Why must a Philippine call center always exceed customer expectations?

What happens in a Philippine call center is nothing different from what transpires in a brick-and-mortar store in terms of customer service. Customers expect to be served when they walk into a business, or, in the contact center's case, when they start dialing their hotline number.

Though customers' expectations vary depending on their own predilection, it all boils down to one thing: they want to get satisfied, or possibly, to get more than they asked for.

What really is customer service?

The common error that most businesses and contact center firms commit is that they look at customer satisfaction as a light aspect of their strategy. They think that by just giving what they ask for and answering their consumers' questions, they're already delivering customer service. The truth is that these efforts are not enough, especially today when customers have a greater power to overturn a brand.

Customer service, in a success-driven business perspective, is a dynamic and continuous process that bridges the consumer to the brand in accordance with a wide range of factors such as the customer's personal taste, behavior, and background. These factors, if not met by the performance of the customer service representative, might result in customer dissatisfaction.

Identifying customer expectations

The moment one puts up a business, he already has a target audience in mind. For instance, if a business is selling shoes for men, then automatically, it thinks of men as how norms would classify them. Through this, it'll make its products, services, and even promos "manly," so that it can get a grasp of its audience. But men differ; there are men who like light colors and less-masculine styles.

So how would the company reach and capture this segment of target market if it only caters to the preference of another segment?

That's why it's important to know your customers better: more personal, more intimate. How could you satisfy a person if you’re just wild guessing on ways to make him happy?

Knowing the clients is the role of the customer sales representative. The phone is a perfect avenue to know more about the customers—more than their basic profile or transaction history. This is where choosing the right people to represent your business becomes integral.

Putting the right people who are capable of digging up information without making the customers feel aggravated or spied on can be a crucial aspect of achieving customer satisfaction. This is the reason why successful call centers employ agents who are friendly and capable of sparking up friendship on call transactions. Because when customers develop trust for the person on the other end of the line, asking personal questions that might be helpful in understanding their needs becomes easier, let alone more natural.

Power is in the customers' hands today

Brands are no longer living in the early half of the past century when customers had no power over the brands they use. Having received a faulty product or an unsatisfactory service left them with no choice at all but to accept the hideous fact that they had been duped.

The closest thing to complaining that they can do was to write to the company and wait for months to receive a reply, which wasn't really a rare scenario at that time.

Today, technology has entrusted customers a power that brands can either fear or consider a gift. One wrong move and they can be a hot viral topic on social media and on forums, which could tarnish their reputation. On the other hand, businesses could see it as a force to motivate them to trim errors, improve products and services, and, of course, exceed customer satisfaction at all costs. In order to achieve these, companies must listen to customer feedback and suggestions—and give great importance to these.

Satisfying customers is an inferior business goal. Today, brands, businesses, and customer service firms such as Philippine call centers aim to exceed customer expectations. While satisfying customers could make them come back again, exceeding their expectations can transform them from repeat customers into loyal clients. Every business knows that loyal clients are organic brand advertisers—they do the "word of marketing" for the businesses, which is important in building any brand a positive online reputation.

Open Access BPO is a fast-rising outsourcing firm located in Makati, Philippines. We offer unique inbound customer service solutions to our worldwide clientele. Know more about our other services by visiting our website and Google+ page.