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What is a Phone Extension? (Benefits & Use Cases)

What is a phone extension?

It’s easy for important calls to get lost in the shuffle or for customers to get frustrated when trying to reach the right person. This is especially true if you …Read More »

Guide to Inbound Phone Numbers

A comprehensive guide to inbound phone numbers.

Inbound phone numbers are versatile business tools. They can help with everything from establishing a local presence in a foreign country to modernizing your current phone system. But, what exactly …Read More »

What are Call Logs? Benefits of Call Logging Software

What are call logs?

Looking to optimize and improve your business communication management? Call logging provides valuable insights into your phone activity through a process of capturing, tracking, and analyzing call data. In this …Read More »

What is Click-to-Call? (Benefits and How to Use)

What is click-to-call?

Businesses are constantly trying to find ways to streamline processes both internally and externally. And this is because efficiency is a key driver of customer satisfaction, revenue, and overall business …Read More »

Guide to VoIP CRM Integrations

A guide to VoIP CRM integrations.

Streamlining your business processes not only helps you achieve greater operational efficiency but also improves the overall quality of your service. And this, in turn, can lead to a more …Read More »

Guide to SIP Numbers (and How to Use Them)

A complete guide to SIP numbers and how to use them.

Looking for a new business phone number or interested in upgrading your current phone system? Enter: SIP numbers. Everyone – from small businesses to large corporations – can use SIP …Read More »

How to Prevent Phone Numbers from Being Marked as Spam?

Are your teams placing a high volume of calls to customers and prospects? Have your response rates dropped? There’s a chance that your business phone number has been flagged.

If that’s the case, you will regularly have trouble connecting with customers. Besides running an actual scam operation, there are a few other reasons why legitimate businesses struggle with this problem.

In this post, we’ll identify why calls get flagged and how to prevent phone numbers from being blocked or marked as spam or scam likely.

Reasons Why Calls Get Flagged as Spam

As it stands today, a recipient’s carrier manages call blocking or spam reporting. So, these carriers are generally the ones watching how many calls come in, the type of number, and if it’s gaining a reputation as a ‘spam caller.’ They also watch for phone numbers using caller ID reputation registries because they have already been marked as spam or ‘at spam risk.’

So, why is a phone number flagged as a scam or spam number? There are a few different reasons:

  • Receivers marking your calls — through their phone’s capabilities or by reporting it to the authorities
  • Short call duration — generally for calls that last less than 5 seconds
  • Low connection rates — calls are not answered by receiver, usually because they do not recognize the number
  • High number of hang-ups — receiver not interested in the conversation
  • Contacting people on a Do Not Call (DNC) list — calling people who have opted out of receiving calls from telemarketers
  • And fresh or new numbers — where one uses a brand new number to place hundreds of calls an hour.

What are Your Options if Your Number is Flagged as Spam?

The first thing to do is determine the cause. Check your call detail records (CDRs) to map out what your calling habits show. Look for:

  • Abandoned or unanswered calls
  • Calls that don’t last long
  • Low connection rates
  • Amount of calls made per hour, and so on.

You may even contact your VoIP provider to understand why this is happening. Once you identify the cause, you can start to mitigate the problem and improve your phone numbers’ reputation.

An image that shows how to prevent calls from being flagged as spam.

Steps to Prevent Calls from Getting Flagged

As discussed above, common signs that your phone number has been marked as spam include low connection rates (or calls not going through at all) and customer complaints. So if this happens, here are a few appropriate steps to prevent your phone number from being marked as spam:

1. Register Your Numbers with the Major Carriers

Once you purchase your new outbound numbers, make sure to register them with major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile) and local authorities. When you do this, your outgoing caller ID will display your company name instead of a private or unknown number. This will help improve connection and response rates as receivers will know it’s your business calling.

2. Use Good Call Practices

Next, be courteous with your calling. To avoid your phone numbers from being marked as spam, do the following:

  • Follow the FCC call compliance regulations strictly
  • Don’t spam people with numerous calls; especially avoid triple calling
  • Make sure to respect the DNC registry
  • Call customers only between 8 am and 9 pm local time
  • Follow industry-specific regulations, if applicable (HIPAA, FDCPA, TILA, GDPR, etc.)
  • Avoid predictive dialers when possible as the FCC has certain automatic telephone dialing restrictions (emergency lines, cellular phones or smartphones, medical institutions, etc.)

3. Ramp up New Numbers Slowly

Next, be judicious with your calling habits, especially with a fresh number. No new business will immediately have a long list of prospects or customers, justifying 100 calls an hour. Start slow and grow as people interact with and use your product.

This is another reason to avoid predictive and automatic dialers. Such dialers call customers on your team’s behalf and only connect to an agent if the receiver answers the call. This means that the dialer places multiple outbound calls within a short time frame. On top of that, a lot of these calls go unanswered, leading to a low connection rate. So, you can’t win either way.

4. Ask Customers to Save Your Number

Next, as you connect with customers and prospects, always start by introducing your business. This goes a long way in establishing it as a legit business. Then, go a step further and ask new and repeat customers to save your business number in their own contact lists. This way, they’ll know you’re calling and can answer unhindered.

It is also a good idea to advertise your phone numbers across marketing materials, both offline and online. Specifically, make sure your Google My Business account is up to date with your company information. Then, include your numbers on your website, email, ads, social media, and wherever else. This ensures your business is consistent and customers can recognize it.

5. Rotate the Numbers You Use

If you still cannot prevent phone numbers from being marked as spam, try rotating the numbers you use. High call volumes are another major reason why phone numbers get flagged. You may need additional outbound numbers for this, but it can help to rotate between multiple numbers to make daily calls. This step should be your last resort. Use this method only if your business really needs to make multiple calls a day; such as an appointment reminder or wake-up call service.

6. Regularly Check Your Numbers

Finally, check and test your numbers regularly. You can do this on your own or work with your VoIP provider. VoIP providers understand the importance of being able to connect with customers. To this effect, they usually run number testing on their end. Check with your provider to learn what they do and how they can help you prevent phone numbers from being marked as spam.

Global Call Forwarding Note on Compliance

We don’t support spammers and scammers at Global Call Forwarding. We use TrueCaller to test our numbers to ensure they are working effectively and within compliance. Want to learn more about how we can support your business? Speak with our telecom experts at +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with us online! We’re here to help!

Complete Guide to VoIP Number Porting

Tired of dropped calls and bad call quality? Need to get out of a long-term phone service contract? Want to add more call management features to your phone system? One way to upgrade your business phone system is to port your number to a VoIP service provider.

