Most contact centers break even – in customer satisfaction and on the books. Then there are those that are enormously successful. Here’s what puts them ahead of the pack.
Leaders and agents at the contact centers that help their companies build a huge customer base and see double-digit profits year after year don’t just answer customer questions and take orders.
Instead, Forbes researchers found that they build:
- Trust. Employees and customers trust the company because the mission is centered on treating people well (through policies, processes and encouragement to do the right thing). Then employees are trained to do that – with each other and customers – every day. For instance, Zappos has a 365-day return policy – no questions asked. That screams the company trusts employees and customers.
- Consistency. Solid, successful companies don’t surprise customers. They keep it simple, avoiding changes to price, brand and levels of service. One example is Nordstrom, where employees still regularly send customers handwritten thank you notes (not emails, not texts). For instance on the opposite side, Netflix made changes to pricing structures that were so confusing the company lost close to 10% of its customer base.
- Loyalty. In trying to build loyalty (and profits), the most successful companies are loyal to their customers. That means employees are encouraged to do all they can to accommodate customers. They watch for new needs and meet them before customers even realize they needed a change. Example: One Ford dealership allows returning customers to take new cars home for a few days to enjoy it and make sure they like it, while staff prepares paperwork for the sale.
