CX Demo

Author: Franz Malten Buemann

  • Top 8 ways to improve your customer experience (CX) strategies

    Developing your customer experience (CX) could significantly affect your top and bottom lines. As a matter of fact, improving customer experience services produces a profit increment of $823 million, as per the Temkin Group. A CX investment by a firm can likewise lessen functional costs e.g., expense to serve, as per Harvard Business Review. Also, unsatisfied customers are costly, everybody knows that.
    submitted by /u/protopartners [link] [comments]

  • Marketing automation with Data analysis

    Hello, Have you tried to merge marketing automation and data analysis. Usage of data and data manipulation to create full customer experience. We are doing this on daily basis, But we are limited to predefined dashboards etc. Is there any tool with custom tracking and data storage, as well as data manipulation for customer journey? I am looking for something where i can use Python knowledge.
    submitted by /u/Sonny-Orkidea [link] [comments]

  • Fresh herbs

    Chain restaurants rarely use fresh herbs. They’re uneven, unreliable and expensive, and most diners have been conditioned to want food that’s more processed and bland.

    The same is true for most of what we buy and sell. It’s becoming ever more predictable, pre-processed and cost-reduced.

    The pressure tends to go in one direction–turn your work into a commodity, smooth over the edges and fit in all the way. That seems hard to argue with, particularly if you want to be popular and profitable.

    But the restaurant that makes the best sabich in all of New York City takes a different approach. At Nana, in an obscure shopping mall on the outskirts of an outer borough, they’re serving memorable food that doesn’t match the prevailing industrial model. You can’t get something similar from your grocer’s freezer. It’s distinctive and probably a lot more difficult to produce on a regular basis.

    The same could be true for what you choose to do. It might not get you a Fortune 500 company as a client, and probably won’t make you #1 on whatever bestseller list tracks the one that’s for everyone, but it might be exactly the work that you’re proud to do.

    Thanks, Gina, for caring. And for anyone who goes out of their way to add fresh herbs when they don’t have to.

  • Why Black People Are Top Consumers But Lack Wealth

    This article is part of a larger series that focuses on diversity and equity in marketing. As a company, we are committed to identifying actions we can take in the fight against racism and injustice, and elevating BBIPOC voices is paramount to inspiring change. Follow along and read other posts in this series here.

