The report reflects the experiences and opinions of 475 U.S. respondents from a wide array of organizations. Key topics include: Strategic objectives & obstacles Top tracked metrics Most used channels Employee development plans
“Sell me this pen.” Leonardo DiCaprio’s demand at the end of Wolf of Wall Street illustrates a truth about sales. The objective is to create a scenario where a lead sees the pen (and its provider) as a means to a greater goal. Once that relationship is established, selling becomes infinitely easier. Unfortunately, most companies […]
What does it mean to be “The Best”? Is it a fact? An opinion? For Aircall’s recent survey of 475 customer support leaders, it comes down to self-reflection. “Overall, how would you rate the performance of your customer support team?” Respondents chose from the following multiple-choice answers: Best in the industry Good but not yet […]
I’m always asking questions at work (occasionally aloud, frequently in my head), but I’d say Aircall’s 2018 Customer Support Strategy Survey has been the most productive outlet for my curiosity yet. “What do customer support teams see standing in the way of their success?” “Where will they invest their time, money, and attention?” “How do they […]
Our 2018 customer support strategy survey was sent to 475 industry leaders. Some questions were straightforward. What is your annual budget? Do you employ remote agents? How large is your customer support team? All surveys were anonymous, so we can be confident that these answers were honest. Nowhere was this more apparent than the final […]
Building out a customer support department is like settling an uninhabited island. At first, you and your fellow pioneers must use every resource available to its maximum potential. This plant is good to eat, but it can also be used to make rope This blanket doubles as sun protection during the daytime This product manager […]
High customer service attrition rates can sink an otherwise promising business, but this stubborn problem is solvable. Even if repetitive tasks, infrequent breaks, and irrational customers are unavoidable job hazards, understanding why this line of work often leads to burnout is the first step toward creating a sustainable team environment. Fighting Back Boredom Contrary to […]
Today’s customer wants to be treated like the monarch of a small European nation. In the age of multichannel communications, these noble customers are coming at your support staff from the left, right, chat, email, social media, and (of course) telephone. This herculean task is even harder when all these channels act like perfect strangers […]
If you’re managing a customer support team, then you’re as much a coach as you are a supervisor. You make sure your representatives are in the right positions, but most importantly, that everyone is motivated to do their best work. Good coaches make their players better, but great coaches go the extra mile and continue […]
Seasonal agents step into strange circumstances. They realize they have a lot to learn, but they also know they won’t need any of that knowledge in a few months. They see that their employers clearly need them, but they also sense that their colleagues not-so-secretly resent them. And even though they vow not to lose […]
There is no symphony of music sweet enough or sequence of messages smart enough to make 20 minutes of queue time feel acceptable to your customers. In fact, two out of three will hang up the phone if a human hasn’t responded to their call within two minutes. And you don’t need me to explain […]
The largest gathering of service professionals in the world takes place in the exact location most of them would never want to be: an enormous sales conference. That alone tells you all you need to know about the quality of customer service programming at Dreamforce. But with an agenda and attendee list growing larger every […]
Nobody likes to be misunderstood. It’s a painful personal experience that can leave us feeling anything from anger and frustration to isolation and depression. That’s what makes empathy so powerful. A tiny dose of understanding, delivered at the right time, can save someone from sliding into despair and pull them closer to contentment. Customer service […]
A customer who chooses to call your support team has already told you one thing before ever opening their mouth. They want a rapid resolution to whatever is on their mind. If a fast and final answer wasn’t their priority, they might be content sending an email, starting a chat, or studying your self-service portal […]
Listen in on a couple of your support agents commiserating over coffee and you might hear phrases like “irritating,” “infuriating,” or “impossible to work with.” If they’re referring to a difficult customer, that’s nothing to be too concerned about. Everyone deserves a chance to vent after a stressful stretch on the phone. But if they’re […]
Corporate finance teams tend to view customer support as a cost saver at best and a cost center at worst. But if they look beyond those bottom-line concerns, they’ll also see a strong link to top-line growth. These customer support statistics tell that revenue-related story. Poor Customer Support Stalls Growth Nothing scares away future revenue […]
Despite the growing prevalence of alternative channels such as live chat or social media, the phone channel remains a staple. When customers need support, they want it to be easy, quick, and efficient regardless of the channel. Support teams must offer a seamless experience across channels and meet customers exactly where they are. Customers themselves […]
It’s summertime, and the living is easy. Unfortunately, the peril lies in taking it a little too easy. The summer months mean a change of rhythm for many businesses: some see their activity increase, but most notice a summer business slump. In fact, a Captivate study finds that overall productivity dips by 20% during the […]
The phone system for modern business
