In my last blog, I talked about one of Forrester’s top 15 customer service trends for 2012. The list was just too good to only talk about one! The second trend I loved was “The Agent Experience Will No Longer Be An Afterthought”. This means simplifying the agent workspace and making it more usable. The goal is to increase the agent’s productivity and make sure important information is easily accessible.
All of this helps with improving the customer experience. The customer experience should be a top priority for your customer service department. No one wants a frustrated customer, it only complicates things. What happens if your agent’s work is simplified and he/she can access customer information quicker?
1. The agent can solve issues or answer questions quicker.
2. The customer is on the phone less (this helps prevent customer frustration).
3. The agent spends less time on an interaction, therefore increasing efficiency and productivity.
I have been lucky enough to work at two great companies who prided themselves on giving the customer a great experience. The first was a non-profit organization that soley relied on donors. When they would call, we would get all of their information pulled up in an instant so we knew how big of a donor someone was (if we didn’t know it off the top of our head). We would be incredibly personable, which every agent should be. And we would go the extra mile to know as much as we could about each donor to personalize their experience (if they had grandchildren, we would ask how the grandkids were, etc).
The second company is here at PhaseWare. In our office, we use the same products that we sell. Tracker helps pull up every interaction we have had with a customer and helps make the customer experience more efficient and personable. We pride ourselves in amazing customer service and hope our customers do the same for their clients.
How do you simplify your customer service agents’ workspace to make the customer service experience more efficient?