Order processing is so much more than simply taking an order. Successful customer service agents understand how critical their role is when they assist someone in taking the first step in a new customer journey. Companies spend significant dollars on generating each new customer and contact center staff must ensure that new customers have a positive, professional, and memorable experience during their first interaction.
Many companies count on repeat business as part of their bottom line. Sure, there are some “one and done” transactions, but even in cases where repeat customers are not a significant source of revenue, referrals, and recommendations, a result of positive service experiences, are always valuable. Regardless of your business model and the value you place on repeat business, excellent customer service is instrumental in achieving revenue goals.
Understand Buyer Habits
Successful companies understand their customers’ buying habits and can quickly provide data on their customers, such as their average order value (AOV), and average lifetime value (LTV), which combined with the number of customers they have serves as the foundation of their business.
Buyers are interacting with customer service personnel now more than ever, providing added opportunities for staff to impact a company’s AOV/LTV. Customer Thermometer, a leader in customer service statistics, confirms what many businesses already know – that customers’ expectations continue to grow! Fifty-four percent of people surveyed indicated higher expectations for their service experience versus just one year ago.
Learn How Customers Communicate
It’s also worth noting how customer’s communication preferences continue to evolve. Historically, telephone orders were preferred over online purchases because customers were leery of providing credit card information on a website. Those days are long gone, yet contact rates continue to grow. Today when a customer calls, email, or chat with a brand representative, it’s often because they want to find out more details related to the products or services they’re interested in before they place an order. These inquiries are great opportunities to begin building loyalty with your customers. It’s also a perfect time to introduce or reinforce your brand image while maximizing order value through effective service in the process.
Outsource Your Order Processing Support Services
Should you choose to outsource all or a portion of your order processing and support, make sure to partner with the right company – one that understands its critical role and is prepared to expertly service your customers. Look for a contact center with experienced, well-trained, and educated staff to assist your customers, and choose a provider with exceptional management staff. Communication preferences vary, so make sure your contact center partner employs omnichannel technology, which will give your customers the option of reaching you by phone, text, email, chat, or social channels.
When vetting a contact center partner, make sure their team will maximize the value of every order they process. Representatives serving your customers require specific training focused on converting interested parties into paying customers and applying effective up-and-cross-selling techniques. Leveraging the skills of representatives who have been profiled, hired, trained, and nurtured as sales specialists pays great dividends. Choose wisely and make sure their staff possesses the tools required to excel in the sales role while concurrently building relationships with your customers.
Inquire about a contact center’s reporting capabilities and quality assurance processes. Effective quality assurance practices will not only ensure that staff are providing excellent service, but it is also a catalyst for remedial and ongoing training, focused on elevating productivity. Access to KPIs on reports provides the information needed to evaluate your chosen provider’s effectiveness in doing the job you have hired them for.
Contact the Experts at Telecom, Inc.
At Telecom Inc., we do more than maximize order value in customer interactions. We apply an elevated level of professionalism, personalization, and appreciation, leaving your customers feeling like VIPs with every interaction. Representatives assigned to order processing programs possess direct sales experience before joining our team. Through our advanced sales training curriculum that teaches strategies used by industry leaders, our reps become expert salespeople who excel in our partner’s programs. They know when and how to ask for the sale and are prepared to overcome obstacles that may stand in the way of closing that sale. In addition, we train our representatives to become experts on your brand, products, services, policies, and systems, and work closely to transfer your knowledge to our team
When you’re ready to team up with a true partner who can offer the ideal combination of expert domestic staff, leading technology, custom solutions, decades of experience, and a sales-oriented strategy for your order processing needs, contact us!