OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICES BEYOND ZAPPOS
You might have read the story… a traveler checked into the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. When the traveler was unpacking she realized that she’d forgotten a pair of her favorite shoes. She had purchased the missing shoes at Zappos, so she headed to its website. When she could not find another pair of the same shoes on the site, she called the company’s help-desk concierge service. Zappos no longer had the shoes, but its headquarters are just outside of Las Vegas. So the Zappos team located the shoes at a nearby mall, went there and purchased the shoes, and then hand-delivered them to the Mandalay Bay, all at no charge.
Stories like these create legendary experiences for the customer and, in this case, great publicity for the company. While this is extreme from a call center perspective, identifying and coding “special recognition” customers should be common.
So your call center touches customers thousands of times daily. Why not take the Zappos approach and select those Special Recognition customers and go beyond the basic transaction request.
Upon call completion, have the call center agent provide additional levels of fulfillment by writing a special thank-you note or sending a small special gift? Send your customer a special promotion etc…with the note and thank them for being a customer. Changing the perception that your call center is a cost model when it can be perceived as a personal touch center that creates raving fans of your brand is social thinking.
How easy is it? Most call centers are tied into CRM portals that can code and collect these opportunities and outputted to a fulfillment center for printing etc. This process could be managed and reported to executives. In addition, social media can be monitored and reported to see the impact.
Key learning … do something special, do everything you can to say yes and personalize it. Customers with a special request or customers that have special needs should be fulfilled with extra attention. In turn, your company will be recognized with “Zappos like great customer service exposure.”
Creating delight through outstanding customer service is one of the easiest, fastest, and cheapest ways to produce free advertising. Wouldn’t you like to have one of your customers post on their Facebook to their 500+ friends how cool your company is?
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INITIAL QUESTIONS TO HELP DEVELOP A SUCCESSFUL TELEMARKETING CHANNEL
Successful outbound telemarketing campaigns start with creative planning and budgeting. While new sales and marketing channels blossom in social media, the telemarketing channels remain one of the fastest and most lucrative methods to directly engage and acquire new customers.
So what are those initial questions to help develop a successful telemarketing channel and is telemarketing the right channel for me?
- What is the offer and is it right for telemarketing channel? Ask experts… can it be done? Too often campaigns are created that may not work in this channel and are better suited for other channels such as direct mail, social ads, DRTV and more.
- How committed are you going to be to developing this channel? Are you looking to just test or are you serious in developing the budget to invest in the scope and dynamics to launch a robust telemarketing sales channel?
- So who will you target? Is this new customer acquisition? Lead generation? Upselling?
- Now you have a budget, what are the targeted acquisition costs and the surrounding metrics needed to hit that CPA (cost per acquisition)?
- Does the scripting provide the most intriguing value proposition? You have a limited window of opportunity over a phone call (less than 20 seconds) to create interest.
- Do I have the right data? Is it scored or profiled to promote the best CPA?
- Insource or outsource? Can it be handled well internally or turn-keyed externally? Outsourcing has its plusses and deltas. Understand what’s involved and make a timely decision.
- Have you socialized the scripting with experienced telemarketing professionals? Scripting is an art form and while there are no magically scripts, a bad script can result in a failed telemarketing channel.
- Are you prepared to fulfill and maintain a number of federal and state requirements in order to conduct outbound calls including associated do not call policies and practices requirements? Seek professional legal counsel and talk to experts to ensure compliancy. Even while conducting some limited telemarketing tests, making outbound calls out of compliance may result in fines or even jail if you contact someone inappropriately.
- Are you collecting and validating the best marketing data to help understand your customer? What are customers saying during the call? How can I use this valuable “voice of the customer” data to enhance my marketing and product or service?
- Is the staff skilled for the job at hand? While you can make thousands of calls there is no substitute for proper training and testing. Ill-prepared telemarketers and an appointment setting campaign can quickly fail if the telemarketing agent lacks knowledge and skills.
