What are the Top Qualities of a Good Answering Service Agent?
Hiring an answering service company is a smart decision for your funeral home business. But, are you ready to start the selection process? Choosing one company to work with will be tough. These companies will try to get your business by making irresistible promises. You should know better than to believe them immediately.
The Right Answering Service Company
An answering service company's lifeblood is their customer service agents. It is the heart and soul of the company which means that clients should only expect the best agents to do the job. The main reason that businesses prefer to outsource answering services is to save money, time and effort. But placing customer's queries and request in the hands of the random customer service agents is risky. This is why you should do your homework in order to make the right decision when hiring an answering service company.
When choosing the right answering service company for your funeral home business, you should know about the company's background and experience. Find out how many employees they have and what accounts they handle. This will give you an idea if the company can handle your needs when it comes to answering phone calls from grieving customers
Things to Look for in a Customer Service Agent
Aside from knowing more about the company, what's most important is knowing about the competency and skills of the agents who will handle the calls. What are the three important qualities to look for in a good answering service agent?
1. Good Listening Skills- Let's face it, not every caller will be patient enough when asked to repeat their answers. In fact, many callers can get annoyed by this. You need an agent with good listening skills to get accurate information without asking the caller to repeat themselves. Bear in mind that your callers want to talk to someone who is listening to them and not just someone who wants to get off the line as soon as they can.
2. Knowledgeable- A good answering service agent should be knowledgeable about the company and their callers. The agent acts like a representative for the client's company in a sense. Callers can sense if an agent really knows what she is talking about and if she knows the steps to take. When an answering service agent is knowledgeable, her confidence will show. Customers prefer speaking to a confident agent rather than someone who doesn't know what she is doing. Give your callers peace of mind that their concerns will be attended to properly.
3. Is Always Composed- A good answering service agent should be composed at all times. He or she should answer calls with a calm demeanor. Usually, customers who call support hotlines have problems or complaints. These callers can be very frustrated and angry. In the case of funeral homes, callers might be grieving. Good answering service agents can empathize, sympathize and diffuse emotional callers.
To know if an agent has these important qualities, test her. Give her a call and pretend you are a grieving customer who is in a hurry to hang up the line. Check if the agent can accurately get information and how sympathetic the agent will be.
The Right Answering Service Company
An answering service company's lifeblood is their customer service agents. It is the heart and soul of the company which means that clients should only expect the best agents to do the job. The main reason that businesses prefer to outsource answering services is to save money, time and effort. But placing customer's queries and request in the hands of the random customer service agents is risky. This is why you should do your homework in order to make the right decision when hiring an answering service company.
When choosing the right answering service company for your funeral home business, you should know about the company's background and experience. Find out how many employees they have and what accounts they handle. This will give you an idea if the company can handle your needs when it comes to answering phone calls from grieving customers
Things to Look for in a Customer Service Agent
Aside from knowing more about the company, what's most important is knowing about the competency and skills of the agents who will handle the calls. What are the three important qualities to look for in a good answering service agent?
1. Good Listening Skills- Let's face it, not every caller will be patient enough when asked to repeat their answers. In fact, many callers can get annoyed by this. You need an agent with good listening skills to get accurate information without asking the caller to repeat themselves. Bear in mind that your callers want to talk to someone who is listening to them and not just someone who wants to get off the line as soon as they can.
2. Knowledgeable- A good answering service agent should be knowledgeable about the company and their callers. The agent acts like a representative for the client's company in a sense. Callers can sense if an agent really knows what she is talking about and if she knows the steps to take. When an answering service agent is knowledgeable, her confidence will show. Customers prefer speaking to a confident agent rather than someone who doesn't know what she is doing. Give your callers peace of mind that their concerns will be attended to properly.
3. Is Always Composed- A good answering service agent should be composed at all times. He or she should answer calls with a calm demeanor. Usually, customers who call support hotlines have problems or complaints. These callers can be very frustrated and angry. In the case of funeral homes, callers might be grieving. Good answering service agents can empathize, sympathize and diffuse emotional callers.
To know if an agent has these important qualities, test her. Give her a call and pretend you are a grieving customer who is in a hurry to hang up the line. Check if the agent can accurately get information and how sympathetic the agent will be.
About the Author:
Azalea M. Lynn works in the funeral industry as a consultant. She recommends a answering service for funeral homes for funeral directors looking to improve their bottom line. A customer service for funeral homes can help to reduce cost while improving customer experience.
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