Speed is Important in Online Customer Service

While your call center probably has a quality program that measures a number of metrics, it may be focusing on the wrong things. As it turns out, time is the most important metric. A recent study found there is a direct correlation between sales and the speed-to-answer in the call center.

The study suggests the most important metric to track is time spent on hold, since it may have a direct correlation to sales conversion rates. Research was based on a survey of consumers that found that customers who got a response in less than a minute were 58 percent more likely make a purchase, and 73 percent more likely to recommend the brand to someone else – critical in these days when brand advocacy is so important.

But it's not only the telephone that requires speed. While customers once expected that most of their e-mails to a company website would enter a “black hole,” generating an auto-response (if they were lucky) and a generic, unhelpful personal response weeks or months later (if they were really lucky), that kind of Web-based service just doesn't cut it anymore.

As more people adopt the Internet as a standard method of communication, providing a superior and timely customer experience is imperative; customers want answers, and they want them now.

Many companies have a program in place to receive Web-generated leads and inquiries: these types of programs have doubled or even tripled in the last few years. But problems arise when companies lack the capacity or strategy to effectively respond to this increase. If you’re slow to initiate contact, your lead is likely visiting your competitor’s website, hoping for a faster response, and giving your competitor the chance to beat you to the punch.

On Tuesday, June 12, TMC will co-sponsor an event with InfoCision (News - Alert) and Time Warner Cable to help educate companies with a need for a high-quality online customer service presence. The Web event, “Three Keys to Creating a Better Online Customer Experience,” will help participants understand several important points:

• Why it’s more important than ever to be equipped to rapidly handle online leads and customer inquiries
• Why seconds count – the benefits of speed in qualifying and converting online leads
• How you can take customer service from a cost center to a profit center
• Developing a robust web-generated lead program – speed isn’t the only differentiator.

For more information or to register, click here.