Finally there is no substitute for testing and validation. Tweak your campaigns and test different offers and markets. Try different data models and collect the reporting and metrics to see how various programs run to validate your success.
By having these questions answered it will help you develop the right telemarketing channel to achieve better results and boost your sales goals.
THE MOBILE APP CHAT OPPORTUNITY FOR CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT, SALES AND SUPPORT
There are several million mobile apps out there. If your company had made the app plunge, how are you interacting with your customers with your App? Research indicates US consumers prefer mobile browsers for banking, travel, shopping, local info, news, video, sports and blogs and prefer apps for games, social media, maps and music. What may be most surprising is what’s not on the list?
While shopping is in the top 5 for web browsing, the shopping on the web app hasn’t broken through to the dismay of big retailers that have well designed such as Target and Wal-Mart. Apple doesn’t even have a main category for shopping. The App Store lumps it under the Lifestyle category. With more tablets notebooks and IPads out there in record number why the customer slow adoption?
Main reason, Lack of user friendly experience and customer interaction.
No doubt your customers are mobile and on the go today. The smart phone, tablet market has had exponential growth with over 70% of the world’s population having a cell phone. 9 of every 10 US citizens carry a mobile device and customers are turning more and more to apps to check accounts, view content, and for those smart mobile app developers…purchase something. So how can you engage customers directly for a sale, offer customer service and technical support and create a better customer experience?
In the last year we have witnessed some live chat applications on mobile devices. As an example your iPhone users can now connect to your chat agents on demand from an iPhone application. What are some practical applications for this new and emerging mobile app chat technology?A few examples look like this:
A software company may want to have a technical support mobile app chat function available. There may be a need for some sort of support requirements and a customer then can initiate a chat with an agent directly from your mobile application as opposed to calling or emailing customer service. Additionally, the agent has visibility from the Chat Administrative Console that the visitor is using a mobile device.
A retailer launches a mobile app with various offers and products have some phone numbers for support but no online chat. The increased costs to make a call regarding the mobile app product are defeating the purpose of the application for on-line customer ease.
Here’s the example:
I’m at work and want to view bedding from Target’s mobile app. I have some questions but can’t make a call. A Mobile chat application promotes customers ease, and reduces costs due to the live chat agent’s ability to have multiple chat conversations simultaneously with incurred telecommunications cost.
Check out Target’s mobile App, its user friendly, lots of products to purchase, options to call but no chat application. How many potential customers and sales are being lost from visitors that want help but can’t make a call?
75% of shoppers will engage in an Internet search while walking in your store with a mobile app, or watching your commercial with an IPad next to them or perhaps reading your ad. A Mobile App Chat enables you to quickly provide instant answers to your customers’ questions, more importantly at the critical stage when they are making a purchasing decision.
At Talk2Rep, we are thinking that the Mobile App Chat application is a game changer for companies that engage their customers for service, support and sales. After recently deploying a telecom giants mobile app chat team, we are seeing a flow of customers that want questions answered from everything from billing, customer service and purchases. With the chat app loaded, customers previously may want to simply check their bill, now they are being engaged with added features and plans with an up-sell.
The Mobile App Live Chat reduces phone calls and emails, improves customer satisfaction, builds customer trust and increases brand loyalty and can monetize the experience with sales. It surrounds the customer with a better user engagement due to faster resolution response times. Pads and smart phones are handy devices in your customer’s hand. Great, you now have a presence with an app, but how are you engaging your customers with smart, friendly and perhaps sales savvy mobile app chat representative.
HOW IMPORTANT IS A QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR ENSURING ACCURATE DATA?
It’s amazing, but despite your efforts to develop customer relationships, some consumers on your database disappear. Whether the individual has moved home, or has changed job titles continued attempts to send marketing communications are at best a waste of time, effort, and resources; at worst they can cause offense and may damage your brand.
According to published reports 20+ percent of contact information changes annually and in some demographics it’s as high as 30 percent. So stop wasting precious marketing dollars with returned bulk mail, bad telemarketing data with wrong number and address information. With greater cell phone usage and alternative social media, marketers cannot afford to invest in marketing programs that are using aged or unqualified databases.
