Help lines need a customer focus
Despite the excellent progress that countless companies have made in implementing better customer service over the phone, it seems that there are still some large companies that struggle to get it right.
In survey after survey there are still too many customers who relate that they have experienced frustration, anger or despair and been left with the feeling that they are nothing more than a nuisance or unwanted interruption to the person on the other end of the line.
“I had a bad experience that was repeated several times recently when I called a telecommunications company to arrange for services to be installed at my home. I must have spent no less than four hours in the last month in the bowels of their telephone exchange either on hold or choosing frantically from the range of inappropriate options some disembodied voice presented me with.
I wouldn't mind if this time had actually got me anywhere but I still haven't had the equipment I requested completely installed to my satisfaction and I am currently waiting on a phone-back that has been promised but does not seem to be coming.”
Sadly, this sort of tale is heard too often even though many in the call centre environment can point to measurable improvements.
Lack of suitable training can sometimes mean that callers to help lines are transferred multiple times “to someone else who 'might' be able to help.” And being transferred often means that callers are subjected to awful telephone music and the very real chance of being cut off.
Often it seems that the bigger an organisation, the more impersonal the staff in the customer service area.
All marketers know that each and every contact with a customer is critical, and there’s probably no contact that’s more important than inbound calls where customers or prospects are looking for help of some form. Of course, in some companies the volume of calls simply does not justify the setting up of an internal customer service department, yet, however the service is supplied, it has to be done professionally.
Customer care has come to be a primary differentiator between world-class organisations and also-rans.
Across the economy, companies know that customer service functions are critical to business growth and development. Instead of focusing solely on cost-cutting and efficiency gains, firms with long term perspectives are taking a fresh look at customer care and are integrating it into their core business strategy.
In all industries, captive customers are very often not captive for long, and it is the customer care record that largely determines whether they stay or walk. The importance of your help line staff members and their customer-focused approach, cannot be over emphasised.
Beyond customer care, help lines are now being used effectively for different purposes in a wide variety of organisations. The International Business Ethics Institute based in London and in Washington DC, points out that companies are increasingly implementing organisational help lines to streamline the process of reporting misconduct, as well as to provide a safe outlet for employees to report wrongdoing.
Help lines, also known as hotlines or helpdesks, provide a handy telephone service, which employees can use to discuss misconduct or to ask a question about business conduct policies and practices.
Specialists in business ethics indicate that such help lines are one of the most successful tools in encouraging employees to report misconduct, and they provide an important alternative channel to staff who might feel uncomfortable raising concerns with a manager or supervisor.
The main benefits of help lines in this environment are:
- Guaranteed Anonymity for Callers
- 24/7 Availability
- Toll-Free Calls
- Translation Services
- User-Friendly Service.
Of course, help lines are also used in a range of welfare areas – such as Life Line, Youth Line and so on – where people in the community can gain help anonymously.
The Telephone Information, Support and Counselling Services Association is a voluntary, non government, not for profit association that actively supports and promotes ethical and professional standards for telephone and web information, support and counselling services whilst allowing each service to remain autonomous.
The Association liaises and participates with businesses and government agencies to raise the profile of telephone help lines, and provides clear guidelines and standards to assist operators.
For every type of help line, the expert training of phone operators is necessary and a genuine customer focus is essential.
