The quality of customer service begins from the moment a prospect contacts the company for the first time, through its representatives. This period is extended and concludes when the client stops doing it to find better satisfaction in another supplier company.
The duration of this period will be extended for as long as the client perceives that the best attention and satisfaction is found in the supplier company, beyond the remaining offer of its market competitors.
It is interesting to note that there is no entrepreneur or manager who does not want and predict the achievement of "good service" in customer service. But between the saying and the fact, there is a long way.
Over the phone, the well-known sales proverb also applies, stating that "There is no second chance for a good first impression", regarding your potential customers or those you already own.
Surely you yourself will have suffered dissatisfaction experiences, in the opportunity to contact by phone to find out about a particular product or service with a supplier company.
Precisely the telephone, constitutes an excellent communication tool to satisfy prospects and clients, provided it is used professionally.
Otherwise, and without you being able to measure it objectively, you can scare off numerous potential customers every day for a "malpractice" in their use.
Unfortunately, we must accept that no one will inform the company manager about the calls that caused unresolved upsets or conflicts, or that were interrupted after a long wait despite the good background music or simply because they have not been answered or have not been answered. received a response according as they considered deserve.
For this reason, it is interesting it is important to know the most common mistakes that are made in this regard by the vast majority of companies, even in the front-line or leaders:
- Managers believe and trust that all their telephone contact personnel (reception, administrative, sales, service, etc.) correctly interpret and apply their customer satisfaction messages and preaching at all times. They lack effective monitoring and control methods. of this important means of communication. They do not make an adequate selection of the personnel that use this key means of communication, nor do they provide them with "tailor-made" training so that all representatives sell with their best care, the image of quality and efficiency of the company.
In each call, some (or all) of the following 5 basic quality criteria in telephone service are not met:
- Every incoming call shouldn't ring more than 3 times. If a recorded message is used for incoming calls, it should be quality, cordial and brief; preferably not offering more than 4 options and having a personalized attention option, which must be attended before the third ring after being selected by the prospect or client. The reception of calls must be cordial and pleasant to the ear (smile when speaking) and establish with objectivity and clarity the names of the interlocutors, their companies and, fundamentally, the reason for the call to be able to transmit directly and solely, with the person responsible for efficiently address your concern. At the end of each call, the prospect or customer should be satisfied with the content of the responses received, beyond their initial expectations.This generates that an image of quality and efficiency with respect to the company, its products or services is recorded in your mind. Each answered call must be registered in a computerized system, to be stored in the virtual folder of each account. In this way, everyone responsible for your company will know when you called and for what reason each of your current and potential customers did so in order to satisfy them with your response.
Convinced that what has been stated so far has generated various concerns and expectations, let us provide you with an economic and effective resource to find your own answers.
For the sole purpose of making an effective diagnosis in your own company on this fundamental issue for your sales, we suggest that you carry out a simple but effective procedure.
If you have an audio recorder to do this, you will have the best objective elements to start making real progress in your telephone communications. The self-analysis procedure is as follows:
1. Call the phone number your prospects and clients communicate with.
2. Using a fictitious name, check how you are cared for according to the 5 basic quality criteria for telephone service, expressed above.
3. Do the same in other companies of your competition and then compare them with yours.
If your business values include differentiating yourself from your competitors in quality of service, we suggest that you start here until you achieve a significant distance in favor of customer satisfaction.
Then, you can continue with improvements in other details and sectors of the company so that your potential sales can capitalize on them as their quality of applied care and their products or services, they deserve.
© Copyright 2001, by Martín E. Heller
