Reducing Customer Effort Through Empowerment and Engagement

The top three causes of customer stress and dissatisfaction

Taxing customer service experiences is a source of incredible frustration for the modern-day consumer with high standards. When making a call, the customer expectation will be a resolution with no further complications.

Whether it’s a simple query or a complex problem that needs resolving, the last thing a customer wants is to be passed to another advisory, told to contact another department or promised an update that never happens. 

These were the three top causes of customer effort identified by the Call Centre Management Association (CCMA) in their research into delivering a more effortless customer experience. They also identified that mature customers are more likely to require multiple interactions to resolve an issue, and younger clients are more likely to feel forced to use non-preferred contact channels when seeking help.

How can you tackle these stereotypes? 

With access to better data and technology than ever, these factors should not be a feature of any modern-day contact center. As a company, The DDC Group works hard to reduce these top three through effectively empowering and engaging our teams.

All agents receive extensive training to ensure they’re equipped to handle customer concerns; rather than just being the front-line voice inside a call center, agents are upskilled across multiple business areas to ensure they can understand and answer queries. This prevents customers from being passed around departments. This benefits the customers who come into contact with The DDC Group and empowers the advisors by increasing their confidence in their ability to handle all possible eventualities.

However, whilst most contact centers and we endeavor to deliver best practices, it is acknowledged that a call may sometimes need to be transferred. Yet, if an agent can demonstrate empathy and is willing to help, the customer experience is less likely to be negatively impacted.

Employee engagement is an equally important ingredient in the success of any outsourcer. Engaged employees are more ‘emotionally invested in committing their time, talent and energy to add value to their team and advance the organization’s initiatives’(1) – an obvious benefit to any company. Research also indicates that engaged workers are happier, healthier, and more fulfilled in their roles; all things that are high on our priority list, and hopefully yours too!

The DDC Group ensures engagement is prominent in many ways, from hiring a team of people who live up to our values to having an internal marketing campaign dedicated solely to employee wellbeing – including virtual coffee mornings and beyond. This focus on staff welfare and support highlights to agents how valued they are at The DDC Group; every role is as vital as any other.

Does your business provide top-quality support to your customers through engagement and empowerment? Want to know more about The DDC Group and how we can help? Then get in touch.