    This post is authored by Anyssa Roberts, writer and journalist.
    For the last two years, I’ve witnessed dozens of families and individuals celebrate the most gratifying accomplishment of their lives—paying off their debt. 
    I was a marketing copywriter for Ramsey Solutions, an influential personal finance company in Tennessee. I created content that made sales while improving our audience’s lives. I even followed the financial principles myself and celebrated my own debt-freedom in 2020, as a single, Black woman with an immigrant background.
    Personal finance changed my life for the better and influenced the way I interact with marketing. That’s why it bothered me to read that Black people are most likely to consume products but are financially behind white and Latino counterparts, according to research. While most Americans report feeling as though they live paycheck to paycheck, minorities are most likely to face ongoing wealth gaps compared to their white peers. 
    In marketing, we, of course, want people to buy from us, but we also want our products and services to improve the lives of the people who use them. But where does this financial discrepancy lie in the Black community and how can we as marketers better support one of our largest consumer populations?
    Black Buying Power
    Black people are major consumers in the American economy and spend more than $1 trillion a year on goods and services.
    “At 47.8 million strong and a buying power that’s on par with many countries’ gross domestic products, African Americans continue to outpace spending nationally,” said Cheryl Grace, Nielsen’s Senior Vice President of Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement and co-creator of the DIS Report in 2019.  
    We dominate as consumers in the beauty and personal care categories—a multi-billion dollar industry—and make up 90 percent of the consumers in the ethnic hair care category. We’re also 20 percent more likely than the total population to say they will “pay extra for a product that is consistent with the image I want to convey,” according to Nielsen’s report.
    In short, our dollar matters. 
    It’s unfortunate, however, to see so many dollars exiting the Black community only to leave us beautiful and broke. 
    Why Black People Trail Their Peers Financially
    The average white family has eight times the wealth of the average Black family and five times the wealth of the typical Latino family, according to the Federal Reserve. 
    Let’s take a look at a couple of the reasons why Black people are behind when it comes to financial development and building wealth:
    Lack of Access to Resources and Financial Education
    Black people are more likely to face systemic financial challenges that limit their wealth-building ability. Some examples include having fewer financial resources, less access to employer-sponsored benefits and greater income volatility a TIAA study found. These challenges already limit financial advancement and are made worse by low financial literacy.
    Financial literacy isn’t high amongst American adults in general. But in a study, Black people answered 38 percent of financial literacy questions correctly, and only 28 percent answered more than half correctly.
    Low financial literacy also influences buying and investing habits. Black people have a tendency to get rid of assets too early or not acquire them at all, according to a TIAA research study. 
    These barriers hinder sound financial decision making as well as good financial management.
    Expensive Spending Habits
    The data shows that Black people like to shop, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, too much reliance on consuming products and services rather than producing them can hurt us more than help.
    Nielsen reported that 52 percent of Black people find in-store shopping relaxing, compared to 26 percent of the total population. And about half of Black consumers say they enjoy wandering the stores looking for new, interesting products.
    Currently, Black women trail behind Latino and white women in financial security, according to a research study by the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA). In their report, they found that 71 percent of Black women and 60 percent of Latino women had at least one expensive behavior in relation to the use of credit cards. Only 49 percent of white women had at least one expensive behavior.
    The Role Of Marketing In Black Consumption Practices 
    A Nielsen report stated that Black consumer spending is highly influenced by advertising. Black people reported being 42 percent more likely than the rest of the American population to respond to mobile ads. They’re also more likely to respond to ads on television, radio and the Internet.
    This is good news for us in marketing, because it means our ads are working; however, when we zoom out and look at the big picture of our impact on an already vulnerable community, we have to pause and analyze the full impact.
    Expensive cars, clothes, hair, jewelry and vacations are perfectly fine products and services to market to the Black community, but if our marketing departments are targeting a community solely to buy their products without thinking of how they can serve that community, then we’re doing more harm to our customers than good. 
    Like many populations, Black people appreciate and almost demand to see themselves in marketing, but is our product or service helping or hurting? Are we selling a false image of success—something that makes us want to keep up with the Joneses rather than live meaningful and productive lives? As I shared earlier, we want people to buy our products and services, but we should also be concerned about the communities we are marketing to. 
    So how can we better support them as marketers?
    How Marketers Can Help
    As marketers, we don’t have to stand idly by while we watch one of the main consumer populations in America struggle. We can do something. In fact, it’s expected of us. Nielsen reported that 42 percent of Black adults expect brands they purchase from to support social causes. That’s 16 percent higher than the total population. 
    Here are just some of the ways we can support the financial advancement of Black people as marketers:
    Support and Mentor Black Business Owners
    By nurturing up-and-coming business owners, you support the growth and expansion of Black-owned products. This is important because it helps to balance the flow of money entering and leaving the Black community. It also creates more positive representation of Black entrepreneurs for the next generation to aspire to.
    Support the Expansion of Financial Literacy Resources in Black Communities
    Financial literacy is key to the advancement of the Black community. By sponsoring school financial literacy and entrepreneurship programs in Black populated areas, you’re helping to transform and uplift the Black community in a way that’ll impact generations.
    Oppose Systemic Racism That Causes Financial Challenges
    Racism is malleable and doesn’t always look as overt as it did during slavery or the Jim Crow era. Today, systemic racism affects Black people in many ways, including financially. 
    Underfunded schools and lack of support for first generation college students hurts exposure to education that qualifies people for better paying jobs. Unfair hiring practices and poor employee benefits also negatively impact Black communities financially.
    By taking a stand, being aware of your marketing practices and supporting social causes that positively impact the Black community, you’re helping to support one of the largest consumer bases in America and developing a better relationship between you and your customers.

     Anyssa Roberts is an award-winning journalist, copywriter and editor. She has written for the USA Today Network, The Spruce, Ramsey Solutions, a Dave Ramsey Company, among other marketing and news organizations. Currently, she uses content to help customer-centric brands hone their unique voice and connect with their audiences.
    Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Anyssa earned her B.A. in journalism from the University of Kentucky and resides in the Nashville, Tennessee area.
    Anyssa is passionate about personal finance and helping people to take control of their money. When she’s not writing, she can be found researching tiny houses, experimenting with new cocktails or solo traveling. Connect with her on LinkedIn or reach out via email. She’d love to hear from you.

