As timelines, and patience, continue to come under pressure, more customers are expecting 24-hour service from their suppliers. Leaving voicemail messages with an aftermarket parts distributor in the hopes that parts or an appointment may be available in the morning can waste precious time. Hearing a recording of operation hours and a request for a callback number may not keep a customer happy — especially if there is a nearby competitor who can handle the call personally, day or night.
While it’s certainly not cost-effective for many aftermarket suppliers to staff operations over a 24-hour period, they can escape the voice message conundrum through effective use of call center services.
Call center staff, ensuring that customers are provided with a confirmed time slot before you arrive in the morning, can handle after-hours calls for service appointments, saving hours of early morning callbacks and appointment shuffling.
After-hours parts orders can also be received, clarified and verified to ensure the necessary information is in your hands in the morning. The ability to jump on order requests and confirm inventory quickly can bring peace of mind to anxious customers, preventing them from looking elsewhere while they wait.
An additional advantage is that trained call center personnel can pre-screen calls, prioritizing them in terms of urgency and parts needs.
Surprisingly, call center services are much less expensive than one might think. Users can get access to highly sophisticated services at a fraction of the cost of hiring in-house personnel. In fact, many use a pay-per-usage approach that can be based on either a per-minute or per-call basis. In some cases where you anticipate higher volumes of calls, a flat monthly fee for an agreed upon number of minutes can be arranged — much like a cell phone service.
However, there can be great variations in the quality and level of service received. Some do little more than take down names and numbers, so consider some of the following factors when looking for call centers:
Get a good description of their fee structure. A per-minute charge, usually preferable over a per-call structure, tracks actual time spent on the phone. A per-call fee tells you only how many times the telephone is picked up — revealing nothing about the quality of time spent actually servicing customers.
Find out the set-up fee and what it includes. Any call center of worth will include the creation of a customer database and preprogramming of essential numbers.
Ensure that the call center provides 24/7 service if you need it. Some shut down during major holidays or late in the evening.
Establish the guaranteed standards for answering the call. In other words, how many rings before the operator picks up the call? Good call centers will provide a guaranteed response time (e.g. within three rings) as part of their agreement.
Gain a clear understanding of the staff’s knowledge about your products. Level of training is important, especially in a specialized market. Be sure you are aware of the training they will receive, so you know to what extent they can assist your callers.
Consider staff turnover. Will the people answering your calls be around long enough to get to know your business? If you need it, also check what kind of reporting they provide. Call center services should be able to provide a comprehensive overview of logged calls, times spent with customers and other details.
Some call center services will offer post-service follow-up call functions. Trained personnel can phone customers and determine their level of satisfaction with your products, services and/or responsiveness to their needs. The feedback can be an important tool in identifying any shortcomings and ensuring consistent, excellent customer satisfaction ratings.
While many aftermarket retailers may not have put 24/7 call response on the top of their wish lists, it is definitely a means to gain a competitive edge without a significant outlay of capital.
Offering your customers the ability to talk to a professionally trained individual day and night distinguishes you in the industry as a provider who cares about customers and is willing to go the extra mile to service them.
