When it comes to delivering a flawless omnichannel customer service experience, the times are changing.

Some companies are proactively equipping their staff with the tools needed to deliver fantastic experiences; remaining complacent is absolutely not an option in a world moving as fast as ours. Despite misguided conventional wisdom, some of the most important CX tools out there deal with voice. And while other channels are important, voice is still king!

To wit, 75% of respondents in a 2017 study said they think calling a company is the most effective way to get a response. In other words, customers want to call you. And they want their calls handled right:

  • 25% of customers give up on service or sales calls because they’re kept on hold too often or too long
  • 53% of callers get irritated if they don’t speak to the right agent immediately

Facts are facts. When there’s something important to discuss, folks want to use the phone – and their expectations of the experience are really high.

Unfortunately, despite the data, the contact center is too often forgotten as firms throw resources at their website, mobile app and experiential channels. Think about that: Three-quarters of customers choose to call when there’s a serious issue, but relatively few companies are prioritizing the call experience.

Fortunately, it’s pretty simple to deliver a better call. These three steps will get you going in the right direction.

Take Advantage of Technology

One of the most important things an agent can do to make a call better is understanding who’s on the other end of the phone and what they might want to chat about. It’s all about personalized service. If your agents aren’t getting that now, you can start delivering it in about a week with CDC Software. Our computer-telephony integration platform delivers everything they need – name, location, service history and more – before they can even say hello. When the call’s over, data flows right back into your CRM or ticketing system. No muss, no fuss, no custom code.

Train (or Retrain) Your Agents

Intentional or not, a brusque or unsympathetic agent can make or break a relationship with a customer. Take the time to focus on training. Tell your agents to listen first and then provide a solution to the caller’s problem and be empathetic. Give them scripts and guide rails but most importantly teach them to be problem solvers. Teach them to communicate hold times, mirror a customer’s language and to genuinely acknowledge what the customer is saying. A little learning can go a long way.

Keep Your Agents Happy

Happy agenda make for happy customers. Your agents are the face of the organization; you need to make sure they’re happy and motivated in their role. Recognize them. Make the work environment positive by recognizing top performers and holding team-building activities. If you have agents who don’t want to be there, the customer will pick up the vibe quick.

What do you do to make sure your customers have a fantastic experience on the phone? Let us know on Twitter. Need CTI software? We’re only a click away.