    Visit this page to see more in the series, or check back in a week for our next guest post. 
    CM Group is a family of global marketing technology brands including Campaign Monitor, CM Commerce, Delivra, Emma, Liveclicker, Sailthru and Vuture. By joining together these leading brands, CM Group offers a variety of world-class solutions that can be used by marketers at any level. Headquartered in Nashville, TN, CM Group has United States offices in Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, Pittsburgh and San Francisco, and global offices in Australia, London, New Zealand and Uruguay.
    The post Why Black People Are Top Consumers But Lack Wealth appeared first on Campaign Monitor.

  • Why We Must Do the Customer Math and Practice Leadership Bravery

    I’ve had the great honor of working with Southwest Airlines for many years and spent a lot of time talking to, not only Herb Kelleher, but Colleen Barrett who was the president (now president emerita). Once, I was talking to Colleen, and what she said was: Jeanne, at almost every board meeting, we have to fight to make sure that we don’t let those fees seep in, that we don’t start charging change fees or luggage fees, because that’s the foundation upon which people believe in us. And that’s our integrity. And so we got to keep watching that.
    Especially those things you hold dear, hold on to them, honor them and have this lens. Part of what happens is that people will look at a spreadsheet and say, “We can get $50 million more out of customers if we do this little up-charge.”
    Well, yeah, that may be good for today, but not for tomorrow’s customers who are going to potentially walk away from you.
    I have clients who have lost $50 million customers for $200 change fees.
    So sticking to your guns in your integrity, around your decision making really does bind you to customers.
    Do the Customer Math
    One of the things that we often do in this work is ask people how we’re doing and that’s our survey score. But honoring the customer as the asset also should come from measuring, “Are they responding with their feet, in terms of staying longer? Bringing more people?”
    So one of the things I encourage you to do is customer math. Did we gain volume and value? Did we lose volume and value? And what’s our net customer asset growth? As a result of the experience we delivered? Did we earn the right to grow?
    This is why I love the story of Bonobos. Bonobos is a really intriguing company; they actually create what they call “guide shops” where you go in and try on the stuff but it’s just for trying it on. But what they know is: to a specific degree, the lifetime value of their customers, because understanding that really helps you you know and honor them and take care of the life. But what they know for example is based on how many touch points, once a new bonobos customer either starts in a guide shop or places their first order online, the lifetime value in the growth of that customer.
    So what I encourage you to do is, besides listening in terms of your voice of customer surveys, do the operational listening. Understand how many calls people make in, where they are waiting, what they’re working toward, and then look at the behavior of if they rise or fall in their asset growth with you.
    Now, this is interesting, because this is an attitude shift. It’s not a dashboard, it puts you in a position to honor that your customers.
    Prove Your Values Through Your Actions
    Practicing leadership bravery really has to be done with these actions to think about.
    How can you prove with actions? The key is to wire these into your DNA. I’ve interviewed lots of amazing people recently— Tom Peters, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, etc.—and our conversation is all around sustainability of these heroic actions.
    Now that we found a way to be very human—we’re on zoom calls in our living rooms, we’re making very human actions and behaviors that kind of go out of the bounds of our normal norms of operating—how can we make sure we don’t lose that humanity? The next thing is really do that math, know your agent and customer value, and then use that in a way to let people make the call.
    I used to fly millions and millions of miles. And I had, for example, 5 million miles with American Airlines. And one day, I lost my Admirals Club card.
    And I went in and I asked the agent, “Could I have another Admirals Club card?”
    And it wasn’t her fault, the agent was boxed in. She said to me, “That’ll be $250, please.”
    You will send people packing. Customers will wonder, “Don’t you know how much I mean to you?”
    Finally, build that proactive outreach. When we look at those operational metrics, make sure you’re not doing anything inadvertently that’s reducing the lifetime value of your customer. Our responsibility everybody really is simple: it is to improve lives.
    Leadership Bravery earns and builds the kind of company that builds human and financial prosperity. And yes, growth.
    How we choose to correct something that goes wrong—how steadfast we are, in delivering the goods, ensuring quality, and giving our people what they need—sends a signal to our customers, to our partners or employees in the marketplace, about who we are and about what we value.

    Now that we found a way to be very human—we’re on Zoom calls in our living rooms, we’re operating out of the bounds of our normal operations—how can we make sure we don’t lose that humanity?Click To Tweet

    Choose Leadership Bravery
    It’s about choosing and our collective choices. So choose. Choose to enable your people to thrive, to build the best version of themselves, and enable them to make these congruent decisions which you’re already doing. Just elevate it consistently on an ongoing basis across your organization.
    Choose to make it easy to do business with you build in respect delivery.
    Choose to help customers achieve their goal reorient the operation of your business around the customer’s life and their goals and redefine how you measure success.
    And finally, choose to practice that leadership bravery that separates you from the pack and builds those stronger and deeper relationships with your customer.

