I'd like to pick your brains a bit and find out if you have any tips for getting to know your customers ?

I believe that the best way to develop a loyal and happy customer base is to get to know them somehow : who they are, what they do, what they like and dislike, their business etc.

In pre-call centre days there was a personal point of contact for each customer, or potential customer. Wherever it was possible we would try to keep that relationship alive although there was a risk of customers following our sales reps if they left the company.

As a small business, I believe that there are lessons to be learnt from the past and as we grow bigger we don't want to lose that perosnal touch with our existing customers, but efficiency is forcing us to change.

Have you any ideas how to maintain the personal touch as the call centre increases without resorting to artificial tear-sheets with notes of things like 'Customer X plays golf' - which is dangerous as it can backfire.

What ways of growing the call centre (at the moment we have 6 reps) would make them feel that they are receiving a personal service and possibly they would feel better about coming back to buy again ?

WW

Hi William, good to see you posting again.

It's very important to get to know your customer, of course. Many bigger call centres don't do this, or they think they can 'buy in' the knowledge via people like Experian, et al. Whilst there is some validity about that from a macro-marketing and strategic perspective (for instance in the determination of trends and statistical bias), it is a very blunt instrument on its own.

From the small call centre perspective, as in your case, I imagine your customer base is much smaller than people like banks or telcos. Therefore, the value-per-head is significantly higher with regard to your overall business. So, whilst a big company can justify database marketing on the basis of 'manageability' (and who can blame them; there's no way to 'know' a million customers), the smaller call centre should concentrate its efforts on more tailored means. Moreover, small customer bases are not best served (statistically-speaking) by database wizardry inthe main :-)

Tailored methods, such as allowing some time per call to find out a little about the individual and their business, are the solution in my mind. Whilst these are not necessarily amenable to scripting, they can add value and a senseof 'personalisation' which rigid scripting loses.

Other tactics include doing seperate surveys of customers, courtesy calls and many other means.

Whether such strategies will grow with a call centre depends upon the nature of your services/products and the 'stickability' of repeat business.

John

Hi William

It heartens me greatly, that you recognise the need for such an approach. Thank goodness.

Some time ago I wrote an article that was about just such a topic. My suggestion was that (as St John so rightly pointedout) you should not even attempt to script it. What your people need to do is 'connect' with your customers in a way that is entirely appropriate for the particual time, occurance and person.

What I suggested in that article is that you instead'walk the walk' and ask of each of your people what their callers are like and what they KNOW about them. Try and steer away from the std boring stuff like when they are on holiday etc but instead ask different questions of different individuals that leave our staff thinking, "I must get to know my customers better"

If you appraoch it from a task perspective, e.g. £10 for each item of data recorded about each customer, they will reflect this task based drive in their communication with your customers. When they realsie that, as the principal of the business, its what you do, they will be do it too and will be genuinely interested in the eyes of customers.

By leveraging this information, i.e. by asking the team what Mr X would 'like' you will be more able to deliver truely persoanalised service.

HTH

David

There is a saying that implies that if you are able to form the question, then, at some level, the answer is already known. Another belief system says that it is not important that the questions are awnsered, but that they are formed and asked. In 'Teleconnecting' World, just coming on out and asking one main question, "How are we doing for you?" or "Why did you decide to do business with us?" is like asking for the world.

Your customers are so excited that you care, that they generally willbe beside themselves - possibly stumble over their words at first. Honestly? Just the fact that you called and cared to ask, even if it's in the middle of dinner or company or the latest survivor show - will make an implant on your customer that you care.

A business has several 'customers'. The main and most important, being their employees. Front line employees already know every problem the company is having. Ask them, "How are we doing for you?" As prompter, is they are too stunned to respond, might be: "What do you think of working for us." "How can we build our employee/customer relationships more effectively?" "What products or services would you like us to offer in the future?" "Is there anything you would like to add?" If these employees are then able to ask these types of questions, you will learn so very much about your business.

Of course, as David Newton-Dines warns - these types of calls must be made with the very most sincere (and I will add non-sales-motivated) callers. Also, Mr. Newton-Dines has remarked that direct quoting is better than any paraphrasing.
One thing, paraphrasing has lent itself to not being 'shot' as the messenger.;-)

This process has been fine-tuned and is available in a 'Courtesy Call' Form, along with a Formula via teleconnecting.com.

There is a Teleconnecting Manual, but I hesitate at the precipice of next-stepping for some reason and it is not yet available.

Again, congratulations for wanting to ask the questions.

@ Your Service,
LoriAnne Hancock
Teleconnecting Consultant
lorianne@teleconnecting.com





Sometimes, getting to that level is a challenge