In short, VoIP number porting is the process of switching phone service providers while keeping the same number. No more worrying about updating everyone with your new phone number or staying stuck in contracts with low-quality service.

Here’s an in-depth guide to VoIP number porting with a focus on the process, requirements, and benefits of porting your number to a new phone service provider. We will also discuss how you can port a toll free number to a new VoIP service.

Porting Your Number In & Out of a VoIP System

Porting your 800 number to a new VoIP phone service is a simple and quick process. Whether you need a new service for business or personal use, number porting can help you switch to a new provider and improve your phone service’s reliability and efficiency. In this VoIP number porting guide, we will go over:

What is VoIP Number Porting?

VoIP number porting is a telephony solution that lets users or owners of a number move or port their number from an old service to a new service. This means that you can switch phone service providers while still keeping your phone number intact.

How Does Number Porting Work with VoIP Numbers?

To port your phone number from one service to another, you first need to reach out to your new VoIP service provider. Most VoIP providers offer VoIP number porting and will ask you to fill in a porting request. Then, your new and old providers work together to ensure porting without any service interruptions.

It is important to wait for a successful transition to your new service provider before canceling your old service (ending your existing contract).

Benefits of Porting Your Number to VoIP

For many customers, VoIP and toll free number porting allows them to get out of long-term contracts and find better phone service providers. Here’s an opportunity to improve your business phone system, add call management features, and make your phone system more efficient and reliable.

So, why and when should you port your 800 number to VoIP?

Here are some benefits of number porting and situations where you may need to switch to a new service provider:

  • Moving or relocating to a new city or region
  • Low voice and audio quality
  • High monthly bills
  • Network connectivity issues leading to a high number of dropped calls
  • Transition to cloud communication and VoIP for a reliable, flexible, and scalable phone solution
  • Lack of reliable and responsive customer and technical support
  • Need for advanced VoIP forwarding features to support growing business communication needs
  • Stuck in long-term commitments with low value
  • Consolidation of services to centralize business communication.

8 reasons to port your VoIP number

Stuck in any of these situations? Your business phone system needs to function well and reliably so that your teams can offer uninterrupted service and support to your customers. It may be time to walk away from a service that costs a lot but does very little.

How Long Does it Take to Port a Number?

VoIP number porting is a simple process that takes about 2–4 weeks to complete. Your new VoIP phone provider will keep you posted on the next steps and give you a timeline.

While your number is being ported, you will still maintain access to your phones and phone service. This means inbound and outbound calls won’t be interrupted.

Note that porting international VoIP numbers may take slightly longer but still should not interrupt your service.

VoIP Number Porting Requirements

There is a bit of a process involved with number porting to ensure everything works effectively. When submitting your porting request, you will also need to provide the following information to your new VoIP phone service provider:

  • A list of all your phone numbers – Includes all phone numbers and extensions in use and that you would like to port over.
  • Letter of Authorization (LOA) – Gives your new VoIP provider permission to act on your behalf when communicating with your old provider. A LOA usually contains crucial information about who can make decisions about your number(s) listed above.
  • Old service provider and account number – To let the two providers communicate and work together to complete the process.
  • Copy of current phone bill – Includes necessary information (name and address registered with the current provider) about your existing phone plan and offers the new provider additional proof of number ownership.

Here’s a number porting checklist offered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to help you further understand and prepare for the process.

VoIP Number Porting Rules

Before you begin the porting process, it is good to familiarize yourself with porting rules followed by most VoIP providers. According to the FCC rules, carriers and providers:

  • Must port a number upon receiving a valid request.
  • May not refuse to port a number.
  • Can charge for porting services.
  • Can charge an early termination fee, especially for long-term customers.
  • May refuse to port if the customer has not paid for porting.

How to Port Your Toll Free Number to VoIP?

Once you have identified your provider and are ready to port your number to VoIP, you and your new provider can begin porting the number to your new service.

Here’s a brief overview of the number porting process:

  1. You submit a porting request to your new VoIP service provider with the requirements and documentation.
  2. The new provider reaches out to the old service provider.
  3. The old service provider confirms the user’s identity and notifies the new provider.
  4. The new provider notifies the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC).
  5. NPAC creates a pending port and notifies the old provider to concur.
  6. The new provider asks NPAC to activate the port.
  7. Upon activation, the port is broadcasted to the telecom industry network.
  8. Your new service will be activated.

Potential Issues with Number Porting

Here are some instances where number porting may be declined or may take longer to complete.

1. Number isn’t portable

Even though the FCC requires that numbers be portable, there are a few issues that may interrupt the process:

  • The number is no longer in service — If your phone number isn’t in service or the service was terminated, the new provider cannot port it.
  • Incomplete rate center / no coverage — Your new VoIP provider doesn’t have coverage in your area; therefore, they cannot port numbers there now.
  • No interconnect agreement — Your new VoIP provider must have an agreement with the old carrier that holds the phone number.

These issues are hard to resolve and usually mean that you need to find an alternative to porting. Speak with your VoIP provider to find a solution that fits your needs.

2. Other issues and errors

These issues are fixable but may delay the porting process:

  • Incorrect name and address — Contact information provided is incorrect, making it harder to prove ownership of the number.
  • Phone number was not found — Might occur due to user error when inputting the phone number (i.e., phone number entered incorrectly).
  • Porting a toll-free number — Toll-free numbers take a longer time to port.
  • Limited porting options — Porting numbers is easier in some countries over others. Check geographical limitations with your local provider before porting.

These issues are relatively minor and can be resolved; porting is not impossible here but might take a little longer.

Related: 5 Phone Number Porting Myths Debunked

VoIP Number Porting with Global Call Forwarding

To port your number to Global Call Forwarding, simply fill and submit this porting request form. Our representatives will get in touch with you to start the process as soon as possible. To learn more, speak with our representatives today. Call us at +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with us online!

Call Center Trends in 2023

Call center trends are changing, and managers and agents should be aware of the upcoming shifts that will be taking place. Here are the 2022 call center trends to keep in mind when looking for ways to improve your contact center’s capabilities.

Related: Call Center Technologies Business Leaders Must Know

Developments in Call Center Trends

So, what’s new in the world of call centers? Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve observed a focus on remote working and virtual communication possibilities. Call centers had to adapt to these changes as well and use virtual call center software to stay connected and continue working efficiently. Additionally, we’ve noticed a rise in AI, automation, and chatbots, all meant to reduce the burden on agents while continuing to offer high-quality services.

