Workforce Management Featured Article
Train Your Reps for Customer Service and Marketing
Today’s call center looks very different from the traditional one which perhaps evokes visions of agents with headsets answering phones like robots and maybe working a switch board. That isn’t at all what customer care looks like today. With so many channels for customers to reach out to companies, and with the many technologies that make working from anywhere possible, the lines of how and where customer care happen have been blurred.
In the past there was also a hard separation between departments that handled customer care and others like marketing. Their functions and roles were different and had varying expectations. But today a marketing rep out in the field and an agent on the phone need to have the same basic skills and knowledge about selling the company offering and helping customers with a smile.
One recent article looked at the ways this blurring of roles has brought benefits to the equipment rental business, and there are lessons that can be learned for other industries too.
Like most things, it’s beneficial to know the offering inside and out so you can speak intelligently and confidently about it with customers. This is true for anyone who needs to interact with customers or potential customers. You’ll need to be able to answer questions and detail how the offering solves a specific problem or will make life easier.
Like with anything else, getting more intimate with a customer’s needs and perhaps details about where they live, or other specifics, can help build better relationships and attachment to the brand. Another way to gain excitement is to offer a rewards or incentive program to get customers coming back.
Regardless of your tactic to gain customer trust and loyalty – you’ll need to make sure all departments are trained and delivering the same messaging and level of care if you expect to succeed today.
Edited by Alicia Young
