Customer Support Technique #15
Broken Record
This technique is used with customers who won’t cooperate when it comes to finding a solution. Its intent is to send this message: We're not going to continue talking until we figure out the issue I want us to prioritize first.
It involves restating the same thing in different ways until it is clear to your customer. An example of how this might work, "You have a number of options. Which would you prefer?"
You can [option one] or [option two]. Do you have a preference?
One message can get broken up into four or five messages in order to make the customer's decision.
It can also be used to express empathy when a customer is too angry to engage in problem solving.
Customer Support Technique #14
Bonus Buyoff
This technique is nothing more than offering compensation to appease a customer, which often takes the form of giving them something.
If an organization makes a mistake, they are sometimes required to apologize. Sometimes, these apologies are mandatory even when the organization didn't make a mistake.
Customer Support Technique #13
Audience Removal
At public venues where other customers are present, some angry customers will often play to the audience. You can tell when this is happening because they're looking at other bystanders or for approval from others.
One way to ensure privacy for customers is by arranging for them to be served away from the audience.
Customer Support Technique #12
Assurances of Results
An assurance of results is a stronger statement than an assurance of effort; it promises that the customer will have his or her problem resolved. An assurance of effort does not promise results, which means it can be used in any situation, as long as you are able to give accurate information. Assurances of results should only be given when you are able to deliver what you are promising.
Customer Support Technique #11
Assurances of Effort
Customers don’t like feeling as if you are not making an effort. On the other hand, when customers feel your efforts go above and beyond that which is expected from them, they are less likely to resort to angry behavior.
You can express assurances of effort in a variety of ways, such as ". . ." I promise not to be this long next time."
The assurance that you will try is different from being able to assure the customer of a particular result. The former can be offered even if the latter is not yet possible.
Customer Support Technique #10
Arranging Follow-Up
Not all customer problems can be addressed immediately. Most of these situations require follow-up or additional communication.
If you don’t have an answer to a customer’s question, find the answer as quickly as possible and get back in touch with the customer.
One of the most essential steps in arranging a follow-up is explaining what you will do between now and when you get back to the customer, including providing them with a specific date and time. Finally, offer your customers three different ways that they can reach out to you for guidance or assistance whenever they are ready.
When arranging a follow-up meeting, you should always be able to fulfill your promise.
Customer Support Technique #9
Appropriate Smiles
Customer service training stresses the importance of smiling. Not only is a smile valuable, but it must match what’s happening in order to be effective.
For example, if a customer is dangerously upset about how she has been treated, smiling at her can be seen as condescending, adding even more fuel to the fire. That's why smiles need to be appropriate to the situation and customer's state of mind. Smiling at the wrong time can send the message that you don't take them seriously.
Customer Support Technique #1
Above and Beyond
Going above and beyond means doing something that is not required of you by your job or obligation to your customer.
Even difficult customers often display extreme gratitude and loyalty when you go the extra mile to make them feel special.
Good customer service often means recognizing your customers’ worth and treating them accordingly.
Customer Experience Outsourcing
Outsourcing, in general, can be a great collaborative effort to not only help alleviate deficiencies in a particular area of your business but it can also help with growth and expansion.
Customer experience outsourcing is a viable option for anyone lacking the staffing or resources to properly tend to the customer's satisfaction. This article will explain what customer experience outsourcing is and the pros and cons of enlisting an agency's help, the pricing, and understanding of when to elicit support.
What Is Customer Experience Outsourcing?
Outsourcing customer experience happens when the management of customer-facing communication channels is entrusted to be carried out by a third-party provider. This usually means that a company's customer experience is outsourced to a call center, and these centers have agents at their disposal trained to handle a business's incoming calls.
The goal is to make every step of the journey pleasant for the customer, including promptly and adequately dealing with the customer's questions, problems, and complaints.
When to Use Customer Experience Outsourcing?
Here are some of the most prominent ways to recognize that it might be time for you to consider outsourcing your customer experience responsibilities.
Do You Trust Your Knowledge of Customer Experience?
The best customer experience comes from companies knowledgeable about the latest and best practices in customer acquisition, growth, success, growth, and trust. They're even knowledgeable about safety services that keep your customers and your communities satisfied. If you are not confident in your knowledge of customer experience, then you should consider hiring professionals.
Labor Shortage
Suppose your company is struggling to fulfill customer experience due to labor shortage, or you simply don't have the resources. In that case, you should consider outsourcing your customer experience.
Outsourcing your customer experience will grant you the freedom to work on the core demands of your business. Spreading yourself too thinly only results in the reduction of your business's quality in some way, shape, or form.
Do You Have a Call Center?
