Ever since call centers came into being, it became easy for businesses to outsource “customer service” to such third-party service providers. Out of sight, out of mind and business executives led happy lives assuming call centers would handle customers. This is an erroneous perception as businesses find to their cost.
Lack of efficiency and knowledge leads to customer churn
The trouble with many call center agents is:
- They are overworked and operate under pressure
- Lack commitment to the client’s success
- Lack all-round knowledge about client products and offerings that would enable them to handle customer issues better
- Delay responses and fobb off callers rather than being efficient and knowledgeable in resolution. “I am sorry, sir, but I cannot do it” is a typical agent response that brings matters to an end, much to the frustration of callers.
In addition, their work is hampered due to a lack of adequate training and access to the required knowledge base from their clients. Businesses can and should rethink whether it is worth the effort to train call center agents or set up in-house services based on CRM systems which are developed by custom CRM developers. This ensures the best CRM application is implemented and certainly improves the quality of service.
Quality of service
Customers constantly assess the quality of service they receive from the vendors they interact with. A CMO Council survey of 2000 people in the USA, Canada, and Europe shows different perceptions of quality of service.
- 47% opined that knowledgeable staff is key to a good customer experience
- 52% prioritized swift responses from the customer service team
- 38% expected spot-on information and ability to speak to a knowledgeable person
- 47% percent of customers stated that they would switch brands if they are frustrated and 29 percent said they would spread the word about bad experiences
- Importantly, 33% percent of customers find inefficiency and lack of knowledge about past purchases very annoying
What is CRM Software Used For & Why is CRM Needed:
The quality of service boils down to three things: speed, efficiency, and knowledge. A CRM software is the hub around which your service revolves and influences happy customer experiences. This is possible when you have a well-rounded CRM in place, with which, you need not rely on call centers to provide what is an essential part of the customer experience. Your employees who have a personal stake in the success of the company, when equipped with a CRM software, are empowered to respond to customer queries with speed, efficiency, and knowledge.
Knowledge
Knowledge drives the quality of service leading to customer satisfaction. The knowledge that a customer service executive possesses may be of different kinds, all of which when combined, provide an effective and enjoyable customer experience.
- General knowledge that the employee gains during studies and life and this also includes interpersonal skills, knowledge to empathize, understand and recognize customer moods
- Knowledge about products that the company makes, applications, issues and solutions
- Knowledge about the customer, history of customer and access to records to get up to the minute information
- Knowledge about company expectations, operations, and customer service policies
Put a perfect CRM in place with the help of specialists in custom CRM development and you empower employees with knowledge. With this, they can respond with speed and efficiency. Knowledge helps bring matters to a satisfactory conclusion leading to happy customers.
Speed
A typical customer journey would be as below:
- Dial a number. It goes into the IVR. The customer follows a maze of keypresses and many a times, do not find an input they are looking for.
- Finally, the phone rings but the agent does not pick it up or, worse, a recorded message plays: “All our agents are busy. Please hold the line or call later.” This further dampens the customer experience.
- Then, when an agent who may not be equipped to deal with the particular customer’s query, finally comes online, they would hear a message “please wait while I transfer your call to someone else!” The ‘someone else’ picks up the phone, after a sizeable waiting time, and then the customer is forced to repeat all the details again.
This scenario can be avoided simply by giving customers the best self-service options through IVR or the ability to get through to agents who are knowledgeable and respond swiftly simply by identifying customers by the number and CRM details. The agent has access to all details and can efficiently handle the issue.
Efficiency
The combination of speed of response with knowledge brings about a satisfactory, positive conclusion to each and every interaction, bringing a level of efficiency that customers appreciate. It is important to have a high percentage of first call resolutions, which is beneficial for everyone as it saves time and resources for the organization and makes customers happy by providing immediate resolutions.
Customers do not want to hear an “I will get back to you, let me check” sort of response, nor do they want to hear an “I will have to talk to the manager” or any other similar excuse. If the employee is handling a customer, it is expected that they have the authority and decision making powers to resolve issues or they should be able to converse with a superior and bring about a satisfactory conclusion during the very same call.
Speed of response coupled with knowledge leads to quick resolutions and that helps employees handle more customers with efficiency. At the core of such a process is the CRM developed by an expert CRM software development company.
What problems does CRM solve?
A top CRM software is not just a repository of data, it can be considered the heart of customer service, connecting seamlessly with your phone or IP PBX. The best CRM software’s are configured to capture leads and direct them to sales (CRM software for sales) or direct existing customers to customer service employees (CRM software for support). Should a customer call:
- The executive should be able to identify the caller from the phone number and have access to the entire customer history on screen.
- The executive should have access to the product knowledge base on the screen if and when required.
- The CRM software should record the entire conversation for the purpose of proof and for analytics that would help you derive the CSAT score.
- Record conversations and know how long it took to resolve the matter.
Above all, it should be intuitive to use with minimal training. This is why custom CRM Development is far better than opting for a sophisticated, off the shelf product.
Customer satisfaction leads to loyalty and loyalty means reduced cost of marketing as well as increased sales.
It is highly imperative to implement the best software for CRM, free from any encumbrances, at the core of customer service, to achieve speed, efficiency, and knowledge leading to the finest experiences for customers.
Which is the best CRM Software:
Enterprises and organizations are continuously looking for solutions that positively impact their bottom line. Irrespective of the size of the organization, if the business is customer dependent, then it is essential to have an effective system. CRM software for small businesses are also available, that cater to the relevant needs.
In this quest to implement the best CRM software, what is important to note is that organizations should choose what works best for them – for some it might be an open source CRM software, and for others, a custom built one will be most logical to fit their requirements.
At Smart Sight Innovations, our vastly experienced developers gauge the requirements of an organization and match the best tool that will bring about the desired results. Contact us today to get a free quote.
