Customers interact with call center agents for a multitude of reasons, but regardless of why, their expectation is of a secure, personalized, and efficient service delivered by professional, knowledgeable staff.
More often than not, attention to detail by agents can be the deciding factor in making the emotional connection with the customer. It’s all a matter of how you make your customers feel when they use your services; an agent armed with the right information can be a game-changer.
The call center may not be the first port of call. Customers might start a transaction through a self-service channel, and then call in to speak with an agent; but regardless of how they are connecting, customers are invariably looking for the personal touch, whether they are seeking more information about a product or service, or questioning a transaction.
According to our 2013 NICE CX Survey, 88 percent of customers want to be able to have someone to talk to. And motivated and engaged agents play a pivotal role in enhancing the customer experience. Since we are all naturally won over by confident, empathetic individuals, it’s not hard to see why a confident and engaged agent can reassure customers that their choices are valid and their problems can be solved.
Agents’ confidence and knowledge is grounded in the various customer interactions data across multiple channels which is captured and analyzed, and then used to determine customer trends, responses, opinions, and preferences.
With the right information and technology at hand, call center agents have the ability to make a real, positive impact on customers (as the agent remarks in the video below: “the right information helps us, as agents, understand the problem, show empathy, and quickly answer the needs of our customers”). When we know how someone is feeling and what makes them really tick, we can adapt our approach to problem-solving, nip negative escalations in the bud, highlight particular products and services, and have a huge influence on the direction and outcome of a customer's experience.
Watch the video below to see how it all comes together and your customers’ experience becomes truly exceptional thanks to an engaged and knowledgeable agent armed with the tools, information and truck-loads of can-do attitude.