If you do not have space or resources to house a competent call center to handle your customers' day-to-day concerns, hiring a company that comes with space and resources may be the answer for you.
Can You Afford the Costs?
If you cannot reasonably pass the cost of providing a quality customer experience onto the customer, outsourcing is a viable option. This method is a lot cheaper than providing your own, and it won't significantly impact your products' cost.
Pros of Customer Experience Outsourcing
Outsourcing your customer experience has many benefits. Let's take a look at a few of the ways this can be helpful for your business:
Cost and Savings
Hiring call center employees to provide your customer experience does not require paying them a fixed salary or providing them with employee benefits. Furthermore, there is no need to furnish your customer service with equipment which only serves to save you even more money.
Decreased Workload
Small business owners usually have the burden of wearing many hats, which means that they have to channel their efforts into the most profitable activities. Outsourcing customer experience will give you more time to focus your efforts on more crucial business operations.
Multilingual Services & After-Hour Services
Customers expect to be able to reach companies during off-hours, and outsourcing to a call center grants you the ability to do so. And they come with multilingual agents who can service your customers no matter the language that they speak.
Cons of Customer Experience Outsourcing
Though there are many benefits of outsourcing customer service, there are a few things you may want to consider before doing so:
Lack of Knowledge Concerning Your Company
Since call centers are not always dealing with your company's day-to-day operations, they may not always be equipped to adequately address every inquiry that your customers may have.
You Risk Lower Customer Satisfaction
This is always a risk when you entrust your company to someone else. In the last few years, 40 percent of US Customers stopped doing business with a company because of poor customer service. That's why we recommend that you vet the company's success rate before hiring them.
Security Concerns
Since the nature of business requires the exchange of personal information, you have to be on the lookout for anyone who could possibly engage in fraudulent behaviors. Again vet your company about their safety protocols.
Your Business May Not Be Top Priority
Call centers juggle demand from many different businesses all at once. As such, a call center employee could be spread thinly and unable to give your business their best foot forward.
Pricing Models for Customer Experience Outsourcing
Pricing models for customer experience outsourcing can vary for a myriad of different reasons. Call centers consider many factors during price negotiations.
For starters, doing business in one's native language requires a higher pay rate for the employee at the call center who's providing the service. For example, a native English-speaking rep speaking English to English-speaking customers will require anywhere from $20-$30 per hour.
Furthermore, it would be best if you considered the volume of work as well. Businesses who negotiate a large number of work hours generally receive a discount of upwards of 30 percent.
The direction of the calls matter as well. A call center that receives calls on behalf of the client will be 15 to 20 percent cheaper than outgoing cold calls that have to be made on behalf of the client.
Finally, the duration of the calls is considered, with longer calls costing more. Additionally, the country of origin matters as well, with different countries having different pay rates for their employees. An outsourcing company stationed in South America will charge less than ones stationed in America because they have a lower living cost.
How to Choose a Service Provider
To choose a service provider, it's best to have clear goals, define an exact score of work, and avoid making vague demands to your outsourcing company. No one knows your business better than you, so don't expect the provider to understand what you need. Outline what your company needs; propose an actionable solution for the problem.
Take five potential providers and make expertise essential for the hiring process.
Here are some things to be considered:
- Do they have access to the latest technology?
- The company should possess skill sets and technical expertise.
- Make sure they are passionate about your project.
- Ensure that they have experience in solving complex challenges.
- Consider the company's market reputation: Are they prone to missing deadlines? Search on the internet to see reviews of the services that they have provided in the past
- Choose a company with a stellar reputation.
- Finally, determine how much money you're willing to spend: Higher quality of service will almost always require more money, so choose what you're ready to pay beforehand.
If you're ready for a company that can fulfill all of the above, IntelligentBee is the way to go. With email and chat support, 24/7 guidance, and flexible pricing models, you're hiring a team you can trust to know your customer's needs as well as you do.
Ecommerce Support Outsourcing
When you're running an eCommerce store, especially one that's bringing in new clients or gaining traction too quickly to keep up, you need fast, reliable customer support - and the best way to do this is through outsourcing eCommerce support.
But what does eCommerce support outsourcing look like, and when should you make the switch to using a third-party provider? Here’s what you need to know.
What is eCommerce Support Outsourcing?
Successful eCommerce stores thrive on a robust, loyal customer base, but building this base is far from easy. More than just providing a great product or service, your eCommerce store needs to provide a personal experience if you want to create customer relationships. This often begins with the right customer service.
Special offers, personalized “thank you” notes, or even just quick and empathetic responses to customer questions can help keep your clients happy and your eCommerce operation running more smoothly.
