call center philippines

customer service tips

Kick-Ass Customer Service Tips That Will Support Your Business in 2020

Business, Call Center Philippines / By

Providing high-quality customer service will continue to be a significant trend in 2020. Businesses that don’t pay attention to poor customer service will, later on, struggle in maintaining their reputation. Now, here are some kick-ass customer service tips and examples to help your business flourish in 2020 and beyond.

According to a relevant study, 77% of customers are fed up with bad customer service while a whopping 91% of consumers only buy from brands they trust. So we can conclude that poor customer service will most likely lead to lost customers and revenue. To avoid this, here are some call center tips to assist your business in 2020.

1. Customers come first, the service issue is just secondary.

Customers like it when the support agent is empathetic and nice. A gentle and accommodating voice on the other line that sounds genuinely concerned can ease the unsettling feeling of customers.

Do not take things personally

Unhappy customers are a little brazen and irritable. They might make abrasive remarks from time to time, but do not take it personally because they aren’t attacking you. It is the situation that they are mad about.

Never engage in an argument with a client

One of the 5 most important skills that make a good customer service representative is to be extra patient. Dealing with different customers every day could be exhausting, however, getting all worked up every single day could bring you serious stress. So practising effective breathing exercises will help clear your head and be more composed when talking to customers.

2. Personalisation when talking to clients.

Personalisation goes far beyond just using the client’s first name when addressing them. As much as possible, do not call them “Sir”, “Ma’am” or “Madam”. Putting on a personal touch when communicating is the best way to let them know that they are a priority. It is also important to show the value of their time and to not hold them off for far too long.

3. Maintain a positive language and reaction.

A good example of this is when a customer is looking for an item that has already been out of stock and then their attitude suddenly changed. Instead of saying, “I’m sorry we are out of stocks today”, it is better to put it this way: “It will be available next week. What is the best way to contact you once it arrives?”

Do you see the difference? The first response is dismissive and a bit negative, however, the second is hopeful and keen on setting the expectations straight. It would only take little time to rephrase your response from negative to positive, so make sure to do so.

4. Do not underestimate the power of quick replies.

A customer’s complaint might not be your priority, but for them, it definitely is. So make sure that you provide quick replies to customers. Waiting for their issues to be resolved before responding will only make them more furious than they already are. So if you want to impress your customers, make sure to set their expectations straight and provide clear KPIs for their reference.

Conclusion

As the call center industry in the Philippines continues to skyrocket, different advice, and guidelines are published everywhere. The list is endless, so we listed the four most important customer service tips that are believed to help your business thrive in 2020.

To further share some of the best strategies that will aid your business growth for this year and beyond, contact DBOS today and get a free consultation with our CEO/Founder.

call center capital

Philippines as the Call Centre Capital of the World

Call Center Philippines / By

Globally recognised as the ‘call center capital’, the Philippines continuously impress business people from all around the world. According to some potential clients, the Filipinos are highly admired for their remarkable talents, personality, and character.

On the other hand, it is no secret that the Philippines offer a lower cost of living compared to other countries. But even with the lower cost, productivity remains outstanding. Also, talents such as proficiency in English, cultural affinity to Western countries, low labour costs, hard work, and kindness, impress several businessmen to engage in building more call centers in the country. These are a few reasons why the Philippines remains to be the ideal outsourcing destination for businesses around the world.

A brief history of the Philippine call center industry

In 1992, the first contact center in the Philippines was built by Frank Holz. Seeing the industry’s potential, the country’s Congress decided to pass the Special Economic Zone Act in 1995. It paved the way to the creation of Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) which offered incentives and attracted foreign investors in the process too.

During the early 2000s, the BPO industry accumulated 0.075% of the country’s GDP. It was also in the same year that a US-based outsourcing center moved its operations to the Philippines. This offered at least 8,400 vacant jobs for the unemployed Filipinos. In 2013, the industry recorded 900,000 full-time Filipino employees which helped lessen the country’s unemployment rate.

For the next years, the Philippines continually gained a huge percentage on the global BPO market. As a result of this, the country was then declared as the world’s BPO capital.

The call center industry in 2020

Industry experts estimated a projected total revenue of $50 billion by 2020 which is more than half of the total revenue in 2016. With the growth of call center hubs in the metro, a lot of ‘Next Wave Cities’ outside the metropolis opened. Attractive factors such as cost competitiveness and dynamic talents have continually been the key ingredient in attracting more businesses.

In addition to the incessant growth of the BPO industry, emerging trends has become a huge ordeal. Some of which includes the following:

  • Robotic process automation.
    With the continued resurgence of advanced technologies and innovation, tedious business processes are expected to be automated in 2020. However, making sure that the nonrepeatable roles were strategically placed on the hands of humans.
  • Social media as customer service channel.
    As people become more inclined to using different social media channels, reaching the target audience has been easier. Popular social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter are proven to be a quicker way to answer queries from customers.
  • Cloud computing.
    With cloud computing, you can rent a professional IT infrastructure to accommodate your server, storage, or networking needs. This would allow you to store and back up your customer files rather than spending tons of money to own the technology in-house.
  • Upskilling.
    To be able to provide better services to customers, most BPO companies encourage upskilling for high-performing employees. Provided with intensive training sessions to upgrade their skill sets, the staff are then expected to be able to handle more responsibilities.

Call centers are part of the ever-changing BPO industry where technological advancements are inevitable. Changes in this industry are quite usual and following it is the only way to keep up with the trends.

Why huge foreign companies outsource their call centers in the Philippines

To be called the ‘call center capital of the world’, a country should at least be swarmed by hundreds of companies worldwide. And that is exactly why the Philippines has been dubbed as one.

Over 800 BPO companies from all over the world have currently been outsourcing their call centers in the country for years. Most of them are from Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, and so much more. What prompts them to outsource their call centers are determinants such as value services for a very low cost. But more than that, the Philippines is highly regarded for providing one of the best customer services from around the world.

Huge Australian-based companies such as Telstra, Optus, and Jetstar have experienced outsourcing their call centers in the Philippines. Doing so have helped them seized on the savings and allocating it to further expand their businesses.

Other American corporations such as Citibank, Safeway, Chevron and Aetna also outsource their call center services in the Philippines. Even businesses like Georgia medical collection agency and more have experienced outsourcing their customer concerns in the country.

These foreign companies believe that Filipinos are customer-centric and are easy to talk to. As English is the second language used in the country, well-trained agents are undoubtedly fluent compared to other countries.

Conclusion

As the fastest growing industry in the Philippines for over a decade, call centers in and out of the metropolis are continuously emerging. Ranging from startup companies with hundreds of staff, up to businesses with 1,000+ employees.

Nevertheless, the Philippines still holds the title of being the ‘call center capital of the world’. Up to this day, the developing call center industry in the country is not seen to be slowing down any time soon.

So if you’ve been contemplating about outsourcing your customer services, then better get a professional insight. Contact DBOS today and get a free consultation from our very own CEO/Founder!