Maritz suggests 'white glove approach' to call centres
Everyone has dealt with a contact centre, whether for a loyalty programme, customer service, or a telemarketing call. But many companies underestimate the importance of call interactions, and the potential negative impact on brand reputation if not appropriately handled, according to Maritz Canada, which recommends a full 'white glove' approach throughout the call centre.
Are the people manning your phones projecting the right image and creating the best experience for callers? Whether a contact centre is in-house or outsourced, it is extremely important for the individual dealing with a customer to leave the right impression and deliver on your brand promise.
Setting an example Based on this belief, Maritz Canada recently launched a centralised contact centre and customer service area called Person-to-Person Headquarters (or 'P2P HQ'). The centre's entire strategy is based on high quality human interaction.
According to Maritz, as more and more companies and loyalty programmes have started using the centre, the call volume being handled increased rapidly, with callers receiving "white glove" service from the team of full-time and part-time multilingual agents.
Performance metrics To make sure that the centre performs as well as it should, a performance model was implemented based on zero tolerance, accuracy, elegance, productivity, and professionalism - measures which all call centres should adopt to achieve the greatest possible customer satisfaction.
According to Ian Tarrant, manager of order management and fulfilment at Maritz Canada, "Our decision to centralise this function in-house was based on the goal of providing controllable, first-class service to clients and their programme participants. It has to be all about creating the best caller experience - not just answering the phones quickly."
Tough strategy The white glove approach - maintaining the highest possible standards and usefulness under all circumstances - is a strategy that will pay off for those call centre operators that can achieve it. According to Maritz Canada, the company hopes that other companies will also pay closer attention to the experience people can expect when dealing with contact centres.
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