Brought to you by Bright Pattern:
No business will get very far without a loyal base of customers. While new customers are great, it costs a lot more to get a new customer than to keep an existing one. Even if you manage to keep the new subscribers rolling in, churn can still sink your company even as the numbers on paper continue to look pretty good.
The way to beat churn and keep your company thriving is to put at least as much effort into keeping your existing customers as you do with getting new ones. The whole company needs to prioritize satisfying existing customers; including your call center sales agents. Here are three ways they can increase customer loyalty, and how you can help them do it:
Admit Errors and Correct Them Right Away
Mistakes are going to happen. Miscommunication is a reality. These moments can either destroy your relationship with a customer forever, or they can be an opportunity to establish trust.
When your company steps out to make things right, you show that you’re willing to act in the interests of your customers. Almost nothing generates loyalty like being willing to take a hit so someone else’s needs can be the priority. When you treat people this way, they remember. They might even start talking you up online.
How to help your agents deliver: Start by putting a cloud based call center phone system in place. It should have omnichannel integration so agents can see at a glance the whole history of all communications with anyone they speak to. Then, empower your sales agents to make decisions. If they see your company has failed to deliver on a promise, they should be able to get it fixed immediately.
Follow up and Stay in Contact
Some salespeople have bad reputations for coming on friendly and personable right up until the moment they make the sale. Once they have your money, they disappear over the horizon, never to be heard from again.
Even if your product or service works perfectly, customers will resent the feeling of being shunted off the second their money is in your hands. If people feel respected and valued by your agents, they will reward you with loyalty.
How to help your agents deliver: Make sure your agents check back regularly after a sale to find out if customers have questions, complaints, or feedback. Use your call center software to build these calls into the day at strategic intervals, setting them up for agents automatically. Be sure to follow up about how these calls go, and don’t forget to use them as a way to get feedback you can act on.
Don’t Underestimate Simple Kindness
Everyone has a bad day, and it’s understandable that agents will sometimes feel tense, particularly if they’ve just been interacting with a rude caller. While “harsh words” are sometimes very understandable, they are almost never productive.
Staying kind may not appear to make a difference in the moment, but chances are an angry customer will reflect on the incident later and feel bad about their behavior. When they’re ready to buy again, they’ll remember how well they were treated.
How to help your agents deliver: Your agents will follow your lead, so make sure you keep your cool and treat people in the call center with respect. Teach your sales agents strategies for dealing with angry people. You can also help your people stay patient by scheduling enough breaks, giving positive feedback wherever you can, and rewarding those who are especially good at working with those difficult callers.