Here are the top 2023 call center trends your business should be aware of and consider implementing:

1. Cloud Communication Solutions

Cloud communication is one of the most important call center trends with confidence in the cloud rising. UCaaS and CCaaS are two main cloud communication solutions available to businesses and call centers. UCaaS streamlines internal communication and collaboration while CCaaS improves customer interaction. Combining UCaaS and CCaaS solutions can give your help your call center shift to the cloud seamlessly.

2. Remote Work

The pandemic made remote working a necessity, and that led to the remote work trend. The ability to work from home (or any other location) may just mean the end of traditional on-premise call centers as we know it. And this brings us to the virtual call center software. Such software makes it possible for call centers to go virtual or move to the cloud, enabling agents to stay connected no matter their location.

Furthermore, your business can save on infrastructure, equipment, and utility costs. However, managing remote teams can prove challenging. Advanced virtual call center tools can help ease these concerns by making it easy for managers and teams to connect. Additionally, managers can use tracking or call recording software to oversee agent behavior and performance. Some common examples include call whispering, call barging, etc.

3. Artificial Intelligence

According to a recent report by Finances Online, the use of AI can help improve agent satisfaction, efficiency, and productivity as well as customer satisfaction.

Whether AI will overtake human customer service representatives or not is still in question. But for now, AI and human agents can work in tandem. While artificial intelligence has yet to become as capable as human agents, AI is improving every year. One of the growing call center trends is the increasing use of artificial intelligence software in terms of smart routing, multichannel support, automated processes. More on all of these below.

4. Automation & Self-Service Tools

Automation allows agents some wiggle room and can reduce their burden. In some cases, AI can help filter out simple queries so that agents can focus on more complex customer needs. We’re talking about using CMS or CRMs that automate processes and update information, so that everybody on the team has the right and most recent information. Some common automation tools and processes include:

  • Ticketing software
  • Automated email and text responses
  • Chatbots
  • Cloud IVR and smart call routing
  • Automatic call distribution (ACD)
  • Analytics and reports, and more.

By providing self-service tools — where customers can get information or resolve issues on their own — you can cut down the time agents spend on repeating simple, mundane tasks and services. For example, something as simple as signing up online, have an online guide to show how. This can reduce the number of calls coming in for sign-up help.

5. Omnichannel Communication

Customers are expecting multiple communication channels. And so, if you only offer phone and email, you need to start offering other services. Think: live chat, chatbots, video, text messaging, etc. This allows your business to connect with a wider range of audiences and meet your customers where they are. You may even consider jumping on social media platforms and engaging with customers actively and in real-time.

new call center trends
Source: DepositPhotos.com – Lic#236008132 ID#27446420

6. Cloud IVR & Advanced Routing Options

The main reason to adopt cloud IVR and smart call routing is to reduce call wait times. Most people understand the struggle of waiting in long call queues or being bounced around from department to department. All of this to get an answer to a simple question.

Whether it is one of the top call center trends or not, businesses should continuously strive for shorter wait times for their companies. Here is where cloud IVR and call routing strategies come into play. Cloud IVR uses automated responses to greet callers and identify the purpose of their call. Then, based on their response, the IVR transfers the caller to the right department or assists them through pre-recorded messages and processes.

Another way to reduce wait times and to help callers reach the right department quickly is through call routing strategies. What strategy will work for your business depends on what you want to achieve and how your business offers sales and support. For example, do you want to offer 24/7 support or adopt the Follow the Sun model for customer support? Do you have high call traffic or fluctuating traffic? Do you have support and sales teams in multiple locations? Smart routing strategies include:

  • Time-based routing
  • Location-based routing
  • Skill-based routing
  • Simultaneous ringing (call groups)
  • Sequential forwarding (line hunting), and so on.

You may even choose to offer voicemail and callback options for customers who do not want to wait in line and are willing to receive a call from your company at a later time.

7. Call Metrics & Analytics

If your call center isn’t already tracking and analyzing call center metrics, you risk falling behind. The best way to identify how your call center is performing is by tracking metrics and KPIs. Common call center KPIs include:

  • Average time in queue
  • Average handle time
  • First call resolution
  • Customer satisfaction score
  • Occupancy rate
  • Agent absenteeism.

Want to learn more? Check out our list of top call center KPIs.

8. Improvements in the Workplace

You are probably aware by now that customer satisfaction is one of the top priorities of any business, but what about the satisfaction of those employees who directly deal with those customers? Many companies often neglect and forget their call center agents.

It is important to realize that customer service agents are the backbone of any company because they are the face of your company. If your agents are unhappy, then your customers will certainly not be happy to deal with them.

You can improve their overall performance by offering moral and psychological support for your agents. After all, dealing with angry customers all day does take a great deal out of a customer service agent. It is no surprise that one of the top call center trends, therefore, is focusing on EX and making employees feel comfortable and confident in their jobs.

9. Reward Your Agents

There are times when a call center must keep up with large surges in call volume. During these times, agents can become overworked. Call centers have some of the highest turnover rates in any job. To combat this, call centers can look to ideas from management on how to keep employees motivated during these highly stressful and taxing times.

Some ways that you can keep your call center employees excited to come into work is by:

  • Creating office-wide competitions,
  • Offering rewards or incentives, and
  • Recognizing your employees for their hard work.

If you have noticed a lack of motivation in your contact center, try some of these motivating ideas to wake your crew back up and get them back in action. Taking a bit more time to reward these employees will result in happier agents, increased productivity, highly trained and seasoned agents who are loyal to your company, and better overall customer service.

Top 9 Customer Service Trends You Must Know in 2023 [Updated]

In 2021, due to the pandemic, customers and businesses started working from home. They are considering ways to change their lifestyles to support their work-from-home lifestyle. This may lead them to your business as a possible and comfortable solution. If that is the case, then you need to up your customer service game to support all types of customer queries. Here are some important customer service trends to keep in mind this year.

9 Top Customer Service Trends in 2023

Ensuring your customer service and support efforts are always top-notch is important to maintaining customer satisfaction and retention. If your teams don’t do their best, then it becomes easy to lose valuable customers. Therefore, you must check your customer service strategies and tools every year to see where and how you can improve.

So, if you are looking to upgrade your customer service and stay of the game, here are the top 9 customer service trends to keep in mind.

1. Offer Multimodal Communication

If you are only responding to phone calls and emails, then you are way behind the game. Most companies are adopting multi-channel communication tools so they can assist customers no matter how they choose to reach out. This includes live chat, trouble tickets, text messaging, video conferencing, social media messaging, and more.

2. Become Mobile-Friendly

Most potential customers will find your business through their smartphones. This may occur due to a targeted ad that pops up on their social media or they do a quick mobile search for services like yours. For this reason, you want to make your website and reaching your customer support team easy for mobile users. Consider optimizing your website for mobile-view and adding click-to-call buttons that allow users to call instantly from their phones. You may also want to add easy-to-fill forms on the website for customers who want to send a quick message or email.

