There are many benefits to outsourced customer service, from taking the weight off the shoulders of in-house operations, to leaving the telephone answering service function in the hands of the experts. But how can you tell the pros from the amateurs? What are the hallmarks of customer service experts, based on the performance of their agents? Here we look at some ways of spotting the best-outsourced customer service agents.
Keep calm under pressure
It is an inevitable part of the job: customer service agents might need to deal with frustrated callers on a daily basis. So the skill of being able to handle several irate callers a day is one with a value which should not be underestimated. The best agents don’t get flustered, even in the face of provocation and callers shouting at them – it is essential to keep their cool.
Communication skills
You might think this goes without saying, but you could be surprised at the number of customer service agencies which employ agents who do not have the communication skills necessary to deliver a quality service. Rather than simply a good command of language, the best customer service agents are able to listen at the right times, and clearly, explain solutions.
Empathy
Especially in the case of exercises such as funeral call handling, the best call centre agents will have empathy for their callers in abundance. If a caller has a concern or problem, skilled agents are able to strike up a rapport and leave them assured that they are being listened to and that their call is important. A customer should never feel that they are ‘just another caller’.
Good information ‘absorber’
Knowledge of a given subject is important in many types of customer support function, as how can a caller expect to be guided if the agent does not know what they want to find out? For this reason, skilled telephone answering service operatives are adept at absorbing information and using it at the appropriate times.
So there you have it, some ways of judging customer service agents and making sure that when you outsource, it is to the best in the business! Contact us today to find out more.