Many addresses contain simple errors that hinder address matching. These could be typos, or may just be incorrectly spelled addresses. To allow records to be mapped geographically and compared to other databases, address information must be corrected, cleaned, and duplicates removed. Additional benefits of database cleaning and the removal of duplicated addresses are reduced administration costs, a single view of customers, and improved company image through spelling corrections and reduced customer duplication.
So, how can you make sure to get the most out of your database? The most important part of any data collection program is to maintain quality control. Whether you conduct a database cleansing and validation program in house, or contract a company to do it for you, be sure to set up a rigorous audit system designed to ensure data accuracy.
The audit should include script and logic-flow testing, real-time data review, and digital recording and fulfillment analysis to achieve optimum data performance. In fact, not having these tools in place could cause greater database errors. A cleansed database should reduce wrong numbers and bad addresses down to 5 percent, increasing your penetration and success on your next direct mail and telemarketing program.
Imagine quickly accessing the records you need to pinpoint a target area, personalize a communication, and reach your desired contacts efficiently. How would your client Jon Symthe feel when a communication addressed to him that reads John Smith? You can be a database pro and increase productivity with clean, precise and updated data.
7 STEPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE TELEMARKETING SALES CHANNEL
Telemarketing has gotten a bad reputation from unscrupulous businesses trying to make a quick buck. There are only a handful of companies that properly follow state and federal guidelines and consider telemarketing a credible and very lucrative sales channel. Here’s 7 techniques the best companies use for effective telemarketing to their customers.
1. Create a unique and interesting offer to capture the customers attention within 15 seconds. You have a limited window to introduce yourself and make your pitch. Rework your introduction as many times as necessary to have the greatest impact.
2. Ask a question as soon as possible to engage the customer into the conversation. Customers are less likely to hang up the phone if you ask a question .
3. Listen closely to the response and be prepared to rebuttal. Most customers will respond consistently and being prepared to respond will always give you an edge. A sales call is a chess match…know the right moves in advance.
4. Building rapport does not mean asking “how are you?”. Most people will say “fine”. Know ask yourself “Did I learn anything from this response?” . The most effective salesperson will do some level of account review , history, research in order to be prepared to ask a relative question in order to establish an additional level of comfort over the telephone.
5. Leave telemarketing scripting to the experts. At Talk2Rep, we work with our clients to understand the product or offer. Quite often marketing people script a commercial to be used over the telephone. Marketing scripts tune out customers and more often than not you will sound like a radio commercial instead of a friendly and personal telephone engagement.
6. Role play the call flow for improvement to ensure the most productivity. Keep the call flow focused and time limited. Balance quality and quantity. More contacts may mean more sales so don’t get lost in providing too much information.
7. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Look at transactional reporting closely. How long are customers staying on the phone? What are customers saying? How are you converting your calls? Collect data and make the necessary telemarketing campaign tweaks to gain the most customers.
While on line lead generation, social media and live chat have become new channels for customer acquisition, Telemarketing continues to be a multi-billion sales channel to acquire and retain new customers. Just follow all regulations, engage customers and represent yourself properly and professionally and follow these 7 steps as a formula for telemarketing success.
HOW CAN I ENHANCE QUALITY FROM OUR OUTSOURCED CALL CENTER PARTNER?
Your company has outsourced its call center operations, and now you must manage service levels and metrics. Beyond looking at the numbers, how can you ensure your customers are receiving a quality experience? Here are six tactical approaches:
1. Representatives – Is the call center using well-trained, top quality representatives on the program? Exceptional customer experiences start with exceptional
reps, and call center professionals certainly play a key role in increasing profitability and customer satisfaction. Ask the vendor about hiring criteria, which should include call center skills testing procedures.
2. Knowledge Base – Do the call center reps know everything there is to know about your product or service? It is your responsibility to make sure the vendor and its reps have all the information they need to seamlessly represent your company. Give the call center and the agents a robust knowledge base, including training, FAQs, and sales/service tools. Keep information up to date, and have the vendor conduct regular training updates and product/service knowledge tests.
