Sometimes customer service can get a little stale and with call centers being a key part of the business, you cant afford for your operation to get stale.  With this collection of customer service tips, your business can get much better results and achieve a much more satisfied customer base.

Tip #1: Remember to clarify customer complaints. Sometimes customers aren’t clear when communicating about their problem. Use open-ended questions to find out what the real problem is and then use close-ended questions as a wrap-up.

Tip #2: Always keep a positive attitude. Customers are much more likely to respond positively and openly to friendly employees. While this can be difficult at times, keeping an upbeat attitude has a huge effect when dealing with customers. Encourage a positive outlook with employees.

Tip #3: When making outbound sales calls, remember to focus on the positive aspects of that call. Employees that believe that their efforts will be unsuccessful are probably right. Focus on making each call important and tailoring the calls to each customer. This is a great way to improve productivity without changing the volume of sales calls.

Tip #4: Speed is important, but consistency is more important. Imagine a person who is going at 100% half of the time and 20% the other half. Instead of trying to be one or the other, encourage employees to work at 80% of their speed. This will improve speed immensely and also lower the stress levels of the employees. If they aren’t expected to be at the top of their game all the time, their work will improve.

Tip #5:  Remain proactive. Effective customer management isn’t just about responding to requests, it’s also about anticipating the needs of the customer. Proactive contact through the phone or SMS at a customer’s contact history can be beneficial. During quiet periods, contact customers to ask them about their experiences and what could be improved about their customer service experience. This is a great way to get some relevant feedback.

Tip #6:  Automate ‘seat sharing’ planning. Managers are usually intereste in minimizing physical space requirement and using seat sharing in order to do this. Hours of work time can be wasted on seat sharing, so finding an automated system that will do this can increase productivity and improve workplace morale.

Tip #7: Remember that there are different types of customers. Some actually prefer automated systems while others will insist on speaking to a customer service representative immediately. Ensure that both options are available and that there is always a way for a customer to speak to a representative easily.

Tip #8:  Make sure that the self-service option does not mean poor service. While many people enjoy having self-service, operators need to be aware of how good the self-service option is and if it actually resolves customer complaints. Monitor this system frequently to gauge customer service satisfaction.

Tip #9:  Ensure that enough able agents are available. There will be certain times of the day and the year that more service agents are needed and calls can get backed up, leading to angry customers. One of the best customer service tips is to use forecasting to determine how many agents should be scheduled at a given time.

Tip #10:  Finally, make sure that the right call is given to the right agent. There’s nothing worse than calling up a call center and being transferred to the wrong department. By spending an extra minute on the phone with a customer to clarify their complaint, it’s much easier to transfer them to the right department.

These are 10 tips that can improve a call center. Use these customer service tips to improve the level of service and create better customer satisfaction.