3. Include More AI and Automation

Use office automation to streamline processes and save time spent on simple, mundane tasks. Project management systems that automate tasks and enable file-sharing are essential for keeping offices well-connected and functioning seamlessly. Well-designed CRMs or customer information storage systems, IVR systems, chatbots, etc., are some additional ways to incorporate AI and automation in the office.

4. Be Active on Social Media

Having social media accounts is a must in this day and age. Not only does it give you the opportunity to market and target a different demographic, but it also gives you the ability to advertise and run social media campaigns. These campaigns can help bring new customers to your business while also adding another quick customer service tool. Be active on your social accounts, educate customers about products and services, and respond regularly to comments and messages.

5. Offer 24/7 and Real-Time Support

Besides offering various channels for customer support, you also want to provide 24/7 and real-time support. Consider live chat and chatbots to answer common customer queries, solve problems quickly, offer product/service descriptions, and guide them to completing a purchase. A phone equivalent of live chat is your IVR system. You can design the IVR to offer 24/7 service with troubleshooting support and self-service options. This way, callers can get assistance even after hours or on the weekends.

Related: 9 Best Customer Service Examples for 2023

6. Invest in Easy-to-Use Software

Provide your team with simple and user-friendly software. Complicated software takes longer to learn and has more room for error. If your team is spending more time navigating through the software, that is less time spent on providing excellent customer service. Research and find easy and more efficient solutions for your business phone system, CRMs, and project management tools.

7. Offer Work-from-Home Opportunities

One of the most important customer service trends this year is remote work. Working from home is growing more and more popular because it accommodates productivity. And your customer service team may want the option to work remotely, possibly until the end of the year. Prepare for this by considering call forwarding that can keep your remote workers and teams connected without increasing your monthly business communication bill.

8. Consider Video Streaming

A new development in customer service trends is the inclusion of video streaming and conferencing. Video is a useful form of communication and should be incorporated as much as possible in sales, marketing, and customer service. You can use videos for product descriptions, service education, launching new items, and more.

9. Personalize and Customize for Each Customer

Finally, continue to personalize your services for your customer. Stock emails and responses can easily disenchant prospects. Based on their search and purchase history, offer personalized offers or discounts, rewards, and recommendations that mean something to them.

Related: 23 Incredible Customer Service Tips for 2023

Improve Customer Service Today!

All of these trends may not be applicable to your business. However, identify the ones that do and make an attempt to include them effectively and creatively so your business can care for their customers better. Happy customers lead to a happy business, after all!

23 Incredible Customer Service Tips for 2023 [Updated]

Providing good customer service is key to the successful running of any business. Customers are what drives a business and therefore if you are not focusing on providing excellent service, then your company is more likely to lose valuable customers. Here are 23 incredible customer service tips that can boost your customer interactions in 2023.

23 Customer Service Tips You Must Use in 2023

The following customer service tips have been used by various businesses across the globe. While not all of them may apply to your company, it is a good idea to experiment with these tips and adapt them to fit your mission.

1. Treat Customers Well

Remember that customers are important for the proper and successful functioning of your business. And so, you want to make sure your employees and agents treat your customers like gold. When interacting with customers, employees should be empathic and take time to pay attention to the customer and their concerns. Interactions should be transparent with no hidden agendas or fine print. Offering personalized service and care can go a long way.

2. Use Positive Language and Attitude

A positive attitude and the use of reinforcing words can lead to good interactions and higher resolution rates. A dull sounding call center agent that does not stick to the script nor follow best practices to engage the caller or make them feel heard can lead to losing a valued customer instead of retaining them. Avoid taking things personally or arguing. Instead, remember the larger picture and the company’s goals.

3. Address Issues Immediately

Most customers are calling to resolve an issue they are dealing with and most often they want to do that urgently. Therefore, agents and employees should be equipped to address their concerns immediately. Help callers get to the right department soon, instead of being bounced around. This way, they are closer to a resolution. Additionally, provide your employees with the tools they need to quickly assist callers with the most common complaints and issues. This may require market research to understand what your product or service’s most common issue is, or the reason why customers call most often.

4. Personalize and Customize

Personal touch is the key to good customer service. When talking to customers, remember their name and their case or history with the company. Use their name throughout the conversation. Demonstrate that you are paying attention to what they are saying. When following up, ask when they are available instead of giving them a set time. And so on. It’s the little things that matter.

5. Improve First Call Resolution Rates

This goes along with addressing customer concerns immediately. First call resolution rates measure the number of calls resolved on the first call itself. A higher FCR indicates good customer service and improved customer satisfaction. Identify areas that need improvement and train your employees so they can resolve concerns quickly or, at the latest, in a follow-up email or call.

6. Consider Self-Service Options

One of the 2023 top customer service tips is providing more self-service options to customers. Customers are growing more tech-savvy and prefer if they can do things themselves rather than wait on a person to help them out. See if your business can provide such tools, either through a modern IVR system or a knowledge-base with support and troubleshooting content, etc. This way, customers can help themselves and can reach out to your business if an issue is more complicated.

7. Provide Multi-Channel Customer Support

It is no surprise: not every customer likes making phone calls. This is where multi-channel support comes in very handy. Most companies currently offer a variety of ways for prospects and clients to get in touch with them:

  • Toll free numbers: for free calling
  • Local numbers: for inexpensive calling
  • Email: with 1-2 day response times
  • SMS / instant messaging: with quick response times, preferably within the day
  • Live chat: with live agents, monitored 24/7
  • IVR within the phone system: which can provide 24/7 support and self-service options
  • Mail: for those who prefer and need it
  • In-person meetings: for local offices

8. Offer 24/7 Customer Service

If possible, try to offer 24/7 customer support that includes after-hours and weekends. You can do so by hiring off-hours or remote agents and have incoming calls forwarded to them through your IVR system.

Another indirect way to provide 24/7 service is through an informative IVR that can assist with account information, register complaints, process payments, offer troubleshooting help, etc. You can also have an online knowledge-base with “help” articles that can walk users through common issues and how to resolve them.

Related: What is a Follow the Sun Support Model?

9. Consider Automation

Another one of the top customer service tips this year is adopting automation to provide support. An automated IVR system and chatbots are two ways you can cut down on agent workload while still assisting those in need. Automation can help with simple and common issues, provide 24/7 customer support, reduce the number of support tickets submitted, collect customer information and add it to their history, and free employees up to handle more complex issues.