    Choose to enable your people to thrive, to build the best version of themselves, and enable them to make these congruent decisions which you’re already doing.Click To Tweet

    The post Why We Must Do the Customer Math and Practice Leadership Bravery appeared first on Customer Bliss.

  • The Parts of a URL: A Short & Sweet Guide

    If your website is like a house, then your website’s URL is like that house’s address. It defines where your website lives online, similar to how your home address determines where you live in a neighborhood, helping your visitors easily find your site. URLs also help Google understand what your website’s pages are about.
    There are technically five elements of a URL, and they’re discreetly important for optimizing your site’s user experience (UX) and SEO. To help you develop a concrete understanding of every part of a URL, let’s explore each of them in detail.

    Below is an illustration of the different parts of a URL. 
    Let’s break down this URL structure below. 
    URL Structure
    Scheme
    The scheme tells web servers which protocol to use when it accesses a page on your website.
    Nowadays, HTTPS — which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure — is the most common scheme. It tells your web browser to encrypt any information you enter onto the page, like your passwords or credit card information, so cybercriminals can’t access it. This security protocol protects your website visitors and implementing it will help your site rank better on Google. That’s why implementing SSL is a must-do on any technical SEO guide. 
    Other schemes you might see are mailto://, which can open your computer’s default email service provider to help you draft an email to the email address you entered in the URL, and ftp://, which is a standard protocol for transferring computer files between a client and server on a computer network.
    Subdomain

    If your website is like a house, your subdomains are like specific rooms in that house. A subdomain in a URL indicates which particular page of your website the web browser should serve up. For instance, subdomains like “blog” or “offers” will provide your website’s blog page or offers page.

    Subdomains also bucket your website into its main content categories and shows Google and your visitors that there’s more information on your site than just a homepage.
    Second-level Domain

    Your second-level domain (SLD) is the name of your website. It helps people know they’re visiting a certain brand’s site. For instance, people who visit “mlb.com” know they’re on Major League Baseball’s website, without needing any more information.

    Top-level Domain

    The top-level domain (TLD) specifies what type of entity your organization registers as on the internet.

    For example, “.com” is intended for commercial entities in the United States, so a lot of American businesses register with a top-level domain of “.com”. Similarly “.edu” is intended for academic institutions in the United States, so a lot of American colleges and universities register with a top-level domain of “.edu”.
    Subdirectory

    A subdirectory — also known as a subfolder — helps people as well as
    web crawlers understand which particular section of a webpage they’re on. 

    For instance, if you own an online store that sells t-shirts, hats, and mugs, one of your website’s URLs could look like “https://shop.yourstore.com/hats”. Notice that the subdomain is “shop” and the subdirectory is “hats.” That means this URL would serve up the “Hats” page, which is a subfolder of the “Shop” page. T-shirts and mugs would be other subfolders of this page.
    URL Structure: Subtle Yet Essential
    Even though URLs might seem simple and frivolous, they’re actually important for your website’s UX and SEO. And now that you understand the anatomy of a URL, check out the blog posts below to learn more about technical SEO.

  • 500 Internal Server Errors: What They Are & How to Fix Them

    Troubleshooting an HTTP 500 internal server error is like solving a mystery.
    You don’t know what exactly happened or why it happened — all you know is that something’s wrong and you need to fix it.
    To guide you through the hassle of troubleshooting the dreaded HTTP 500 internal server error, let’s go over what it exactly means and its most common causes and solutions.

