Nmsnox may2012-official

News Online Xchangeserves to give up-to-date information on the products and services under the NMS brand, as well as news involving the Web and Mobile industries.

the Go-To company w www.newmediaservices.com.aue [email protected] Media Services

JANUARY 2011 ISSUE JANUARY 2011 BUSINESS NEWSLETTER MAY 2012 ISSUE MAY 2012 BUSINESS NEWSLETTER

The Customer is KingThe Customer is KingA guide on email and escalation support.

Keeping customers happy is main key to keeping your business alive and profitable. Effective, responsive, proactive customer

service could mean the difference between success and failure for your business. So you want to keep your customers happy?

It may sound obvious, but does your company have an escalation procedure on how to handle a customer service

issue? It not, it’s a great idea to spend some staff time developing one.

Every business ought to have a set of rules and expectations on how to handle a customer satisfaction or service and

support issue. From frontline customer service personnel through executive management, every member of your

customer-facing team should know what they can and can't commit to on behalf of the company and when and how to

appropriately escalate a problem internal for ultimate resolution.

We’re all aware of the importance of keeping customers happy. It costs significantly more to acquire a customer than

keep one. This isn’t just about re-marketing to existing customers, but about delivering over-the-top service throughout

the customer relationship. (continued to the next page)

“ “Designing your customer support escalation



Always start the escalation process with the first person to talk with the customer: the customer service representative (CSR).

When the CSR is working with a customer, it is their responsibility to try to resolve the customer's issue or problem in a pleasant manner. The CSR

should make an effort to really meet the customer need without lying or bending company rules. Often a solution at the first level will make the

customer happy enough that they continue business with the company. Training on how to improved customer service offered on the phone and

in-person will help make this step more effective. This type of training should include role plays to allow the new CSR to practice. Since the CSR job

can be stressful and new information is always pertinent, it is important to offer periodic retraining as well.

If the customer's issue is related to a technical problem or a specific product and the CSR does not have the informa-

tion to help the customer, then they should pass the issue onto an appropriate expert for resolution. The CSR should let

the customer know that an expert will need to handle the issue and give an idea when the customer may expect to heat back from the expert. The

expert should reply as soon as they find an answer for the customer, even if they must take the time to leave a voice mail or compose a detailed

email. If a customer's problem goes this far, only a quick and great solution will result in a happy customer.

When there is no expert or the expert does not resolve the issue, the CSR should request the issue be promoted to

the customer service supervisor or manager. Or the customer may request this third level of escalation if they are

unhappy with what they have encountered thus far. The supervisory person should resolve the issue for the customer immediately

after they receive the escalation. The supervisor or manager will have to sincerely apologize to the customer and explain what they are going to do

or have done. It they do not, the problem will only get bigger as customer may choose to personally escalate their complaint to a fourth level that

can result in unfortunate consequences for the customer service group

01

03

02

A bad customer service experience has tremendous consequences and the potential

to cause serious brand damage. Even loyal customers are likely to stop dealing

with a company lacking good customer service. Worst, unhappy customers are also

more likely to bad-mouth a company after an unpleasant experience, meaning

every good effort should be made to ensure your company is up to par.

““



INFORMATION HIGHWAY: KEEPING CUSTOMERS HAPPY KEEPS YOU IN BUSINESS

55% 82%

82 % stopped doing business with a company over a negative

experience.

55 % started patronizing a company because of its superior

customer service reputation.

OF THOSE WHO DECIDED TO STOP DOING BUSINESS WITH A BUSINESS,

WOULD BE WILLING TO GO BACK TO A COM-PANY AFTER A NEGATIVE EXPEIENCE IF

was a reaction to rude staff

73%was a reaction to

unknowledge-able staff

51%were because issues weren't resolved in a

timely manner

55%they received an

apology or correction from a supervisor

63%were offered a

discount

52%were offered

proof of improved service

49%

"Please hold while I transfer you to a representative..."

