The Last Word: Customer Solutions Profit Ideas

We have all done it – called a company and realized that we are talking to someone thousand of miles away. Overseas call centers have us doing business often with little knowledge of the distance or potential disconnect with the company we are engaging with.

Unfortunately, there are too many examples of companies that, for reasons of budget, have sent this important customer interaction to distant places – often with negative results.

Even with the best training, the foreign call center staff with people might not know the geography, product implications, usage questions, or ways to relate to the customer in order to upsell, cross sell or suggestive sell.

Often those most skilled at customer service are the people who can find ways to relate to the customer through casual conversation, dialogue related to the purchase, or inquiring questions. All too frequently it seems that offshore call center reps are skilled at the basic transaction, but fall short or lose the customer when these “relational” interactions are required.

I am glad that the walls are down on the global economy and that countries are finding ways to share skilled labor – however, I worry for the service-dependent businesses who are currently deploying their customer relationship management overseas.

It is critical to get training in place on both sides of the equation and to monitor the customer satisfaction and impact of these decisions.