    Here’s what your 500 error page might look like in your browser:

    How to Fix a 500 Internal Server Error
    Unlike other server-side errors like a 502 code or a 503 code, a 500 internal server error is it doesn’t immediately tell you what the problem is, nor does it tell you how to fix it. If the error persists for too long on your site, it could even negatively impact your SEO.
    So, let’s dive into a few potential causes of the error. Then, we’ll present some solutions so you can try to fix the issue.
    Potential Causes of a 500 Internal Server Error
    A 500 internal server error is, as the name implies, a general problem with the website’s server. More than likely, this means there’s an issue or temporary glitch with the website’s programming.
    Some potential causes of a 500 internal server error include:

    Corrupted or broken .htaccess file
    A permissions error
    Faulty third-party plugins or themes
    The PHP memory limit being exceeded

    Fortunately, there are a few effective solutions for fixing most of these problems.
    If You’re Trying to Load a Page with a 500 Internal Server Error:
    1. Refresh the page.
    This might seem obvious, but if it’s a temporary loading issue, you might find success if you refresh the page. Before trying anything else in this list, reload the page and see what happens.
    2. Come back later.
    Since the error is on the server side, I’m willing to bet the website owners are working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue. Give it a few minutes or up to an hour or so, and then reload the URL and see if the development team has fixed the issue.
    3. Delete your browser’s cookies.
    If clearing the browser history doesn’t work, you might try deleting your browser’s cookies. If the cookies are associated with the error-prone webpage, deleting the cookies might help reload the page.
    4. Paste your URL into the website “Down for Everyone or Just Me.”
    Head to downforeveryoneorjustme.com and paste in the URL where you’re seeing the internal server error. You’ll either be told that the website is only down for you, or that the website is down for everyone.
    If it’s a problem with your server, this should help assuage any concerns that it’s an issue with your own computer.
    If the 500 Internal Server Error is on Your Own Website:
    1. Deactivate a plugin or theme.
    Newly activated software, add-ons, or third-party scripts might be conflicting with your current server configuration. To determine this, try (carefully) deactivating or uninstalling your software add-ons one at a time to identify what exactly is causing the internal server error.
    If you run a WordPress website, this is easy to do with plugins. From your dashboard, choose Plugins > Installed Plugins, then deactivate the first plugin. If the error resolves, you know this plugin is part of the issue. Reactivate the first plugin, then repeat this deactivate-reactivate process one at a time for all plugins to determine which ones are causing your error.
    You might find that having fewer active plugins on your site helps things run more smoothly. Alternatively, if you just upgraded your software, your current plugins or themes might not be compatible with the new upgrade. Deactivating plugins or themes one at a time until the error disappears is the best way to find the root cause of your problem.
    2. Use a plugin like WP Debugging to identify the issue.
    If your site is powered by WordPress and you’re comfortable with WordPress debugging processes, consider installing a plugin to help you identify the issue with your server.
    The debug plugin WP Debugging, for instance, helps you figure out exactly what’s wrong with your site, which will result in a speedier fix.

    Image Source
    3. Ensure your PHP setup is configured correctly.
    If the issue is related to a PHP timeout, consider creating timeout rules or error handling in your script to resolve the issue. Here’s a full list of php.ini directives to configure your PHP setup. Additionally, wrong permissions on a file or folder that has a script, like a PHP or CGI script, won’t allow the script to run. Check your permissions and make sure you set them correctly on your server.
    4. Check the code for your site’s .htaccess file.
    Incorrect coding or improper structure with your .htaccess file could be the reason you’re seeing the 500 internal error. The .htaccess file helps you manage how long resources should be stored in a browser’s cache. Try editing the file if you’re seeing a 500 internal server error.
    To locate your .htaccess file, access your website files through a file manager like cPanel or via FTP/SFTP. The file will probably be located in your public_html directory. There’s a good chance your server will hide this file from view by default and you’ll need to toggle hidden files on to see it.

    Image Source
    Coding errors in .htaccess and custom scripts can also cause an HTTP 500 internal server error.
    5. Ensure your new software is installed correctly.
    Finally, check to see if your recently installed or upgraded software actually failed to install or upgrade. To refresh your software, check the vendor’s website for instructions.

    Last Resort: Ask a Server Administrator for Help
    If troubleshooting popular software problems or debugging server-side scripts doesn’t fix your HTTP 500 internal server error, you should read about the most common causes for this type of issue in your server’s documentation — an HTTP 500 internal server error can occur in different operating systems for a multitude of reasons.
    You can also ask your service provider to access your error logs and find evidence for the root cause of your problem.
    Internal server errors are irritating because they’re unhelpful — it’s basically the web server’s way of saying, “Eh, I’m not sure.” Hopefully, one of the above steps will resolve the problem so you can get back to life as usual.
    Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

  • Is there are a gap between your corporate purpose and action?

