How To Improve Customer Service Help Desk Communication

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Help Desk Improvement Ideas

At Buchanan’s Technologies’ Support Center, our business is not only based on having the right information to help end-users but also having “great communication skills” over the phone.

Communication Skills for Technical Support

In the world of help desks, communication and messages can become confused with incorrect information or instructions because of careless delivery. The result is always poor service to your customers and a sense that their technical needs aren’t being met or do not matter. It’s critical that each member of your help desk or support center team knows their role, and how they’re supposed to deliver information to the customer, so information and knowledge do not get lost in the shuffle. Ready to take your help desk communication and customer service to the next level?

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5 Tips for Improving Your Call Agents’ Communication on the Phone

1. Be A Better Listener

Interruptions and distractions during calls can quickly result in misunderstandings and missed opportunities. The most important thing you can do to automatically improve your communication on the phones is to start listening more actively. Pay close attention to the caller and repeat back important details to make sure you fully understand the issues at hand. Simply doing this will let the caller know you have been listening, understand the issues, and the importance of getting them resolved in a timely manner.

Don’t allow interruptions to break the flow of your call, this will show the customer that they matter and that you value them.

2. Take Responsibility for Communication

When you’re on the phone with a customer, it’s imperative that you take responsibility for the information you are giving the customer. Remember that without the end-user understanding the resolution, there is no real resolution. The customer needs to be able to understand what’s been resolved so that the issue doesn’t continue to be a problem in the future. The way that you communicate the resolution is just as important as the resolution itself.  With this in mind, it is also extremely important that you are not giving incorrect information to your customers. If you do not know the answer to resolve a problem, it is imperative that you research and use the right resources to find the right answer.

3. Set Expectations

At a first-level help desk, it might not always be possible for you to resolve every issue for the customer. With this in mind, it becomes important to set expectation with the customer up front. If you have to escalate an issue for the customer, you need to make sure they understand what the next steps will entail. Let your customer know what group you are escalating the help desk ticket to and provide the ticket number. You should also get a good call back number in case the escalation group needs to contact the customer to gain more information and make sure your notes are complete and accurate so steps aren’t repeated by another group.

4. Pay Attention to Non-Verbal Cues

Since most of our communication happens over the phone, it is important to make sure we are paying attention to non-verbal cues. The customer will often say they understand but if you listen closely to their tone or voice inflection it becomes obvious they do not fully understand the information. It is your responsibility to make sure that you are actively listening for these tones and cues so you can better communicate the information to the customer. Always keep in mind your own non-verbal cues so the information you are conveying is in sync with your tone.

5. Be Clear

Besides listening, being clear and concise in your delivery of information to the customer is the most important component of effective communication. Avoid getting caught up in old problems or issues. Stay on target and focus on what information is going to help lead you to a resolution for the customer. This will not only dramatically improve your communication, but will improve your customer feedback surveys as well as your quality scores in the long run.

The Take Away

Great working relationships depend on you communicating the right information, at the right time, for the right reason. By building great communication skills, you will build a better and more trusting relationship with your customers, which will result in increased productivity and improved efficiency within your call agent teams.

Thanks for reading. And if you ever need help with your help desk or support center, contact us. We’d love to help you out!

About Jamie Tillery

Jamie Tillery is Buchanan’s Training Manager for the Support Center and self-professed coding geek. She currently attends Fort Hays State University with a focus in web coding. She has been with Buchanan Technologies since 2008 and has more than 15 years of experience in the customer service field. Connect with Buchanan Technologies on LinkedIn!

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