Two Products, Two Call Centers and Two Responses

CallCenterOps.com uses a web hosting company to provide this site to you. The growth in the site has resulted in us having to sign-up for a new service with the current web hosting company we use or find something else. This weeks article focuses on missed opportunity and the role the call centers of two companies played in breaking it and making it for CallCenterOps.com.

Two Products

CallCenterOps has been using a single world-class web hosting company since 1998 when all of this began. There has been incredible growth in the number of guests visiting CallCenterOps. The hosting company contacted us and offered new products because of the growth. The products offered did not meet our requirements and we said it plainly. Too costly for what was offered and not good fit. The surprising aspect of this was that we were not being offered the right solution. We have been a long-term customer and yet there was no effort to find an alternative product. Hello competition.

What really irked us about this situation was that as a customer, our voice was ignored. We had asked the company to find a solution for us that met our requirements – we wanted to continue to do business with them. They came back with a more expensive solution. At the end of the day, they could only offer one solution that didn’t fit and was expensive. Now where is the competitor’s number …

The product lessons for us?

• Keep the value proposition balanced – listen to customers, listen to your call center agents when they flag that customers are indicating problems with the product offering
• Capture the voice of the customer – what process or system (paper or electronic) do you have in place that captures the response of customers? If you don’t have anything, put it place by the end of the month and publish the ‘voice of the customer’ to everyone who will read it
• Arrogance – sometimes companies think that their product offerings are untouchable “you won’t find anything better” was the comment – sorry to say “we did”.

Two Call Centers

Hello competition! We did our research and identified another web hosting company that has a solid world-class reputation, a broad range of products and competitively priced. When we contacted the call center and got the ‘sales pitch’ we knew we had found a new service provider. The comparable attitude of the two call centers was noticeable. The staff at the original company had a laisez-faire attitude to the customer.  A “we are the best” and “ you will eventually buy from us once you figure it out” attitude. The words were never said but the attitude spoke louder than words. We got the message.

The prospective web hosting company had a ‘we want your business’ and ‘what can we do to help’ attitude. Better product offering, better pricing and a better attitude in the call center. Who would you do business with?

The call center lessons for us?

• Your call center will make or break your organizations success.
• Hire the best agents your can, coaching them to their potential, encouraging them every day to outperform for the customer
• Train for attitude – the right attitude – the competition is!

Two Responses

What are the two responses for us?

• If revenues are eroding, pour on the service through your call center. Studies have indicated that, for most companies, more than 70% of all customer interaction happens in and around your cubicle in the call center.
• Be a customer to your organization – listen in on calls and if it is appropriate, call in as a customer. Would you buy from you?