    ‘Ultimately, purpose is the engine of long-term profitability.’ Larry Fink, CEO, BlackRock Over the past two years, the CXM team was regularly reporting on the importance of purpose and value in business. The impact of trust-building in the CX industry finally came into the spotlight. However, closing the gap between company purpose and the actions…
    The post Is there are a gap between your corporate purpose and action? appeared first on Customer Experience Magazine.

  • Reimagining the Contact Center Experience with Five9 VoiceStream

    As the customer experience continues to be a top priority for contact centers, so should the technology they use. Contact centers are rich with customer data that often is not leveraged in a way to improve the customer experience. In order to meet the growing demand of customers, companies must look to leverage advanced, real-time applications in artificial intelligence, real time speech analytics, coaching guidance, biometrics, and more. However, it has traditionally been difficult integrating real-time applications into the contact center and rightfully so – that’s where Five9 VoiceStream comes into play to power such applications. Full article: https://www.five9.com/blog/reimagining-the-contact-center-experience-with-five9-voicestream
    submitted by /u/vesuvitas [link] [comments]

  • 6 Important Soft Skills Every Call Center Agent Needs

    Call center employees wear many hats! Agents are tasked with providing customer service, solving customer problems, and conducting research — all with a smile and a positive attitude.
    While call center agents rely on hard skills — or technical skills — to handle contact center technology, call center soft skills are just as critical for success. Sometimes referred to as “transferrable skills”, these skills are made up of a person’s personality traits, habits, and behaviors.
    Contact center agents develop soft skills through their own life experiences, and use them to provide a positive, customer experience. This type of skill-set is also necessary to foster a positive work environment.
    How to Foster Agent Engagement in a Hybrid Contact Center
    Many employers value soft skills over hard skills, since most hard skills can be acquired through call center training. After all, it’s easier to teach someone how to use a computer system — it’s much more difficult to help them empathize with a customer.
    Let’s go through some essential soft skills for a contact center agent, and how they help assure a strong customer experience.
    Active listening.
    Communication doesn’t start without listening. Specifically, active listening entails a complete focus on the customer’s words, processing and understanding those words, resisting the urge to interrupt, and responding in a thoughtful, validating manner.
    In a contact center, agents are faced with countless problems mentioned by customers. To fully grasp the customer’s issue and to find the relevant resource to help that customer, agents must engage in active listening. Moreover, active listening is essential in dealing with irritated customers
    Communication skills.
    Call center agents require strong communication skills to do their jobs. Agents should channel clarity and professionalism in the way they communicate with customers. Additionally, they should be able to transfer their knowledge of products and services into understandable, accessible communication to a customer. Clear communication promotes quicker resolution, while professionalism improves customer satisfaction.
    Role play is a great form of call center agent training that helps agents learn how to listen, understand, and communicate.
    How to Improve Contact Center Agent Performance
    Adaptability.
    Since call center agents deal with customers, who at the end of the day are human, an appetite for change is essential. As contact centers use call monitoring and other technology to measure progress, agents must be adaptable to new ways of doing business to ensure processes line up with customer needs.
    Changes requiring adaptability might look like extra training or mentorship to adapt to changing customer needs, or new technology to improve efficiency.
    Problem solving.
    Many calls that an agent receives entail listening to a problem and then finding a solution. Agents must think fast and identify a customer’s problem, evaluate the customer’s needs, and then find a solution.
    Problem-solving is a soft skill that requires a sense of initiative and autonomy, as well as adaptability to respond to new problems effectively. Effective problem-solving skills can improve average handle time and customer satisfaction.
    Patience.
    Customers are forced to be patient when calling call centers, even though most customers hate waiting. The least an agent can do is practice that same patience in taking care of a customer’s needs. Patience for an agent might look like waiting for a customer to finish sharing their story and experience, especially if the customer is confused or upset.
    While some customers might not immediately acknowledge an agent’s patience, they will certainly notice an agent’s impatience. This is an important soft skill that is essential for customer loyalty and problem resolution.
    Empathy.
    Many callers to a call center have a problem they want to deal with. Some customers might feel confused, upset, and sometimes, downright angry! Empathy from an agent comforts worried customers and shows them that the call center values their experience. It’s important to make a customer feel supported and valued throughout a confusing or difficult time.
    7 Call Center Empathy Phrases Every Agent Should Use With Their Customers
    Conclusion.
    Curious about your agents’ soft skills? Fonolo’s call monitoring and analytics help assess agents’ communication and problem-solving skills and offer the required data to improve customer experiences.The post Blog first appeared on Fonolo.