Consumers and clients expect a different level of customer service these days. Learn how a voice collaboration platform like Vocol.ai can help you serve your customers better.
Even if a brand sells products, they are now in the service economy: They must distinguish themselves on the quality of customer service they provide their customers. This customer-centricity must be delivered from end-to-end, beginning when the customer has an inquiry, continuing into the decision-making process, and persisting into after-sales support.
This proposition is difficult, which is why so many brands fail when it comes to customer service. Perhaps they may not respond quickly to customer concerns, provide them with the right solution to their problem, or even service them with properly trained staff. These are all frustrating experiences as a customer that can turn one away permanently from a brand.
Fortunately, technology can help. One of the most effective ways of transforming customer service is through an AI voice collaboration platform like Vocol.ai. These solutions transform audio into a hub from which brands can improve their customer service in three key ways.
In a bid to streamline operations, many businesses have a regular queue in their customer service department. That way, their customer service representatives can attend to customers back-to-back, rather than have long dead periods in between calls. While this approach may save man hours, it actually backfires on brands.
Customer service expectations are higher than ever: According to a HubSpot study, customers expect to be served in five minutes or less. This responsiveness should continue onto the call itself: Instead of being distracted from note-taking - a common responsibility of employees in customer service - they must listen intently, so they can grasp the customer’s need, address it promptly, and get them on their way.
An AI voice collaboration platform can help customer service representatives focus entirely on the customer’s issue. These solutions will create transcripts of each conversation, including multi-lingual support as needed, so the employee is spared the hassle of note-taking and can devote themselves entirely to the customer.
This concentration extends to the post-call process: Instead of making a report for documentation, the employee can simply browse through the tags or the summary automatically generated by the AI voice collaboration platform to refresh their memory or hand-off the case to another agent. These features minimize the time they spend on documentation and maximize the time they spend solving customer problems.
The best call centers do not only function as cost centers but as active parts of the sales process. For example, a customer might phone in with a complaint about their laptop. Once the agent fixes the issue, he may suggest other products or upgrades to the laptop that will further improve its performance. This transforms what should have only been a customer service issue into a revenue opportunity.
Getting agents to cross-sell and upsell is easier said than done. Customer service is heavily reliant on scripts, while sales requires more creativity by necessity. The best way to develop a talent for sales is for auditors to review how past agents have succeeded - or failed - in generating cross-sells or upsells.
Customer service teams can filter certain calls by tags or keywords. For example, an auditor at a call center that supports a local hotel may want to review calls that mention “room upgrade.” From there, the auditor can analyze how each call is handled, and evaluate how agents perform, including adherence to best practices and standard operating procedures for upsells to more premium rooms and cross-sells to other products, such as hotel clubs or time-shares.
Because the AI voice collaboration platform will help each auditor go over twice as many calls, they can take a larger picture of their operations. For example, instead of only giving feedback to individual agents, they can now suggest relevant changes to the SOP that will enhance successful cross-selling and upselling.
The world is in the midst of a Great Resignation in which employees are resigning at higher rates than ever before. The business process outsourcing industry, which powers most of the world’s call centers, is no exception: Agents are fast switching to other companies or even other sectors.
In a high attrition environment, some companies may beef up their compensation and benefits, adding exotic perks in a bid to retain agents. These companies are misguided. To keep employees, they should instead reevaluate their learning and development: Study after study has shown that investing into an employee’s professional training and development can boost retention anywhere from 30 percent to 50 percent.
AI voice collaboration platforms can also streamline training. Instead of having to listen to calls on a one-to-one basis, agents can instead read text summaries. This approach will help them study a wider range of interactions, so they are better prepared for any type of possible customer service call. This is especially helpful for new hires, who must pickup the rigors of the job during an average of a two-month training time, only two to four weeks of which are usually face-to-face with an instructor.
L&D based on call summaries will also benefit longer tenured agents, who are the ones most likely looking for new jobs. By retaining them through ongoing professional development, companies reduce turnover, and in turn, improve customer service. More experienced agents will be better equipped to serve the unique needs of a brand’s customers.
Customer support is one of the most challenging areas of business. It is understandably difficult for brands to respond to the ever-changing needs of customers and do so quickly. To meet this demand, brands must approach customer service with the same drive for technology as they do other areas of the business.
The most effective solution for any customer service team - whether within a call center or an in-house team - is an AI voice collaboration platform like Vocol.ai. These solutions will help businesses be more responsive to customers, continually improve their support and sales processes through higher quality audits, and build a veteran customer service team through improved retention. An AI voice collaboration platform, in short, will give brands an edge: Instead of only providing customer service, they will be driving customer loyalty.
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