Unravel The Most Common Customer Service Misconceptions

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It is easy to form an opinion. But, what’s easier than everything else is – to form misconceptions. And if we talk in terms of industry layouts, customer service misconceptions are the most challenging, uphill tasks which any call center rep must aim to avoid at any cost.

Customer service misconceptions make your agent’s task more tiring, rendering loop holes and cracks in your fool-proof training and strategy sessions. All your efforts and planning can go in vain, if your agents aren’t aware of the most common misconceptions they need to absolutely refrain from. Ever since the term ‘the customer is always right’ was coined, all your agents were already doomed! To minimise the collateral, you need to educate them about other ‘not so true’ sayings and practices. This will not only increase their productivity, but also ensure smart-working, instead of them working really hard to always woo their customers.

If your customers are facing any issues or problems, it comes boiling down to your agents to fix their issues. Often while dealing with irate customers, reps can make an already humongous task more difficult by falling prey to wrong preconceived notions in their heads. This can hamper your customer base, customer loyalty index and can even effectively deteriorate your returning customer numbers, which is not a good approach for any business. Besides this, your customers also call in with some ‘already decided notions’ in their heads. They know how they need to get what they want. Today’s customers are smart. To tackle them and effectively, we need a smarter workforce. So, here are some most common customer service misconceptions and why you must avoid them.

1. The customer is always right

No. They are not. Just like you and me, they are every bit human. And to be human, is to err. He will have keen concerns and queries. He will yell at the top of his voice to prove his point. He might prove it as well. But this doesn’t mean that all your customers are always correct. There will be scenarios when your customer will be unreasonably demanding. He will seek invalid compensation for some issue blown out of proportion which can be sorted out in an alternate way. Be commanding in such situations, but always be humble. Learn to negotiate with him.

2. No complaints, no worries

If your customer isn’t complaining, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is happy. He could be behaving in such a manner because he just doesn’t care anymore and is or has already looked up for some better option, to avail some or all of your services. This could also indicate loss of interest from his end. If you are only counting and basing your quality checks on the number of ‘happy customers’, you need to re-think and re-evaluate your customer feedback strategy.

3. Just meet his needs

There is a huge difference in just providing average customer service vs. excelling at it. If you are just providing him with what he needs and not considering about exceeding his needs, which could benefit him in the longer run, there’s a great chance that he will stop availing your services pretty soon. Customers cannot predict market trends and terminologies. They seek assistance. They seek your expertise. It is your duty to walk an extra mile and warn or suggest him a better offer or deal available.

4. The fear of not knowing

(Customer: Can you tell me which accounts are you guys keeping open during the spring-summer break? And, also let me know the electronic transfer number of each of them?

Agent: Umm… I am facing some technical difficulties while trying to retrieve that answer for you. Can I put your call on hold for some time? )

Ring a bell? We all have experienced this one. All your customers will at one time or another overwhelm you with queries and concerns. It is OKAY to NOT KNOW! Nobody likes a know-it-all, anyways! Instead of blaming your servers all the time, tell them the truth. Be polite and build a rapport and assure them that you are going to do every bit of research possible to get this answer for them. They will appreciate that more.

5. Escalations are bad

No, customer call escalations are not bad. But, excess of everything is bad, so is this. If you are desperately turning all your calls in escalations, that is bad. But, there will be scenarios and situations, where no matter how empathetic and sympathetic you are being towards the customer, he just won’t listen. He would be struck on his rut to speak to your supervisor. In such cases, after a rebuttal, transfer his call. Let him speak to someone who will give him the exactly same resolution as you. Escalations happen all the time, don’t let this hamper your spirit and not make your customers happy!

If you have examples and feedback for us, let us know in the comments section!

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