information you need to help that customer out.

2. Clarify the Problem or Request

When the customer is done describing the problem or question, clarify what they said by repeating it back to them in your own words. Say something like, “Let me make sure I am hearing you correctly,” or “I want to be sure I understand you,” and then rephrase their request. This gives the caller an opportunity to provide more information or identify the outcome they are looking for.

3. Apologize and Empathize

Demonstrate empathy by offering a sincere apology for the customer’s negative experience. Let the apology come from you directly and not the company by using “I” instead of “we.”

4. Stay Calm
When a customer is raising their voice, talking quickly, or talking over you it helps to remain calm. Do not escalate emotions by also raising your voice. Remind the customer calmly that you are there to listen and offer help.

If your organization has trouble responding to customer calls in a timely fashion, then enlist the services of a professional call center. Contact One can help your business offer top-notch customer service experiences with their Live chat services and call center services. Find out more by calling us at (800) 278-3347.

Customer Service Fixes: What To Do When You Do It Wrong

Customer Service Fixes: What To Do When You Do It Wrong

Blog/ Customer Service

Customer service encompasses every area of your business, from the moment you pick up the phone, to appointment setting, through to the sales transaction. Smaller businesses and organization striving to grow cannot afford to make customer service mistakes.

Failure to provide excellent customer service can result in lost sales and even negative word of mouth spreading about your business. Below we’ll review three common customer service problems and provide solutions for fixing these problems and making amends with customers.

Problem 1 – Failure to Answer Calls Quickly

When you are pressed for time or have a small staff it can be difficult to answer the phone quickly or reply to customer messages. If this occurs and a customer becomes angry, let the customer vent about their concern and listen actively to their complaint. Then proceed to help them with their needs.

Problem 2 – Double-Booking Appointments

Have you had to cancel an appointment due to an over-booking mistake? Calling a customer right before their appointment time and telling them you need to cancel can be a really negative experience. Be sure to explain the problem, take responsibility, and apologize for the inconvenience. Offer a solution for a new appointment time and sweeten the deal with an extra reward such as a discount or free gift.

Problem 3 – Confusing Ecommerce or Order Process

If a customer has trouble placing an order and contacts you for help, then consider yourself lucky. At least you did not lose the sale entirely. To handle this problem, first identify the issue that was confusing during the purchasing or checkout process. Use this customer contact as a way to get vital feedback to improve your transactional process in the future.

To avoid these problems ongoing, consider working with an answering service that will answer customer calls and questions 24/7. Contact One Call Center can answer your phones, set appointments, and even take orders or answer order-related inquiries. Learn more about our services by calling 1(800)-278-3347.

Lego Demonstrates Amazing Customer Service

Lego Demonstrates Amazing Customer Service

Blog/ Customer Service

At Contact One Call Center we know that top-notch customer service is vital to growing your business and keeping customers happy. Below is a great example of a business going above and beyond to make a customer happy and help solve their problem:

Lego’s Letter to A Seven Year Old Boy
Last Christmas, a seven year old boy saved up all of his holiday money to purchase a Ninjago kit, which is based on a popular cartoon. It came complete with a futuristic vehicle and Ninjago characters. The boy lost one of his characters when it fell out of his coat pocket and he composed an email to Lego’s customer service team thanking them for the awesome kit and asking for a replacement.

The customer service department at Lego wrote back with a personalized and imaginative email that referenced the characters in the show. Not only did Lego replace the lost figurine, the company also included a special set of weapons and a villain character. Lego’s caring and inspiring response was shared with millions of people online as word spread about this special case.

This is just one example of how a business can “wow” its customers by listening well and rewarding loyalty. Here are some of the benefits of this kind of customer service:

Improve Your Reputation

Since this example from Lego went viral online and was seen by many people, it helped improve and strengthen Lego’s brand with the greater public.

Increase Lifetime Customer Value

It is more valuable and more cost-effective to retain loyal customers than to go out and get brand new customers. Excellent customer service can help organizations to retain customers and increase their lifetime customer value.

Let Contact One Call Center create a culture of exemplary customer service for your business. We help retailers, non-profits, medical offices, law firms, and all types of organizations with answering services, scheduling, live chat, and order taking. Find out more about us by calling 1(800)-278-3347 or visiting us online.

Category: Customer Service

The IRS, the DMV, and How Customer Service Reflects On More Than You Think