Customer Service Pitfalls

Why Some Find Bad Customer Service Useful

Bad customer service happens when you fail to meet customer expectations or fall short of providing a pleasant experience. Sometimes, bad customer service is the result of a flawed customer care strategy — such as when customers wade through a series of questions before receiving any help.

Forbes Magazine highlighted an incident where one disgruntled British Airways customer did more than just rant online about missing luggage — he paid for a promoted tweet to get the word out. The airline failed to respond to the tweet for eight hours, claiming that their Twitter feed was only open for certain hours. The customer further chided British Airways for not having someone watching their social media accounts around the clock.

Incidences like this have not made it unthinkable to fail to provide real-time support. Whether it’s via live chat or chatbots, your business is expected to respond to customer queries 24/7. And you shouldn’t be lazy with your social media accounts either.

The most frustrating thing here is that some businesses intentionally don’t improve their customer service. They put it on the back burner to prioritize other goals. Some even consider bad customer service to be an effective strategy to cut costs, pursue other goals and not necessarily going out of their way to provide outstanding customer experience and some deliberately design a complaint process that keeps customer from successfully resolving their issues.

The blind spot for such an approach is that Customer is Always King. Soon enough the business bottom line will call for more new strategies to attract and retain customers.

Its at this time that the merits of outsourcing customer care to professionals becomes a a game changer for the business. The Companies immediately realize that;

Improved Customer Service: Requires the business to providing a dedicated channel for customer interactions, Call center agents trained to address customer needs promptly, professionally, and efficiently, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Increased Sales and Revenue: Need the services of a contact centers that can play a vital role in driving sales and generating revenue. Agents can engage with potential customers, provide product information, answer queries, and even assist in the sales process. By actively pursuing sales opportunities through outbound calls or upselling and cross-selling during customer interactions, call centers can contribute to the organization’s bottom line.

24/7 Availability: Global business is a 24/7 economy. Outsourcing customer care operations to a provider who can operate round the clock, offering 24/7 customer support is critical for a global brand. This availability ensures that customers can reach out for assistance at any time, regardless of their time zone or location. Providing this level of accessibility demonstrates a commitment to customer service and can help in retaining customers who value prompt assistance.

Data Collection and Analysis: Provides real-time business insights to the business. A Call center will generate a vast amount of data through customer interactions. This data can be invaluable for organizations in gaining insights into customer behavior, preferences, and trends. Analyzing call center data can help identify areas for improvement, develop targeted marketing strategies, enhance product offerings, and make informed business decisions.

Cost Savings: While setting up and maintaining a call center involves initial investment and operational costs, it can result in long-term cost savings. Centralizing customer support functions in a call center allows for economies of scale, efficient resource allocation, and optimized staffing. Additionally, call centers can leverage technology such as chatbots and self-service options to handle routine inquiries, reducing the workload on human agents and lowering costs.

Brand Reputation and Competitive Advantage: A well-managed call center that consistently delivers excellent customer service can contribute to a positive brand reputation. Customers are more likely to recommend a company with reliable customer support, which can lead to increased customer acquisition through word-of-mouth. Moreover, having a call center can provide a competitive advantage over organizations that lack such dedicated customer service capabilities.

Overall, a call center serves as a crucial communication hub between an organization and its customers, enhancing customer service, boosting sales, providing valuable data insights, and contributing to the organization’s success.

Businesses should be quick to meet customers where they are today. With more businesses going digital, the competition is becoming even tighter. We can no longer afford to sacrifice good customer care for other metrics — not when a myriad of options are accessible with just a few taps. Even the companies that used to benefit from bad customer service need to rethink their strategy.

Excellent customer service still does a better job of keeping customers and attracting new ones. This means more profitability and sustainability for your business in the long run.