How Call Center Software Builds Top Net Promoter Scores
Net Promoter Scores (NPS) are one of the best methods of measuring customer loyalty, according to recent research from the Temkin Group.
After asking thousands of consumers to give an NPS to 294 companies across 20 industries, they discovered that promoters, as compared to detractors, are more than 5x as likely to repurchase from companies, 7x as likely to forgive companies if they make a mistake and 9x as likely to try new products or service offerings.
In short, they’re the most valuable customers a business has.
But how do call centers go about building better Net Promoter Scores?
In many ways, it all comes down to improved call center software.
In this post, we’ll show 4 ways call center software can boost Net Promoter Scores.
But first, let’s examine exactly what a Net Promoter Score is and how to calculate it.
What is a Net Promoter Score?
The Net Promoter Score was introduced to the world by Bain and Company in their seminal 2003 article in Harvard Business Review titled, The One Number You Need to Grow.
The article makes clear that the CEO of Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Andy Taylor, figured out a way to measure customer loyalty without fancy and complicated customer surveys.
Here’s how Top Net Promoter Scores work:
Businesses send out a survey asking a single question:
“How likely are you to recommend our company/product/service to a friend, family member, or colleague?”
Provide the customer with a scale of 1-10 for their answers.
All answers with a 9 or 10 are your promoters.
To discover the score of net promoters, simply take the % of promoters minus the % of detractors.
After that, businesses will have a much clearer idea of how many customers are truly out there spreading their business through word-of-mouth – that’s the most satisfied customers you’ll ever find!
4 Ways Call Center Software Can Boost Your Net Promoter Score
Businesses don’t have to feel like their Net Promoter Score is out of their control. With a few smart strategies in place, they can feel confident they’re delivering great service, and their customers are likely to give them a high Net Promoter Score.
Follow the strategies below to gain more Promoters.
Direct Customer Calls to the Right Department Using Interactive Voice Response
Before a customer even reaches the call center, they should be intercepted by an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.
This allows the customer to use the IVR’s menu to answer their question, such as checking on a bill. It also allows them to route themselves to the correct department to answer their questions.
An IVR can handle large call volumes and help provide answers to the callers with simple questions while passing on callers with more complex questions to a live agent.
Answer Customer Questions the First Time They Call Through Automatic Call Distribution
When a customer reaches a call center, they don’t want to wait for service; it’s one of the things they hate the most.
That means a call center shouldn’t simply answer calls in the order they come in – letting any agent available field the call. If they do, and the first agent to take the call can’t answer the customer’s question, the customer will most likely be put on hold waiting for an agent who can answer their question.
Instead of making customers bounce around from one agent to the next, call centers should use Automatic Call Distribution (ACD). This allows them to route calls to the agent who is best suited to handle the customer’s needs.
Empathize with Customers through Voice of Customer Data
Customers want to feel like they’re being heard and respected.
To deliver that kind of service, call centers need to know as much about the customer as possible and be trained in appropriately handling customer questions and complaints.
Agent Gateway is a software that displays a dashboard with a caller’s past calls, questions answered, information about who they are, managers notes and other pieces of information relevant to the call.
Call Recording Storage is a software that allows call center agents and their managers to review past calls, update scripts based on these transcripts, develop improved surveys, and consider ways of better handling customer calls in the future.
Both of these tools help call centers to understand their customers and better serve them in the future – paving the way for higher Net Promoter Scores.
Remain in Direct Contact with Customers Using Voicemail Delivery and Mobile SMS
If customers don’t have to call customer service, they’ll be happy.
Call centers should use every technology at their disposal to deliver information to customers before they need to call customer service.
VocalDirect lets call centers record a message, upload a contact list, and send their message to any contact’s cell phone – from overdue payment reminders to appointment confirmations. The best part is, this voice message doesn’t interrupt their day, it is put directly into the inbox.
Keeping customers on top of important tasks helps them keep their life on track with ease, increasing the likelihood they’ll spread the word about the business serving them.
AgentSMS is another tool that lets call centers stay in touch with customers by pushing out text messages. From emergency alerts to general notifications, businesses can keep their customers on task and in the loop.
Take Call Center Customer Service to the Next Level
Building top Net Promoter Scores is only one major perk of using high-quality call center software.
It also allows call centers to improve agent productivity, capture essential KPIs, and staff the right number of agents for high call volumes.
To learn more about how call center software can benefit any call center, check out our free introduction and overview of TCN and the tools it has to offer.