Maria's Internet connection broke down. She decides to call the customer support hotline and is presented with a plethora of menus, generated by an inefficient interactive voice response (IVR). With much effort, she manages to go through the convoluted menus and reaches a call center agent. In a dull voice, the agent asks Maria to hold the line. Frustrated, she drops the call.
This is one of the most common and most irritating scenarios that customers undergo when contacting a brand's support hotline. And this is also something that can break your brand.
Business should work hard to make the customer service process seamless. They must ensure customer satisfaction and provide a great experience. But when customers encounter pain points in their transaction, their experience with your company is negatively affected. Here are some of the most common bottlenecks you definitely must avoid.
1. Long hold times
This is one of the most common customer service pet peeves. It can be frustrating to customers when they're put on hold for a long time, especially when the agent still fails to meet their expectations even after the hold. Whenever possible, minimize hold times, or if it can't be helped, reassure customers after a minute or two.
2. Complicated customer service process
A study shows that 90% of customers want to talk to a live agent and they want to get connected to one as quickly as possible. When customers have to navigate several IVR menus before they get to talk to the right agent, it may cause undue frustration. Same goes with multichannel customer support. If a customer has to repeat information when they switch to another channel, then it negates the point of channel integration. Make sure that the customer service process is easy, straightforward, and above all, effective.
3. Robotic call center agents
Customers prefer talking to people instead of getting automated replies from a machine or computer programs like chatbots. You should use this to your advantage by making conversations lively. When an agent speaks monotonously or sounds bored, customers feel that the company doesn't care about them. And sometimes, an agent's intent to help isn't conveyed well by simply reading a script. They should be trained to express empathy, smile while talking, and understand customers better.
4. Lack of product knowledge
A customer expects call center agents to possess enough know-how to fix their problems. And when agents don't know what they're talking about—especially regarding technical matters—it can be very disappointing for customers.
Instead of just giving up on an issue, agents should look it up for the customer or ask an expert on the matter. That way, they can earn customers' respect and show their dedication to making customers happy.
Brands can't perfect customer service delivery all the time. There will be instances when your customers will experience the obstacles mentioned above. But by minimizing the pain points and employing some measures to prevent them, you can ensure customer satisfaction and a great customer experience.