The phone still rules when it comes to complex customer service questions and problems. In fact, 46% of customers prefer to get support on complicated issues via phone.
Yet Healthcare contact centers still often play to metrics that emphasize getting customers off of the phone as quickly as possible. While 78% of customer service professionals are tracking at least one performance metric, if that metric is all about shortening calls, maybe it’s the wrong one.
Wondering if that’s actually the case? Here are three reasons both your business and your customers can benefit from longer calls and the resulting improved customer experience.
Create an atmosphere of respect
Sadly, 62% of customers have to repeatedly contact a company to resolve an issue, often because agents are too quick to push customers off of the phone. That’s bad news for customers and businesses, especially when it comes to Healthcare.
Read: KPI Faceoff: Average Handle Time vs First Call Resolution
If your clients went out of the way to call your organization, they genuinely need help. Never talk down to them, act impatient, or tell them there’s nothing that can be done. To provide a good customer experience, emphasize to your customer service agents that they need to take the time to ensure that your customers are listened to and understood.
While not every question can be resolved immediately, many can. The key is truly listening to what clients have to say and making your best effort to close out the conversation in a matter that’s satisfactory to both parties.
Read: Grow Customer Satisfaction by Practicing Respect
Allow your clients to feel less like an irritation that needs to be brushed off and more like someone you respect and who you want to continue to be your customer. Additionally, allow your customer service agents to take the time to answer questions so they can end calls on a positive note, reducing stress all around.
Add teaching moments
When Healthcare customers are confused about a process, they feel frustrated and powerless. Therefore, there is often an urge on the business side to want to solve the problem as quickly as possible. This frequently involves having Healthcare agents do the work.
It may take a little longer to show clients how to solve the issue themselves. However, the payoff is that clients feel empowered. In fact, giving quick tutorials before completing customer interactions lowers churn by 6%.
Another benefit is that customers are less likely to call back with the same problem later, as they can now solve it themselves. Remember that old saying, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat forever”? Here’s the perfect application.
Take, for example, a question about paying a bill. If a customer service agent takes customers’ information and completes the steps to pay their bills, those same clients will likely call back again the next month with the same issue. Guide them through the steps to pay the bill themselves using a tool like cobrowse, however, and not only will they feel empowered, but they will have no reason to ask the question again.
Transform customer service calls into sales
Who wouldn’t like to change an angry client into a happy one who might even want to spend more?
An added benefit of spending more time with your customers is that it opens up the possibility of an upsell. An agent who takes a little extra time with clients has had the opportunity to make a deeper connection and gain insight into their needs, especially when they are using cobrowse to truly understand what the customer is experiencing. With happy customers on the line, agents can now offer them additional relevant offerings that may fit their needs, as well as guide them to take actions like downloading an app or signing up for email or text notifications and reminders.
Take a long-term, customer-centric view
Getting customers off the phone quickly can provide short-term savings to a Healthcare organization. However, when your agents spend a little extra time with your customers, you will gain longer term benefits: improved customer satisfaction, stronger customer loyalty, positive feedback on review sites, fewer call-backs, and more opportunities to improve the bottom line.
Ready to learn more tips on how to improve customer care? Download the free eBook: Counting the Customer: The Complete Guide to Dynamite Customer Care.
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About Glance Networks
Glance helps enterprise organizations create the ultimate customer experience with smart, omni-channel visual engagement solutions based around integrated cobrowse, screen share, and one-way agent video. We are one of the world’s simplest, most reliable and secure platforms that enable companies to see, show and share anything online, creating a frictionless path to great experiences in sales, support and customer service. The result is improved customer satisfaction and loyalty, increased revenue growth and operational savings. From financial services and healthcare to retail and travel and leisure, even the most advanced technology and SaaS organizations – we transform the customer experience for today’s business. Learn More »