These systems should, however, always have an option to connect to a live representative in case the user is unable to resolve their concern.

10. Pay Attention to Customer Satisfaction Scores

It is also important to measure and improve CSAT scores. This is because these scores directly impact your business’ customer retention rates. That is, they measure your business’ ability to maintain customer loyalty and long-term relationships with their customers. Bad interactions and experiences will deter customers away from your brand. It is, therefore, necessary to pay attention to customer satisfaction by collecting feedback and opinions. Utilize email or live chat to collect feedback about specific products, services, or interactions.

11. Focus Efforts on Marketing and Reputation Management

Use effective marketing strategies to showcase your brand’s values and mission. Demonstrate your team’s expertise, highlight important and valuable customer reviews, and so on. Marketing is a good way to maintain your business’ credibility and reputation. You can also choose to run active social media accounts where you interact with customers and interested prospects, answer their queries, run promotions, and so on. This is a good way to improve customer interaction.

12. Humanize Customer-Business Interactions

While automation can make business processes easy and efficient, you want to keep automation to a minimum and only if necessary during customer-business interactions. For example, a caller should not have to jump through various hoops to get in touch with a live representative. A struggling caller will end up being frustrated if the automated service does not help resolve their concern. And you may lose a valuable client this way.

Some issues and interactions should be conducted with a human as opposed to bots. When mapping out your IVR or chatbot application, always have an “out” available for callers who need to interact with an employee.

13. Evaluate Team Productivity and KPIs

One of the most important customer service tips is to consistently measure your team’s productivity through key performance indicators (KPIs). Some of the common customer service KPIs are:

  • Average response time
  • Average handle time
  • First call resolution rate
  • Average resolution time
  • Customer satisfaction rate (CSAT)
  • Number of calls
  • Number of interactions across different channels (chat, support tickets, emails, etc.)
  • Abandon call/chat rate
  • Net promoter score (NPS), and so on

14. Be Proactive: Reach Out to Customers Before They Have to Reach You

Depending on the service you provide, you may find it useful to be proactive in your customer interactions. Be the first one to reach out and check in with repeat customers. Is there anything else you can help with? Follow-up on recent purchases to make sure everything went well. Ask for feedback and how the service can be improved. Such interactions will show your customers that their opinions and business are valued.

15. Give Importance and Priority to Customer Complaints

Prioritize customer complaints as these are the experiences that can quickly turn bad and sour. Identify the problem and find ways to fix them quickly. If the issue seems to be a common one across a particular model, then improve it before the next batch is out. And reach out to customers who have purchased the model to inform them about the issue and its fix. Additionally, check in with customers regularly and collect feedback to learn how to make processes smoother or how to make the product better.

16. Collect Feedback Regularly

Use surveys either via email or text messages to study how customers are interacting with products and services you offer. It is important to see things from the customers’ perspectives. And feedback is the best way to do so. Whether it is about a certain product or their recent customer service call, it is important to always look for ways to make your service better.

17. Provide Your Team with the Right Tools

Provide your customer service agents and employees with the right tools to offer good and efficient service. Use CRMs to keep track of customer information, history, interactions, and more. This way, your agents are prepared to offer support that is personalized and customized instead of generic. We recommend Zoho or Salesforce, but there are plenty of great options for keeping track of your customers.

You may also consider investing in call recording software and forwarding tools. Recordings can be used to conduct performance reviews, training new employees, protecting against liabilities, reducing errors and misunderstandings, and more. Call forwarding and routing can help distribute calls evenly among employees so that no one employee is over- or under-worked.

18. Train and Re-Train Employees and Agents

Keep training new and current employees by providing refresher training, past recordings to highlight strengths and weaknesses, webinars and workshops, and more. When training employees, it is important to ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding the goals of the company.

19. Invest in Customer Loyalty Programs

Customer loyalty programs will help you retain valuable customers and their businesses. These programs are designed to do so by providing rewards to customers who continue to bring your business. Offer deals, promotions, and special offers to members of your loyalty program to retain a steady flow of sales.

20. Follow Up When You Do Not Have the Answer

Most customer service teams are expected to have an answer ready for any query or concern brought up. However, oftentimes, you may find yourself in a situation where different troubleshooting methods or common answers do not suffice. In such cases, you may need the assistance of a supervisor or manager. Follow-up with these customers as quickly as you can with better solutions or transfer them to someone who can help. Not doing so leads to the client seeking a better service elsewhere.

21. Be Consistent Across All Communication Channels

Two of the most common customer service tips are having multi-channel communication and being consistent in all channels. Ensure that all customer service reps are aware of the goals, mission, and voice of your brand. Train them to use these different channels (email, phone, live chat, social media, etc.) with ease and keeping with the support process. This will help with consistency across different communication channels.

22. Offer Premium Support to Loyal Clientele

Just how loyalty programs can help you retain good customers, offering premium support and prioritizing loyal and valuable customers can also increase customer satisfaction and retention rates.

23. Share Customer-Focused Content

Keep your website and social media accounts up-to-date by providing relevant and informative content. This content should not only focus on your services but how customers can benefit from these services. You may include customer reviews, case studies, and testimonials to see how your product or service ranks with customers.

Give These Customer Service Tips a Try!

Happy customers will give your agents peace of mind so they can focus on what matters. While not all of these tips may apply to your type of business, try the ones that do and modify them to your needs. To learn more about telecommunication tools that can support your customer service efforts, speak with one of our experts!

Becoming an Entrepreneur in 2023

There has never been a time more convenient to launch a successful business than now. Would-be entrepreneurs that have been contemplating a shift to starting their own successful venture now have the tools to create businesses that would not have been possible in years past. With the stability of 9-to-5’s becoming a thing of the past, more people want to take control of their future and steer their destiny towards achieving their dreams. Becoming an entrepreneur isn’t easy but the rewards are worth the push.

Becoming an Entrepreneur using Technology

Thanks to Global Call Forwarding’s innovations in telecommunications, you can upgrade your business using some of the technologies now available, thanks to cloud computing, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and more. So, if you are considering the launch of a new business venture, here are some tips for success.

Think 24/7/365 Availability

One significant change in our modern world is being able to harness the 24 hours in a day, the full 7 days in a week, and the 365-day markets that are available at our fingertips. Furthermore, being able to instantly access new customers and clients in different countries can further scale your idea from just a thought you had on the way to work to a booming, successful entity quickly.

By using virtual phone numbers equipped with an add-on called “time of day routing,” you can handle inbound calls around the clock and for different time zones around the world. For instance, if you have a side business with regular business hours, you can forward those calls and voicemails to call centers and other staff using time of day routing. This can help you balance the transition of working a day job while waiting for your business to grow so you can strike out on your own.

