Posts

7 Essential Customer Service Tips to Help Your Business Build a Loyal Client Base!

/0 Comments/in , /by

Do your employees practice good customer service on the phone?

The way you address a customer on the phone could help you build customer loyalty or it could drive the customer away from your company. Keep your customers coming back to your company by using these 7 customer service tips every day!

Double-Check for Your Customer – Whenever you’re able, try to use the phrase, “Let me double-check that.” Even if you know that the certain item is out of stock or if there is no room left for appointments tomorrow, tell the customer on the line that you will double-check to make sure, just in case. It will make them feel that you really care about their needs!

Use the Golden Rule – We all know this rule – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This rule is a fantastic rule to live by and works perfectly in the working world as well. Pretend the customer on the phone is you. What would you want to happen? What would make you happy? Try to make it happen for your customer.

Involve Yourself – A good way to make your customers happy is to get involved in what they are saying. If you’re assisting someone in obtaining information about a product, mention how nice their choice is, for example. When customers feel as if you’re on their side, they will be pleased!

Keep Your Focus – It can be easy to be distracted on the phone, but you need to listen to exactly what your customer is saying, no matter what. Don’t type unless it pertains to what you’re doing. Don’t read something while you’re taking care of a customer’s needs. Stay focused on the call, take notes if necessary, and help however you can!

Ask Questions – Be an active participant in the conversation by asking questions! Listen for one or two words that you can ask the customer about, or even ask them to expound on their needs by saying, “Tell me more.” Once you get the customer talking, you will be able to help them much more efficiently and are sure to have a satisfied customer.

Avoid Long Holds – Whenever it’s possible, do your best to avoid making your customer wait for long periods of time. If you have to put your customer on hold, explain why and keep the hold period as brief as you can. Be sure to thank them when you get back on the line!

Do Extra – Before you hang up with your customer, be sure to ask if there’s anything else you can do for them. If they say no, then be sure to thank them for calling and invite them to call again if they have any other needs to fulfill.

Don’t Subject Them to Voicemail – Your customers take the time to get on the phone and call you, so why would you want to subject them to the dreaded voicemail? Give your customers a person to talk to when they call your business! They will be much happier talking to a person instead of a machine.

Put these skills and techniques to use now and see what happens. You might be amazed at the results!

Don’t have time to answer the phone? Want to take make sure your customers are taken care of after hours, too? We at Answer Midwest can help! We operate on a 24/7/365 basis and will answer your calls in an efficient, friendly, and professional manner for you! Call (618) 463-2430 to learn more about who we are and how we can serve you!

The Secret to Superior Customer Service as Told by Answer Midwest

/0 Comments/in , /by

When was the last time you had a negative experience when calling a business? Perhaps you had minor frustrations with the person on the other side of the line. Maybe you had such a horrible experience that you vowed to never do business with the company ever again.

If you’re a business owner, you probably know how imperative proper phone protocol and thoughtful call answering is to your business. A good phone call can make a current client even happier (which might prompt them to tell their friends and clients about you), and it can even garner new prospects to use your services in the future.

We at Answer Midwest have been making ongoing investments in training, quality service, and the latest technology to ensure that we provide the highest levels of customer service possible. Throughout the years, we have found the real “secret” to our success in providing superior answering services, which can be boiled down to the following three phone answering components:

Smile Through the Phone – Believe it or not, a caller can sense your mood through the phone within the first few seconds of the call. Everyone is allowed to have a bad day once in a while, but remember that your bad day is not the caller’s fault. Each time the phone rings, answer it with a smile. Your caller can’t help having a positive experience with you, and the experience will reflect as a positive experience with your company! Making the effort to answer each call with a good attitude and a happy demeanor will go a long way toward building a positive image for your company.

Be Helpful – When a client or prospective client calls you, they should be able to sense that your main goal is to be as helpful as possible in addressing their needs and answering their questions. Most phone calls go well beyond the simple “yes” and “no” answers, and many times callers don’t know the exact questions to ask to get what they’re looking for. Meet them halfway by asking frequent questions such as the following:

  • How can I help you today?
  • What else may I help you with?
  • Have I addressed all of your needs?
  • Were my answers helpful to you?

These probing questions will often reveal additional information that will enable you to serve the caller even more efficiently. They will also appreciate your genuine interest and persistence in solving their issues.

Focus on Each Caller 100% – Remember how you feel whenever you try to call a company and feel like you’re just an annoyance? Try to keep this feeling in mind when you’re answering the phone. No one wants to be “processed,” and few things are more irritating than calling a business in which you can instantly tell that they are reading from a script that will be read to countless other callers during the day. Instead, give each caller your 100% focus and make your responses to their concerns or questions genuine. The voice on the other end of the line is an individual with his or her own problems and questions. When the phone rings, do all that you can to put all other distractions and business to the side and give them your undivided attention.

These principles are simple in action, yet so many organizations can easily overlook them and ultimately wind up losing business in the shuffle because of it. Don’t be one of them – take action and incorporate these principles into your phone answering procedures today!

If you’re too busy to dedicate time to answering your phone, don’t worry! Just call us at (618) 463-2430. We pick up every time and are dedicated to providing your callers with customer service that’s second-to-none!

Answer Midwest Employee Spotlight: Leah Zirkelbach

/0 Comments/in , /by

We at Answer Midwest strongly believe in taking good care of our clients’ customers with our exemplary customer service. Day or night, we pick up and answer with a smile, happy and enthusiastic to serve. We really feel that our wonderful employees make all the difference in our customer service and satisfaction. This month for our Employee Spotlight, we are proud to showcase Leah Zirkelbach, one of our main dispatchers here at Answer Midwest!

Leah has been with us for one year and was promoted just recently to the role as one of our main dispatchers. “My role is to take incoming calls, screen them, and get the message to the appropriate person based on the criteria that has been set by our clients,” Leah said. “I also try to help both the caller and our clients as much as possible, whether it’s an office message or a major emergency call.”

Leah joined the Answer Midwest team for many reasons. “Initially, my mom heard about Answer Midwest at her office. She’s a nurse practitioner, and the people in her office referred me to the company,” said Leah. “I discovered that I really like it at Answer Midwest! I have great co-workers and management. Everyone is really down to earth here, and it’s also close to home.”

Most of all, Leah loves helping people in need. “Every caller is in need of something, and even the callers that think we are ‘just’ an answering service end up realizing that we play a key role in helping them,” she said.

A graduate from Lewis & Clark Community College, Leah grew up in Bethalto and fondly remembers spending time with her grandparents. “I had the best times as a child camping on weekends and holidays with Grams and Grandpa! Our favorite spots were in Vandalia and Nashville, Illinois,” said Leah.

Leah recently got married this year as well! “I married my husband in April, though we have been together for six years,” she said. “We went to Mexico with our family and close friends for our ceremony. I have never really traveled much, but going to Mexico was amazing!” Leah and her husband don’t have children yet, but their Chihuahua wiener dog, Lucy, tends to think that she is their child.

When Leah isn’t helping those in need at her job, she can be found outside. “I’m an outdoor girl! I love fishing, camping, boating, four-wheeling, hunting, and anything that keeps me outside,” Leah said. “I especially like gardening and working in the yard.”

Want to know more about Answer Midwest? Just give us a call at (618) 463-2430! No matter what hour of the day or night, we pick up!