Customer quality reigns supreme

Pieter du Preez, Spescom DataFusion`s marketing manager, says that call quality comes down to how the caller`s problem is resolved.

"If a customer is routed to a contact centre, it is because they have the need to resolve an issue," he points out.

He says the start of caller frustration often happens at the beginning of the call n the call is directed to a menu recording. The menu`s purpose is to ensure that the customer`s call is directed to the best possible agent for the type of query. It is important then, that the menu is brief and easy to understand to give the caller the best experience possible.

That said, the frustration caused by a lengthy voice-menu recording is nothing compared to being placed on hold. And, he says, statistics show that South Africans generally end a call if they have received no response within 72 seconds.

And, as Du Preez point out, high call abandonment rates can be a great cost to business.

"This is a clear sign that there is not enough staff to handle incoming calls," he says. "Much of customer dissatisfaction comes down to management."He maintains that there needs to be more empowerment of contact centres. They are, after all, made responsible for service delivery but are often not integrated into the rest of the company. "It needs to be part of the core business," he urges.

He also believes there is a general lack of training of agents. If an agent is not clued up on all forms of queries or comments they may receive, the client will feel helpless and irritated quickly.

Another important enabler of successful service delivery is technology. Technology allows the business and the call centre to integrate through applications, giving a more holistic view of the caller at any given time. "With the aid of technology, for example, problem calls can be flagged and clients` voice pitching can be monitored, all enabling a better call experience both for the agent and the caller," Du Preez says.

MULTIMEDIA CONTACT

These days, Du Preez stresses, call centres are about much more than a call and are increasingly being referred to as "multimedia contact centres".

For example, he says a call-centre agent can send an e-mail or SMS to a customer and then follow up with a call. That way, there will already be an initial point of contact which can make the call a much more agreeable occurrence. "Keep in mind that voice is real-time, though, so it should not be replaced by an e-mail or SMS."Although the idea of Web collaboration in contact centres is still emerging locally, some of the more mature companies do use it already, he says.

SHOW YOUR BEST SIDE

Every successful company has a specific way in which it portrays itself to consumers and other business partners. It may have exquisite offices, brilliant adverting campaigns, strong social responsibility and charity drives, and a cleverly designed logo and slogan.

But what some company`s fail to realise is that the way their contact centres handle incoming calls can make or break their customer service reputation."Your customer needs to be made feel as important as you keep telling them they are," Du Preez stresses.

A contact centre can also be a great marketing tool to make callers aware of new services and products they may be unaware of. If they are existing customers, personalised marketing can be done based on what business has been done in the past.

As Du Preez points out: "A contact centre is a window into your customer environment, and companies do not take into account the value it can add to a business."