Word about poor customer service travels fast. And if that doesn’t motivate you to up your service game, how about something more concrete: 33 percent of Americans would consider switching companies after just one bad experience. So, how can ward off frustration and give your customers a great experience they can’t wait to share? Start by perfecting your primary channel for customer contact: the phone system.
- Service Callers Quickly with an IVR Menu
When people call customer service, they want their problem addressed quickly. Instead of subjecting callers to a long string of transfers, businesses can program IVR menus and auto-attendants to direct callers to the right location on the first try. The best IVR menus are brief and clear; a long-winded IVR menu only negates its efficiency and ends up frustrating callers.
Pro Tip: Shoot for five or fewer main menu options, and always allow callers to skip directly to an agent – even if only as a “quiet” option, so if they’re in a rush, hitting “0” still saves the day.
- Increase Agent Availability
It’s hard to develop a great reputation if your employees don’t answer the phone. Fortunately, SIP VoIP technology is inherently mobile, allowing employees to dial and receive calls wherever they are, from cell phone to laptop, reducing overall missed calls.
VoIP PBXs are also more flexible than traditional ones and can follow complex routing patterns, including: round robin, least recently called, skipping busy lines and custom configurations. This helps employees optimize their phone settings to reduce missed call rates. In addition, call analytics keeps performance and customer service quality high by providing call times, logging missed calls and tracking employee availability.
- Provide Personalized Service by Integrating your VoIP Solution with your CRM
Existing customers are integral to your company’s well-being and growth – don’t treat them like strangers. Make your customers feel valued by integrating your VoIP system with your company’s CRM. This allows agents to draw on customer information and call history on the fly, driving a productive conversation with fewer generic questions (i.e., “when did you purchase the product in question?”) and more familiar, friendly service.
- Issue Post-Call Surveys
How can you tell what your customers are thinking? Ask them! VoIP solutions enable businesses to implement post-phone call surveys that help them aggregate and assess feedback to continuously improve customer experiences. Also, a survey prompt at the end of the call lets customers know your business is interested in their honest feedback and committed to providing a pleasant experience.
Pro Tip: Respect your callers’ time and make the surveys brief! Tell customers how long the survey will take beforehand to set expectations.
- Text Your Customers
Most millennials would much rather send a text than make a call. Give your customers a choice of communication medium by investing in a VoIP provider that enables texting. The increased options improve their experience by letting them reach you in the way they prefer.
- Get a VoIP Toll-Free Number
It’s hard not to appreciate free, and customers notice when you go the extra mile to make something convenient and affordable. VoIP toll-free numbers are easy to adopt and super cost-effective. You can even choose a more memorable vanity number to bring in more calls (think 1-800-flowers).
Invest in a VoIP Solution that Builds Customer Service
Older landlines with limited capabilities don’t provide the flexibility necessary to personalize and expedite customer experiences. Unsurprisingly, the VoIP providers most likely to help you elevate your customer experience are those that demonstrate customer-first values themselves.
Thinking about switching to a VoIP solution to improve your customer service? Check out this infographic highlighting the top benefits of 4Voice’s business VoIP solutions and discover why we’ve earned a near-zero client attrition rate.
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