Think Outside the Box

Because virtual phone numbers from Global Call Forwarding are an evolving technology, your business can use them in creative ways that can gain a competitive edge. For instance, you may have found that your business is popular in the New York City metropolitan area. However, as you may be aware, New Yorkers prefer to handle their business locally. In response, your business can use virtual phone numbers, with area codes in the NYC area and its 5 boroughs to appeal directly to local communities. Best of all, your business doesn’t have to be based there, especially considering the high cost of living and expensive real estate. Using the techniques of building a virtual office, virtual phone numbers take care of the communication aspect of your business – even if you’re located outside of the country.

Why is this possible? When a virtual phone number is dialed, the call is immediately routed to another phone number, the destination phone number. This destination phone number can be located in nearly any country around the world, immediately broadening your company’s appeal and allowing your new business to be instantly located in favorable business climates.

Becoming an Entrepreneur in 2019
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Leverage Technology to Scale Your Business

When it comes to modern businesses, the keyword is “scale.” In other words, does your business have the capability to grow exponentially while still maintaining the quality of service that you provided beforehand? If the answer is yes, then you should seriously consider using Global Call Forwarding’s add-ons, such as “outbound calling.

Outbound calling is a popular add-on that enables your business to call phone numbers in other countries to call recipients directly. Without this option, the caller ID will register a long string of numbers and letters that callers aren’t likely to answer. With outbound calling, your business can use a virtual phone number – which is identical to “normal” landlines – and have this reflect on the receiver’s caller ID, ensuring they never know the number calling isn’t a local, standard landline.

As an example of outbound calling, if you have a Canada virtual phone number and want to contact potential clients in Montreal, those numbers will appear on their caller ID. Contrast this with calling from the United Arab Emirates, where a +971 country code will appear on the caller ID – not to mention the charges of hefty long-distance fees, or even worse, the potential blocking by either party’s service provider.

Avoid Being a Perfectionist

It is only natural to want everything to go smoothly in the early days of your business. Achieving perfection may be ideal, but in business, it can be detrimental to your new endeavor. For instance, you may be handling a large number of potential contracts with distributors for your new product. By using “call recording” – a popular add-on – you can record those conversations when you’re weighing the various options available. And for some absent-minded entrepreneurs, it helps to have a useful reference for when things become less than perfect. This can help reduce stress in the early days of your business when you’re bootstrapping a new idea with minimal resources and limited attention.

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Global Call Forwarding can help you start your new business in 2019. For more information on the most recent advancements in telecom services and subscription services available from the leading service provider, visit www.globalcallforwarding.com

7 Best Practices for Call Center Scripts that Convert

How your agents communicate over the phone can make a huge impact on the success of your call center strategy. Convert more callers into returning customers and reel in the sales with effective call center scripts. We even include a downloadable template below!

How Does Using Call Scripts for Customer Service Improve Communication?

Call center scripts can make or break the way your business interacts with its customers. These scripts carry information about your products and services intending to convert callers into recurring clients and, ultimately, generate sales.

However, if agents and reps are not trained to understand the flow of different conversations, they may end up offering poor service. Call center and customer service scripts can be used in these instances to train agents and provide easy-to-apply guidelines to follow. This way, your sales and support teams will be able to respond to and resolve customer queries more quickly and accurately, improving overall customer service.

What are Call Center Scripts Used for?

Call center scripts and customer service scripts are guidelines agents use to communicate with customers and users. These templates are ready-to-use based on different customer interactions and scenarios. Agents can use these to respond to queries and complaints or help customers find better products and services. Some customer scripts can be used to collect customer feedback or product reviews.

How to Create Effective Call Center Scripts: 7 Best Practices

When creating your call center script, focus on developing scripts for both inbound (incoming) and outbound (outgoing) calls. This way, your customer support teams are prepared for callers seeking customer support and product inquiries and your sales teams are prepared for sales pitches and lead calls. Additionally, call center scripts can help reduce training time and agent turnover. Businesses that don’t have time to offer rigorous training and provide in-depth knowledge can use scripts to get the job done quickly.

Here are 7 call center script best practices to consider when developing your business’ scripts. We also include tips for effective scripts and how to train your employees to meet your standards.

1. Hire Excellent Customer Service & Sales Reps

First, hire quality customer service and sales talent. Use business networking sites to find agents and reps that have experience, training, and certification. This will ensure you have a robust team ready to tackle whatever issue comes their way. Plus, they will have developed the right personality needed for delivering scripts naturally and effectively.

2. Keep Call Center Script Writing Tips in Mind

When creating your script and training your agents to make the most of the script, keep these key tips in mind:

  • Develop scripts that lead to action and be clear in their purpose.
  • Plan for multiple scenarios.
  • Allow for flexibility (but not too much) and more genuine interaction with customers.
  • Write scripts keeping common customer complaints and preferences in mind.
  • Emphasize the importance of understanding customer needs so they can be helped efficiently.
  • Include positive phrases and reword negative phrases.
  • Focus on personalization and train agents on proper etiquette.

3. Create an Effective Call Center Script

Your call center script should include these useful elements:

  1. Greet the customer and say the name of the business.
  2. Introduce yourself.
  3. State the purpose of your call (outbound call) or find out why they are calling (inbound call)
  4. For outbound calls: go through your script at a decent pace and pause for questions or concerns.
  5. For inbound calls: listen carefully and attentively to the caller. Take note of key issues or questions, repeat to clarify, and offer practical solutions. Provide accurate information or offer a follow-up call, if you do not have the information on hand.
  6. At the end of the call, ask if they need any additional assistance, thank them for calling, and add a pleasantry.
  7. Score the call.

4. Train Agents & Employees Well

Besides merely providing your employees with quality scripts, you also need to train them in how to use the scripts well. Spend sufficient time teaching employees bad and good call center practices. Help them understand the company’s goals and standards. When training employees:

  • Focus on making customer service a top priority.
  • Keep communication two ways; adopt active listening.
  • Demonstrate examples of bad customer interactions and provide solutions.
  • Use call recording to identify positive and negative behavior.
  • Use call monitoring to listen in on calls with new employees so you can train them “on the job.”

5. Emphasize the Importance of Utilizing Customer Data When Using the Script

Part of executing a call center script well is personalizing it for each individual customer. This means using customer data alongside your script. Businesses with a customer-first strategy or those that are customer-focused need to use customer data to offer better, more customized service.

Before your agent or rep answers the call or calls a customer, they must pull up the customer’s data, history, purchases, and so on. This ensures your agent is prepared for the conversation and has all the context needed. Additionally, the customer won’t have to repeat their query again and again or bring the rep up to speed. You can save time for both your agent and customer. And move towards resolution faster.

