Business managers and CEOs understand the importance of good customer satisfaction. Without proper customer relationship management, a company can attract lots of negative customer reviews. This guide covers some ways of improving customer relationship management with phone calls.
Using Interactive Voice Response Systems
Interactive voice systems or IVRs are automated telephone systems that allow customers to interact with a company without being connected to an operator. This technology uses voice or touch-tone dialing and only supports basic interactions. It helps companies route calls to the appropriate agents using a series of prompts and menus. You can purchase high-quality IVR systems from companies like Aircall.
Benefits of IVRs
The main benefit of using IVRs is that the customers will end up getting connected to the right agents. That will save time for both the customer and company agents. Some issues can even be resolved without the help of human agents. For example, simple queries like order status and payment due dates can be answered by the IVR system. This can ease pressure on the organization, especially during times of disaster recovery.
Personalizing Customer Support
Personalizing customer support helps to meet consumer expectations and boost repeat sales. It helps to build brand loyalty and trust. You can use CRM systems to understand what your customers prefer. For example, you can evaluate the products they have purchased before. This will make it easier for your customer support agents to determine their preferences. You can also use intelligent call routing to automatically direct callers to the last agent they spoke to. For this system to work effectively, you will have to link your CRM to yourIVR phone system technology.
Improving the On-Hold Experience
Even with IVRs, you may still have to put some customers on hold. To improve the customer experience and minimize dropped calls, you can enrich their on-hold experience. One way of doing this is by announcing the wait times occasionally, and these should be accurate. If a customer knows that the next agent will be available in 15 minutes, they can grab a coffee and check their emails in the meantime. You should also use the same soundtracks featured in the physical stores. This helps with branding and gives the customer a sense of consistency. Managers should also call the company to understand the experience. They should evaluate the on-hold experience and take note of anything that can be improved.
Measuring Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction scores are essential for companies. You can conduct them effectively using IVR systems. Most organizations use a score of between 1 and 10, with one being completely unsatisfied and ten being highly satisfied. To get the average score, you can add up all the responses given and divide the sum by the number of respondents. You should note that customers will be more likely to give honest feedback when speaking with machines than with humans. The scores can help an organization plan its training or rewards programs.
Conclusion
Telephone support is an essential part of customer relationship management. Unlike email support, phone calls are quick and provide room for instant clarification. You can streamline your telephone support with the help of interactive voice systems or IVRs. These systems can direct customers to the right agents and can even answer basic questions. It is also essential to personalize customer support and enhance the on-hold experience. Measuring customer satisfaction regularly will give you an idea of what you need to improve.
