A Call Center in the U.S. is a Smart Investment

“Why is it that when you call a customer service call center in developing countries the experience is so bad? Don’t we deserve more than that where we spend our money? I want to at least understand what they’re saying. AND! I don’t need each response read from a script.”

So the above statement was a post I shared out on our Facebook page and the feedback I received was quite interesting to say the least. I wanted to hear from consumers and small business owners which major brands out there are using call centers outside of the U.S. that provide horrible customer service. The responses were surprising.

Why were they surprising? Well because the majority of the population expects major brands such as Amazon, Google, Uber, and Sprint to provide excellent customer service, yet they were all a part of the named brands who don’t.

Let me share the experience I had that caused me to do some digging and open conversation on social media to see who else feels my pain.

Bad Call Center Experience from a Major Brand

I called one of the above-named brands because my order was marked delivered and yet I hadn’t received it. They are known for their quick delivery options so you would think that they take umbrage in providing timely service, right? Well…

Me: “Hi, this is Serena and I placed an order that was supposed to be delivered within two hours. When I noticed it was past the delivery time slot I was given, I checked my app and I see it’s marked delivered but I never got it.”

Call Center Rep: “Can you please provide your full name to verify your account.”

Note: There was no apology for my experience here and while you may have clearly read the line above, I had to ask her twice what she said because I didn’t understand her. Language barrier is an almost instant annoyance to any customer. I’m already annoyed because my delivery didn’t arrive and now, I’m speaking to someone who had no empathy about my experience and who’s English was subpar (and that’s a nice adjective for what it really was).

Me: “My Full name is ____________________.”

Call Center Rep: “What is the phone number on the account.”

Me: “My phone number is ____________________________.”

Call Center Rep: “What is the security code on the account.”

Me: I provide the security code.

Call Center Rep: “Please hold.”

14 minutes later the call center representative comes back on the line and asks me the reason for my call.

WHAT?! All I thought was, “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!”

I often order from this brand and the order is usually over $100 each time. So I expected more than this.

I repeat the reason for my call and without any emotion AT ALL, I hear “We don’t have a way to reach the delivery person ma’am but we can send a message to the dispatch facility and wait to hear back from them and then call you back.”

No.

No.

No.

This is not what I wanted to hear at now 11 pm when one of my items was the Tylenol I needed to ease my migraine. I requested a refund and was told I could not receive a refund until they hear back from the dispatch facility. She had no emotion in her tone and her wording was clearly a script.

I didn’t expect for her to cry over it, but can I get some human nature?

Had this call center representative spoken clear English so that I didn’t become even more frustrated trying to understand them, empathized with me over my hindrance, and at the very least say something like, “let me see what I can do to get this rectified for you” before placing me on a 14-minute hold, then my experience may not have been as damaging. I say damaging because I spend way less money on this company now and if I’m thinking that way, I can bet other consumers are too. That’s damaging to their brand, not me.

That means that poor customer service from call centers can and will lead to a loss in revenue. Let’s go over some other reasons why a positive call center experience is crucial.

5 Reasons a Positive Call Center Experience is Crucial

1. Improved Development

According to a research report by Salesforce, approximately 75% of consumers expect the brands they spend money on to provide them with a consistent experience. Be it by phone, online, or mobile messaging.

It’s imperative that you let your customer base know how much you care because a satisfied audience helps your business grow lucratively and successfully.

2. Stronger Customer Relationships

When you deliver optimum customer service, you’re providing a positive experience which strengthens your relationship with the consumer and the brand’s image. Major brands are so focused on bringing in revenue and tend to forget that delivering an enhanced experience to their customers is the main component in gaining a loyal (and repeat) customer.

3. Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Guess what a customer does when they LOVE the call center customer service experience? That’s right! They tell their friends and family how great your company, products, and services are. When you treat a customer better than your competitors do, it helps you retain customers for a longer period of time because of the added value you provided.

 4. Empowered Support Staff

Companies like Dedicated Office which is a U.S. based call center that invests in employees that will be trained and cultured to provide valued experiences to callers, knows that in order to create a satisfied customer base to your business it’s crucial that the work environment match what is expected the staff member to deliver. This type of methodology impacts the support staff because of the positive environment they work in which improves theirs and your brand.

5. Keep Customer Retention Up

You can sell the best products and provide the best service and it’s the customer service you provide that will retain customers more than anything else. Think about the times you ate at a great restaurant and the waitress had a horrible attitude, or you waited too long for the food to come out. How quickly did you return to eat there? Exactly.

Do not be fooled at how many customers are retained due to excellent customer service. That is why it is so important to your business growth that you partner with a call center that is dedicated to providing top-notch customer service to your callers.