Author Archives: Elspeth

How Zappos Totally Rocks Customer Service with Social Phone Systems

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Did you read the story about the record breaking 8 hour phone call a Zappos customer service representative endured? Well, good for her.  Most of us would never hang out on the phone that long with anyone – even our best friend – but that’s just how Zappos rolls.

What’s more incredible? Zappos had their own social phone systems designed and integrated in order to give folks the very best customer service.  Why?

Social phone systems work.  By bringing together a hefty dose of personalization into your customer service, your business prospers.  And the concept is so simple anyone can do it.  In fact, Halloo communications offers the same phone systems being used by Zappos.

Here’s how it works: Your siloed database of calls gets matched with your customers to produce upclose, personal results.  In lieu of a complicated CRM, customer service reps see icons of clients alongside specific notes of when they called and who they spoke to. They automatically flood into the system every time someone calls.

The system focuses on making it easier for everyone in the chain (i.e. all call takers and managers) to see who called, who spoke to them, when they called back and what actions were taken to resolve their issues.  When you combine all the easy to use features, the social phone system takes out most of the human error and guess work that traditional phone systems use.

Zappos didn’t just create their own social phone system, they revolutionized the way customer service works for businesses.  For example, instead of managing time per call they manage total call time (i.e. how much time sales representatives spend taking calls.)

By refocusing their service on the satisfaction of the customer and resolving their complaints instead of the amount of production of each worker, they were able to revolutionize how satisfied people were.  Do you want even more good news?

Zappos rarely lowers their prices.  Nor do they offer crazy deals and discounts. They simply give the very best customers service and abide by their own set of company ethics.  If you’re considering how you can really make a difference to your customers, consider doing what Zappos does and using a social phone system.  Call Halloo today for details.

5 Reasons You Get the Best Customer Support with a Social Phone System

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When was the last time you surveyed your customers?  Did you ask what they like about your business? How about what they hate? When you start to ask questions, you’ll be surprised by what you learn.

In fact, most companies discover that their product isn’t the number one problem – it’s the service.  Due to complicated CRMs, orders were lost, time zones confused and call back never made. Take it one step further – customer service lost most of the follow-ups they were supposed to do.  Yikes.

If you want to have the best customer support, you should consider a social phone system.  They eliminate most of the guess work representative currently have to do.  Using an integrated system that relies on a data base of siloed calls, social phone systems make the call process easy.

When a caller calls in, the rep sees:

  • Who’s calling
  • An icon of their face
  • When they last called with notations
  • Details of the account
  • Who they last spoke to

Since the social phone system uses information already in the system along with more personalized all tracking, its all in one place on one screen.  Without the need to search all over the account to find information, reps can do their job faster and easier.

So, what’s next?  Customer service training, of course.  Now that the issue isn’t the software, your company can concentrate on making your reps the best they can be. They’ll have the ability to answer the phone faster, too.

With simple, easy to use software in place, the social phone system is revolutionizing how up close and personal some businesses have the ability to get with clients.  Additionally, reps that might not have the best track record can be worked with immediately to resolve their issues.

It makes running a business so smooth, most Halloo clients have loved switching over.  They simply can’t believe how good it works for them.  Don’t take our word for it. Try one yourself and see how pleased your clients will be when they get the best customer support out there.

3 Key Answers to What Is a Social Phone System

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What is a social phone system? When you connect the very specific call log information with social media (i.e. putting faces and names to all the calls coming in or going out) you have a social phone system.

A social phone system takes the siloed database of call logs and combines it with 3 key features:

Track all your customer activity
If Mrs. Jones says she called on the 3rd of October to check on an order, you have a log right there to confirm (or not) the validity of her customer service gripes.  You can see who, what and when she was called back or just the details about who spoke to her.

Faces and names to phone numbers being called
In a digital age, many of us are losing touch with the reality of human-to-human contact. Social phone systems eliminate part of this concern by providing faces and names to be associated with phone numbers. When you call out, up pops the customer photos, etc so you can finally put a face to a name.

Makes organization more efficient
There is nothing worse than a disconnected team of employees.  The social phone system makes you seem like you’re always on top of your game by providing all the details associated with the siloed call log.  You don’t just see notes in a customer management software, you see details based on call log data in black and white.

How to Best Answer the Phone When You’re Doing Customer Support

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answer the phone the best

The other day, I needed to shop for health insurance.  I hate shopping in general so health insurance was a double whammy of misery.  It’s interesting, though, that when I do need to call around, the best phone systems for customer support become pretty clear.

What I wanted to mention today, however, is the greeting I received.  The way you answer your phone can make a huge difference in your customer support.  So, here it is. The representatives at Blue Shield Blue Cross, or Independence Blue Cross, say:

“I help people like you everyday.”

Yup, I was immediately at ease, impressed with their phone support on demand, and more than interested to hear more about their product.  That one little greeting told me I was in the right place.  No matter what the person said after those words, I was prepared to answer their questions – I was in the right place.

When you consider what the best way to answer the phone is, consider what you do for a living.  Think about how you’ll put your customers at ease right away:

  • How can I help you?
  • What seems to be the trouble?
  • If you’re angry hang up now.
  • We’re frustrated by your frustration.

You can be funny, interesting or very unique – but be honest.  Even a how can I help you works well if it’s delivered in a happy voice.  For more attention, get outside of the box with something funny like the examples above.

The best phone systems for customer support help you by providing clear sound so it’s eaier for the caller to understand you.  They allow seamless features, too, so your caller never has to guess what you’re doing when you answer the phone.

There’s one other pointer for you to think about: What you say vs. what callers hear. This is important when you’re doing customer service since, well, not everyone hears very well.

Make sure you appropriately pause before you deliver your message:

“Good Morning …  Life’s a beach at IT solutions … this is Bob … how may I serve you?”

Those ellipsis represent where you should take a slow, long pause so the reader can hear what you’re saying.  If that doesn’t make sense right away, practice a few times.  You’ll know you’ve got the hang of it when your caller doesn’t have to ask your name ten times but automatically remembers it.