Unfortunately, eCommerce businesses, especially high-growing ones, can't always keep up with the demand, and there comes a point when they need to consider outsourcing their customer support.
This is what eCommerce support outsourcing is - letting IntelligentBee keep your customers happy while you can focus on fine-tuning your product.
Types of eCommerce Support Outsourcing
At IntelligentBee, we understand that outsourcing your eCommerce support can look different for every company, so we help you choose an outsourcing plan that works best for your operation. Some of our services include:
- Chat Support Services: As they scroll through your site, customers may have questions or concerns about your product, but if they can't find an easy way to ask those questions, they may just move on. With our chat support services, accessibility is key. Potential customers can get the help they need without leaving your website, on any day of the week, at any time.
- Email Support Services: For more in-depth answers or concerns, we also provide email support services. Our reliable specialists can provide personalized and helpful email responses that will soothe any customer concerns and keep them coming back for more.
When to Outsource for eCommerce Support
For many eCommerce businesses, it's not a question of if they'll outsource their customer support, but when they should do it.
Every business is different, and there's not a specific timeline of when to outsource your support. But there are a few signs that indicate it may be time to outsource with IntelligentBee, such as when:
- You're trying to stand out from competitors: In a sea of people pitching similar products, you've got to separate yourself from the competition, and professional customer support is a great way to do that. Many eCommerce customers want a 24/7 shopping experience, and if your business can provide that, you'll already have an advantage over competitors.
- You're unable to keep up with your to-do list because you're handling customer support: if you're unable to finish the tasks you need to complete in order to handle customer service, it may be time to outsource. Business owners and management may try to handle customer service so they can save money or learn more about what customers expect, but this strategy can only last for so long as your eCommerce store continues to grow.
- The holidays are close by: One of the best times to outsource eCommerce support is during the holiday season. As more and more consumers flock to your business, it's more important than ever to provide a professional, personalized customer experience.
- It's taking too long for you to answer customer questions or emails: How long does it take for you to respond to emails from customers? If the answer is more than an hour, you may not be meeting customer expectations. Most consumers expect a response within an hour (or sometimes less), which can be a tall order for eCommerce management teams or owners to handle themselves.
While there's no one right answer as to when it's time to outsource, if you find that you're falling behind or unable to scale your business because you're too busy handling customer support, IntelligentBee can help get you back on track.
Pros of eCommerce Support Outsourcing
When it comes to eCommerce support outsourcing, there's plenty of pros, but some of the big benefits include:
Focusing on the Core of Your Product
When you outsource eCommerce support with IntelligentBee, you get back to what matters: focusing on the core of your product, and scaling your business.
More Inclusive Around-the-Clock Support
When you handle customer support in-house, you're limited to answering customer inquiries when you're on the clock, or hiring enough workers to stay online 24/7. Both options aren't great long-term solutions. At IntelligentBee, we offer around-the-clock support, and our goal is to reach customers whenever and wherever they may be.
Increased Productivity
Handling customer service in-house means disrupting your workflow to answer emails or questions. When you outsource with IntelligentBee, you'll be increasing your productivity and staying focused on what matters.
Cons of eCommerce Support Outsourcing
Outsourcing eCommerce support can come with a few downsides, especially if you end up with the wrong third-party provider.
Hidden Fees
Some third-party providers aren't always transparent, and while you think you're paying for one service, they've tacked on several hidden fees or tricked you into paying for a service you don't need.
At IntelligentBee, we value transparency, and we'll make sure you're paying for results, not overhead or pointless fees.
Unreliable Third-Party Providers
Professional customer service comes down to a complete understanding of your product, but not all third-party providers can promise this.
With IntelligentBee, our well-trained specialists aren't just experts in communication - they'll also become experts in your product.
Pricing Models for eCommerce Support Outsourcing
Our goal at IntelligentBee is to adjust our services to your business model, not the other way around. As a result, we tailor our flexible pricing models to meet the needs of your eCommerce business.
We collaborate with eCommerce businesses of all sizes - whether your budget is 10,000 Euro or 100,000 Euro, we've got you covered.
How to Choose a Service Provider
Handing your eCommerce support over to anyone outside your company is a big deal, and you don't want to end up with a service provider that takes this responsibility lightly.
Choosing a third-party service provider comes down to a couple of factors: you'll need a company that offers a plan within your budget, a team that's well-trained and experienced, and a service that's flexible enough to meet the needs of your business model.
That's not always easy, but fortunately, you don't need to look any further than IntelligentBee. Not only are we flexible enough to work within your budget, but our experienced support team can offer anything from email, chat, or even technical support.
Interested in starting a project with us? Fill out this form and we'll get back to you within 24 hours!