[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/06\/20\/customer-service-call-center\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/06\/20\/customer-service-call-center\/","headline":"If your customer calls you, she needs you","name":"If your customer calls you, she needs you","description":"What would you rather do: call your airline customer service or go to the dentist? I don\u2019t know which option I find less painful, but at least you feel good after going to the dentist \u2013which is not the case with airline customer service. Recently, I had no choice but call the airline I was […]","datePublished":"2016-06-20","dateModified":"2023-02-07","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/kirsi-tarvainen\/#Person","name":"Kirsi Tarvainen","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/kirsi-tarvainen\/","identifier":151,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/96ca9bf9158da317761f4e785e19819a740ab479d189dd529c081ea73b54193e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/96ca9bf9158da317761f4e785e19819a740ab479d189dd529c081ea73b54193e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/thumbnail-90debd017590818e63bd5a2a1959e172.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/thumbnail-90debd017590818e63bd5a2a1959e172.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/06\/20\/customer-service-call-center\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/service\/customer-service\/","name":"Customer Service","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_service","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q1060653"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/service\/","name":"Service","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Service","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q7406919"]}],"wordCount":487,"keywords":["Call Center","Customer Service","Customer Service Management","Service"],"articleBody":"What would you rather do: call your airline customer service or go to the dentist? I don\u2019t know which option I find less painful, but at least you feel good after going to the dentist \u2013which is not the case with airline customer service.Recently, I had no choice but call the airline I was going to use. The experience was just as bad as I expected. The countless voice menus and all the recordings I had to listen while waiting made it very clear to me that they don\u2019t want me to call them. Over and over again, the recording told me I should visit their website \u2013which I had already done! Did they really think I call them just for the fun of it?Self-service and agent-assisted service should go hand in handAirlines have done a great job designing online tools, mobile apps and automated services to allow customers take care of most routine tasks themselves. It is very convenient and customers love it. \u00a0However, self-service is not the cure for all illnesses. There will always be situations where customers need help and companies need to be prepared for it.\u00a0 Customers should be able to change from unassisted to assisted service without having the feeling that they are a burden to the company.Web chat is a great example on how to provide customers an easy access to personal service. Companies should not ignore the importance of traditional contact channels either. Whether the customer contacts you through chat, phone or email, the same rule applies: you need to find the right experts from your company to help the customer \u2013and you need to do it quickly, as customers hate to wait.Be there for your customers, and they will be there for youCustomers expect convenient, relevant, timely and consistent answers to their questions. They will not stay long on your website, if they don\u2019t find what they are looking for. If you don\u2019t want to send them to the competitors, make sure you are there for them when they need help. This video show a good example of making a customer happy by providing an easy access to the right experts:https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=uOdzm3L84hc\u201cThank you for flying with our airline. We hope you had a pleasant flight with us.\u201d As a matter of fact, I didn\u2019t. My flight experience started a long before I even entered the airport. And if you make me feel unwanted when I need your help on the phone, even the widest smiles of the stewardesses won\u2019t make me feel welcome.If I call you, I need you, so please, pick up the phone and help me.  Every digital moment matters.Are you making the most of them?1,000 business leaders dish on how to stand out from the crowd with a great CX. Get the details\u00a0HERE.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2016","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"06","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/\/06\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"20","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/\/06\/\/20\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"If your customer calls you, she needs you","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2016\/06\/20\/customer-service-call-center\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]