6. Use Call Recording to Analyze the Effectiveness of Scripts

Recording business calls can help you and your teams listen in to calls from the past. This is a good way to identify what is working and what isn’t and how to improve your phone interactions. Pay attention to your best-performing agents. How are they effectively bringing new clients on board? What techniques and strategies are working? Then integrate their practices into your call center script so others may attempt them as well.

7. Provide Agents with Knowledge Bases and Support

Finally, make sure your reps can provide accurate responses to customer questions quickly. And to do this, they will need access to knowledge bases or support resources that outline common customer questions, product descriptions, company policies, and so on. This way, they can consult accurate resources if they are hit with a question or query they do not have an answer for.

Improve Sales with Call Center Scripts

Call center scripts have a great impact on whether a customer continues to do business with your company. Ensure your scripts are customer-centric as well as informative and helpful. Train employees to have an upbeat attitude and treat each call as a new slate. And before you know it, your scripts will be an effective aspect of your strategy that brings more and more customers to your business!

Downloadable Call Center Scripts Templates

Ready to get started? Then, grab these call center scripts and share them with your teams. Here are scripts to help you handle different situations and phases during customer calls.

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7 Useful Tips for Creating a Call Center Scorecard

Call center scorecards are quality monitoring tools that help you test and analyze call center and agent performance. By doing so, managers can identify areas for improvement and success. Here we look at 7 useful tips for creating a call center scorecard and what you need to focus on. We even include a downloadable evaluation form below!

How to Create a Call Center Scorecard: 7 Tips + Evaluation Form

First, what is a call center scorecard? And why do you need one? Call center scorecards are a great tool used by many call centers when conducting performance analysis. You can track and measure call center metrics, agent responses, and phone interactions, as well as conversions. Here are 7 tips to help you create an ideal scorecard:

1. Define the Purpose of the Scorecard and How it will be Used

First, you must decide and be clear on the purpose of your scorecard. What elements do you want to include? How often will you utilize the scorecards? How will you collect information about agent performance? What parameters and metrics will agents be scored on? Additionally, is every parameter equally important? Defining the purpose and the various elements that the agents will be tested on can help aid in quick and accurate analysis.

2. List Down Parameters that will be Assessed

Part of using a call center scorecard is testing your agents on various parameters that help you and them understand what they are doing well and where they can improve. Some parameters to consider include:

  1. Greetings: Agent greeted customers politely and with a clear introduction of the company and themselves.
  2. Script adherence: With outbound sales calls, agent followed the script naturally and paused for customer questions or concerns.
  3. Account and identity verification: With inbound calls, agent verified the caller’s information and identity to find their account and gather information about the customer’s past interactions.
  4. Customer service quality: Ability to clearly determine the caller’s needs, provide accurate and useful assistance
  5. End-of-call protocol: After resolving the issue, agent must ask if there is anything else they can assist the caller with.

3. Define and Note Different Call Center Metrics

Next, you might consider including certain call center metrics that apply to your particular business. Call center metrics or KPIs assess how a call center is performing. They also help managers understand how individual agents are performing. For example, which agents resolve calls quickly and accurately or which spend too long on calls, and so on. Most call centers use call center software and call analytics to track and measure relevant metrics. You may want to consider including the following on your scorecard:

  1. Average time in queue
  2. Response time
  3. Average speed of answer
  4. Average handle time
  5. First call resolution rate
  6. Customer satisfaction rate
  7. Occupancy rate
  8. Agent absenteeism

4. Include Different Types of Customer Interaction

Often, phone conversations might be the most common communication method for your call center. However, more recently, call centers have been striving to offer multi-channel or omnichannel customer support. If your call center offers more than one channel of customer interaction, then you should measure performance on each different channel. As such, try to include different types of customer interaction (live chat, email, video, etc.) used often in your call center in your scorecard.

5. Focus on Various Skills

Depending on the type of center you run, your agents may need to multitask using multiple skills. For example, you may have agents on both phone and live chat duty simultaneously. Or, agents may need to research solutions while managing the conversation and documenting each part of the conversation.

Different departments require different skills. Customer service will need to look at knowledge bases or support documents to provide help. Reception will need to ensure the customer arrives at the right department quickly. Sales needs to make pitches using customer data and personalization.

6. Monitor, Collect Data, & Refine

Since the purpose of a call center scorecard is to collect data and measure how your business and agents are performing, these scorecards need to be monitored regularly. By monitoring on a regular basis, you will not only gain insight into how well or badly your agents are doing, but also what elements or parameters are worth measuring and which ones are not useful.

Then, you can make the necessary adjustments and refine your scorecard for functionality and accuracy. Additionally, you can make necessary changes to improve agent and call center performance.

7. Treat Your Agents as Humans, Not Robots

Finally, remember that your agents are humans and not customer service robots. As such, set realistic goals and expectations when creating and monitoring your call center scorecard. Be flexible and leave room for error. Provide sufficient training materials so agents can continue to do better.

Evaluate Performance with an Effective Call Center Scorecard

Designing a call center scorecard takes time and refinement. Get started now by developing your own scorecard or using online templates and tailoring them to your needs. There are many resources available for tracking, measuring, and improving productivity. Take steps in the right direction and watch the efficiency grow in your call center.

Downloadable Call Center Scorecard Templates

Ready to get started? Then, grab our call center scorecard templates below, share them with your managers, and start evaluating your call center’s performance! We have scorecard templates for Outbound Sales calls, Inbound Sales calls, Customer and Technical Support calls, and Chat support.

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Download Your Free Call Center Scorecard Templates

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16 Tips to Ensure Outstanding Call Center Etiquette

Effective and excellent call center etiquette can go a long way in securing valuable customers and leads. However, you may have noticed that the rules are constantly changing. In this post, we detail the dos and don’ts of call center etiquette and how you can offer an outstanding call center experience. Read on to learn more!

Top Tips for Excellent Call Center Etiquette

How call center agents conduct themselves during calls can determine customer satisfaction and retention. Poor etiquette leads to bad customer service and low caller satisfaction. Call center etiquette can be divided into four different phases of the call such as:

  • Answering the call.
  • Speaking to customers and identifying issues.
  • Transferring customers to another agent or supervisor.
  • Ending the call.

In each of these phases, you must demonstrate professionalism, concern, and a desire to genuinely assist your caller. We’ll look at each of these phases individually and the different aspects to keep in mind to ensure you are providing outstanding call center etiquette. Learn more about promising customer service tips here.