Customers reveal what frustrates them the most:

Having to speak with multiple agents and start over every time.

Being kept on hold for long period of time, or not getting what I need on the first try.

Rude or inexperienced representatives or difficulty navigating a website.

Frequent service interruptions or not being under-stood by IVR/speech recognition applications.

Others.

Long windows to wait for a service technician, and fee/price increases.

THE BREAKING POINT:42%

17%

13%

12%

10%

6%

More than 80 % of respondents

said they were already estab-

lished customers when they

reached their breaking point with

a company due to a bad customer

service experience.



REDUCING ESCALATED CALLS

Escalation management is likened to firefighting. Both deals with preventive measures to make sure that only the worth-escalating calls

reach your office. As the supervisor of a contact center, you should employ an effective escalation management plan.

Identify the root cause of a problem. No problems can be solved without knowing what is behind them. Like firefighting, how the problem grew must be determined. Fundamentalists are right- the cause of a problem provides the solution.

1

Understand that every agent is afraid that a caller might misunderstand existing policies. Surely, agents try to explain these policies that are blocking the interest of a caller. However, some callers are too “programmed” to get the call escalated.

2

Listen to recorded calls to know what exactly happened during a past call. This helps in evaluating the skill of an agent in managing calls.

3

Know the trend. There are times when almost all callers are complaining about the same thing. This technique aids in preparing a script to use when dealing with future escalated calls.

Whenever a customer does get angry, zip your lips and listen.

Reconfirm what they just said so they know you have listened to them and understand their complaint.

Apologize for what has happened even if it is not your fault.

Tell the customer what you are going to do and how soon you are going to do it.

Thank the customer for bringing the matter to your attention.

Make a courtesy follow-up call to the customer no more than three days after the incident has been resolved.

4

Make sure that all agents have the basic information about a service or a product. Calls reaching your office must strictly deal with special concerns. Thus, it is best to have written documents beside your agents (and they must have read them before receiving calls).

5

Document all escalated calls and inform agents about the noted concerns. Teach them how to handle these concerns. Solicit ideas from them if they have better suggestions. Agents can also share their first-hand experiences,

6

Encourage agents to handle calls without asking for advices from someone sitting beside them.

7

Make sure that the agents are brave enough to answer questions from bad-mouthing callers. Agents should not be corrupted by emotional outbursts. Conduct mock calls and series of extensive trainings.

8

Tell the agents to open a call with powerful greetings. This can reduce the anger of a caller. 9

Do not intervene when a caller is shouting at you. Wait for the right time to give your response. When the caller cools down from an “emotional outbreak”, a part of his anger is gone.

10

Escalation management deals with

hiring of the best agents in the world,

who can stop the fire before it ruins

your business down.

Six Steps to Calming and Retaining Angry Customers

1

2

3

4

5

6



Why Email Is Better Than Phone Support

NEXT MONTH ON NOX:

Live Operators provide efficient, quick and 100%satisfaction guaranteed service for your End-Users.

INBOUND AND OUTBOUND SUPPORT

Internet and Email have become the most preferred means of data transmis-

sion and customer relationship management. Due to its great caliber to yield result within

short span of time, most of companies are now outsourcing their non-voice customer care requirements

including E-mail support services.

Email support has major role in increasing customer satisfaction and enhancing brand name in the

industry. Compared to other means of data transmission and customer relationship management

methods, email has unique and more advantageous benefits including non intrusive, low cost, any time

and any where access. Every company running online needs the services of an effective email support

service to add to the brand building and increase the growth of the company.RECOMMENDED

1. Grant Conveniences. Can simply fit around

with business schedules and obtain important

pieces of information.

2. Decreases number of phone or live chats.

Accommodate customers who seek immediate

response.

3. Email support is Inexpensive. There is no

need for pricey telephone calls, faxes, printing of

letters and other services.

4. Easily recorded. Transmit conversation

instantly thereby improving its quality by

reviewing recent conversations.

Business

Nmsnox may2012-official