Great customer service no longer relies solely on products and purchases. The customer experience is what truly matters and it begins from the very first point of contact. When a customer calls, either for advice, to complain, to offer feedback or to ask a question, it's vital that your call handlers respond efficiently and appropriately.

There are many ways to ensure this is done well, but there are also some experiences that you should avoid giving your customers.

1. Long wait times

No one likes to be kept waiting, but when a customer is experiencing stress, grief or difficulty, then it's even more frustrating for them. Do all you can to keep call wait times at a minimum. If you need to put a customer on hold during the phone call, the same rules apply.

2. Poor communication

Your calls need to be handled by people who can adapt to different situations. Each customer will have their own problems and will react to them differently. For good communication, you must be prepared to adapt to the customer's mood, situation and abilities. Poor communication will only make matters worse and break trust between your customer and your business.

3. Ignoring feedback

Negative feedback can be difficult to accept, but it hugely valuable. To improve your service and make positive changes, it's important to act upon complaints and feedback in a timely manner. It's not impossible to regain the trust of unhappy customers, but you must react to feedback quickly and efficiently to do so.

4. Lack of consistency

Passing customers from one person to another can leave them confused and annoyed. It takes away the personal approach that you should be aiming for and leads for a very negative experience. Where possible, always have the same call handler deal with the same customer, for consistency and rapport.

Without the right team behind you, these mistakes can be hard to avoid, but you can eliminate the risk with outsourced customer service. At Front Line, we're proud to offer a professional telephone answering service with experienced staff and a high standard of customer service. Contact us today to find out how we can help your busine