3. Representative reports – Are you taking advantage of the reporting capabilities your call center has to offer? Along with regular daily or weekly call reports,
ask for reports on representatives’ service levels. There is a confirmedrelationship between service level and quality; this will be demonstrated as reps strive for exceptional service levels. The result is improved quality representation for your customers.
4. Call monitoring – Does the call center have the technology to record and monitor calls? If so, be sure it’s being it to evaluate agents’ customer service skills. The
ability to capture data and voice gives call center operations managers the tools they need to effectively train reps and ultimately increase productivity and profits for your company. Have the vendor regularly email you recordings of randomly selected calls; review them together and make sure the vendor hears the same opportunities to improve call quality that you hear.
5. Test calls – How are the call center reps really doing? Find out for yourself by making anonymous test calls to the call center on a regular basis. Test calls are a great way to determine the effectiveness of your training. You can also judge quality levels firsthand, and can provide feedback to the call center. Your vendor will appreciate your input.
6. Communications – Are your vendor communications limited to reports by email and the occasional phone call? Regular, open communications with your outsourced partner is an important tool in the quality process. Set up a weekly teleconference with your vendor to discuss program progress and outstanding issues. Answer vendor emails and voicemails in a timely manner, and make sure they extend the same courtesy. You may have selected your outsourced partner because it
has the latest technology and operational capabilities or an impressive record of success and experience. Don’t let the firm rest on these laurels: Focus your vendor on call quality and you will be able to maintain, improve, and enhance customer contact management operations. Take the proactive approach. You will be pleased to find that the numbers will fully exceed your expectations.
5 TIPS TO ENHANCE CUSTOMER RETENTION
Plainly speaking Customer Retention is the activity that a company undertakes in order to reduce customer churn. What most companies fail to realize is that retention begins when the sale is underway. Whether through online, telemarketing, direct mail, door to door, no matter what channel, the initial customer experience sets the alarm clock from the time customer retains your service. So initial positive impressions and experience is critical at the time of sale and then maintained throughout the lifecycle of the customer.
So while creating channels to add customers, a company needs to simultaneously create channels to keep customers engaged. Strangely enough one of the fastest ways to actually grow your business is to reduce the number of clients who leave you. Thus, looking after existing clients should become your top priority.
Here are some channels to help bolster retention:
- Welcome Calls: Initiate a “welcome to our family” and inquire what your customer’s initial impressions are of the product or service they purchased. Ask them about their experience to date; this is also a great time to ask for referrals if their experience has been positive. This can accomplished be by mail, email, a newsletter, or even just a simple face-to-face chat.
- Manage Social Media: By paying attention to posted complaints you can deter possible cancellations and continuous negative broadcasts. Look at negative complaints as an opportunity to “win over” a customer by showing care and responsiveness. Today, negative comments on social media can spread virally to negatively impact your reputation. Engage customers timely on Facebook, Twitter etc. and represent yourself as a caring organization willing to satisfy.
- Create and support a Loyalty Program. There are many industries that have use loyalty programs as a thrust of their customer engagements i.e. airlines industry. The airlines spend millions of dollars on these programs. Today however, you can create online loyalty programs through social media that are extremely cost effective and can easily broadcast customer enthusiasm for your product or service.
- Manage customer service satisfaction and FCR (First Call Resolution) some companies have gone offshore or nearshore with their call centers to reduce costs. These short term decisions have had negative long term consequences with lower retention in areas such as sales, service and in some cases technical support. Even if you have a US based call center infrastructure, measure satisfaction, offer customers choice and ensure problems are resolved timely.
- Specialist retention swat team Consider setting up a specialist retention team by identifying agents with the right mix of service and sales skills that are best suited for this effort. Customers are calling with intent to cancel. You need to invest in a focused and highly trained team to engage these customers with a turnaround goal to have a happy satisfied customer once again.
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