When Answering the Call

The speed at which you answer the call as well as your tone can determine how the rest of the call goes. If you take too long or answer the call in a rushed manner, callers will immediately be put off. Keep these tips in mind as well:

1. Answer the Call Promptly
Customers do not like to be kept waiting when they are trying to reach customer support. Always answer the call on the second or third ring. Any longer than that, they may feel frustrated and abandon the call. Additionally, if it is too hard to reach your business time and time again, that customer will likely switch over to a competitor instead.

2. Greet with a Friendly Tone
Always greet callers with a positive attitude. Callers can sense your inflection on the phone. Smiling while you’re on a call is an old trick that conveys a friendly tone through the phone. Starting a call with a positive attitude encourages the same from the caller on the other line.

If someone is distraught about their product and in need of help, your positivity will help ease their frustrations because they will know by your tone that you are eager to help. You do not need to go overboard with this. A simple greeting like “Hello, you’ve reached (name of company) my name is ___, how can I help you today?” will suffice.

Identifying the Issue

Next up is taking the time to listen to your caller and identify the issue. This means you should key into their emotions and being empathetic while clearly understanding what the problem is. After all, if you do not know what is concerning them, you may not be able to help effectively.

3. Adopt Active Listening
Let them explain and describe the issue to you before you repeat it. Nothing frustrates a customer more than an employee that is not paying attention to them and seems in a rush to finish the call. Take time to understand where they are coming from and what the problem is. Reinforce your understanding by showing you have heard their situation and are working on a resolution.

4. Identify the Issue
Once you think you have a good handle over what the issue is, confirm it with them. Reiterate the problem as best as you understand it. Something like, “So, from what you are telling me, I understand that you are having an issue with . . .” or “. . . that you would like to . . .” This will help you ensure you have thoroughly understood the issue and will also demonstrate to the caller that you have been paying attention.

5. Be Patient and Helpful
Always be patient. Whether they are taking too long to explain the problem or are repeating themselves, your patience will determine whether this customer returns or not. When a client calls a company, it is more than likely to resolve an issue. Patiently listen to them. If you are unable to help them, transfer them to the correct department.

Transferring the Call or Placing the Caller on Hold

Most callers do not enjoy being placed on hold or transferred to another employee. Unfortunately, at times, it is necessary to transfer the call to someone who can handle it better or place them on hold so you can find the right information and help them better. Here are rules to observe when transferring a call or placing it on hold:

6. Determine Who to Transfer to
Again, listening intently to what their needs are will help you determine what department to send them to. After all, customers will only get more agitated if they need support but you sent them to sales.

7. Explain Why They Need to be Transferred
Most callers do not like to be bounced around. However, sometimes it is inevitable, especially if they reached the wrong department, to begin with. Explain to your caller why they need to be transferred to another department or employee.

8. During the Transfer
When you transfer a phone call, make sure that there is someone in that department available to take the call. Stay on the phone with your caller until someone answers and then you can introduce the caller to this new department. Do not abandon your caller till they have someone who can take care of them.

9. Ask Before Placing on Hold
Before you put someone on hold, ask them for their permission. Instead of saying “I’m going to put you on hold now” or nothing at all, say “Would it be alright if I put you on hold for a brief moment?” Then wait for an answer.

10. Use The Hold Button Appropriately
Make sure you and your teams know how to use the hold button so there is no confusion. For example, when you place someone on hold while you speak to another customer, the person on hold should not hear you speaking with the other customer or hear employees in the background. Hold music or a custom message can be played when they are on hold, instead.

11. Do Not Place Callers on Hold for Too Long
Do not leave someone on hold for a long time. If they are waiting to speak to someone in particular who is not available, inform them that they will be waiting for a certain period of time. If the wait exceeds 2-5 minutes, check in to let them know you have not forgotten about them but are taking longer to find what they need. If they do not want to stay on hold for long, encourage them to call back later or offer to call them when you have the information or person available.

call center software
Source: Stockphoto.com O#100053743383

Ending the Call

The last part of maintaining good call center etiquette focuses on how to end a call. This largely depends on how the call went. Were you able to resolve everything or is a follow-up required?

12. End The Call Politely

Always aim to end the call on a “high note.” If something needs your attention right away, offer to call the person back and let them know you will finish the conversation after you have dealt with this urgent matter.

When the conversation has come to a natural end, ask them if there is anything else you can do for them. If yes, proceed to assist. If no, thank them for their call. An example of a good way to end a phone call is, “Thank you so much for calling (company) today, I hope you enjoy your weekend.” Or, “It was a pleasure speaking with you, I’m glad that we could help you out today. Have a wonderful rest of your day.”

Additionally, if your company asks for surveys post calls, ask your caller if they would be interested in participating in a brief survey. And respect their wishes, whichever way they lean.

Do not rush them off the phone, and always wait for the customer to hang up before you hang up.

13. Offer Follow-Up Information
Alternatively, if a follow-up is required, let them know how to expect it. Will you send an email or phone call reminder? Should they call you back instead of your company contacting them? Either way, make sure that you have the information they need when the follow-up occurs.

Additional Call Center Etiquette

In addition to the above points, there are some other aspects of call center etiquette to pay attention to, such as call management and training.

14. Training Employees and Agents
So that agents know what they are supposed to do and how to best help customers, they need to be trained well. This includes:

    • Training new employees, even those that come with experience
    • Offering refresher courses and workshops to current employees periodically
    • Using call recording to record and review interactions
    • Conduct regular performance analysis
    • Provide access to seminars and training programs

15. Making a Call
Employees should be trained to make calls professionally. Be sure to introduce yourself and the reason for your call right away. Provide them with all the necessary details at the beginning of the call.

Leaving a voicemail is similar to making a call. Even with the voicemail, introduce yourself and explain the reason for your call. Also include contact details such as a phone number and, if needed, a time frame for them to call you back.

16. Forward Your Phone To Voicemail
If you are out of your office, send all incoming phone calls immediately to your voicemail so that the caller knows that you are unavailable. Having a caller sit through 20 rings before realizing that you’re not going to answer is impolite and leaves the caller with a negative feeling. Your voicemail should state who you are and when you will be back. An instant and informative voicemail saves the caller time and allows them the option of leaving a message or calling back at a more convenient time.

Offer Better Customer Service with the Right Etiquette

If you don’t try to do the best you can, chances are, you will miss the buck. To gain new customers and convert them into regulars and to treat your regulars like royalty, your call center etiquette needs to be on-point. Make the necessary changes, implement a strategy for continuous education, and watch as your business grows!

Related: 5 Surefire Ways to Improve Virtual Call Center CSAT Scores