A call center is almost the first touchpoint where customers connect with businesses. If your customer service team can’t provide helpful assistance timely, it will damage customers’ first impression and drive them to switch to competitors. That’s why it’s important to improve customer service in a call center.
Modern customer service has evolved beyond simple phone call communication, which handles customer interactions across multiple channels, including voice, chat, email, and social media. This challenge requires businesses to develop strategies that not only improve call centers’ efficiency but also meet the broader needs of omnichannel customer service.
Then, how to improve call center customer service? In this blog, we outlined 15 best practices to help you optimize customer service in your call center. Let’s start exploring.
What Affects Call Center Efficiency
Call center efficiency can be affected by various factors, from outdated tools and inadequate agent training to unrealistic KPIs. Let’s explore these factors below:
1. Outdated Call Center Solutions
Outdated call center solutions make it hard for agents to handle customer inquiries effectively. For example, if the call center lacks an integrated CRM system or speech analytics, agents will struggle to access relevant customer information and analyze their preferences, causing delays and even frustrated customers. Therefore, switching to more advanced solutions can boost agent productivity and improve customer satisfaction.
2. Insufficient Training
Agents without ongoing training and development will find it difficult to handle diverse customer queries. For instance, if agents haven’t received adequate training in new tools, they may fail to resolve problems, leading to customer frustration and a higher churn rate. On the contrary, regular training lets agents keep up to date with product changes, customer service skills, and communication techniques.
3. Overly Strict Targets
Overly strict agent KPIs (e.g., “AHT under 3 minutes”) will push them to prioritize meeting the target over improving service quality. As Peter Drucker, widely hailed as the "Father of Modern Management, warned, “What gets measured gets managed — even when it’s pointless or harmful.” Building realistic KPIs for your agents ensures increased call center efficiency in the long run.
In addition to the three core factors, many other issues can hinder call center efficiency, such as poor workforce management, clunky workflows, and data silos.
How to Improve Call Center Customer Service
Now that we’ve identified the main barriers, let’s explore the best practices to improve call center customer service, covering both hard and soft aspects. Each practice is backed by industry data and real-world examples.
1. Build a Centralized Knowledge Base
A centralized knowledge base consolidates product guides, help centers, FAQs, and customer histories into one searchable platform. It’s a foundational tool for modern call centers to scale customer service effectively.
Without a centralized knowledge base, customers may spend more time solving issues, and agents struggle to access consistent information. As Social Media Today reports, 91%of customers say they would prefer to use an online knowledge base if it’s available and relevant to their needs.
Here are some useful tips to build an effective knowledge base:
- Update the knowledge base regularly.
- Add filters to help agents find answers in seconds.
- Integrate it with your CRM system.
2. Use AI and Automation for Call Routing
Using AI and automation can direct customers to the right agent quickly according to their department or follow-up, cutting transfers and waiting times. Beyond that, AI-powered tools can analyze customer intent, sentiment, and language and give real-time insights.
For example, a customer calling about a broken laptop would be routed directly to a technical support specialist instead of a general agent. AI can also adapt to peak volume: it prioritizes order-related calls over product inquiries to avoid delays during holiday sales.
3. Enable Self-Service Options
According to Forbes reports, 73% of customers want to solve issues by themselves. Self-service options, like FAQs, chatbots, and IVR menus, are crucial for customers who prefer quick resolutions. These options allow customers to solve common issues on their own, boosting overall call center efficiency.
To make self-service effective, you should follow the tips below:
- Keep FAQs simple and searchable.
- Ensure chatbots can hand off to agents seamlessly.
- Update self-service options monthly based on customer feedback.
4. Offer Omnichannel Support
Today’s customers have access to more communication channels than ever before. Whether through phone, chat, email, SMS, or social media, they expect to have a seamless experience across all channels.
Omnichannel support enables customers to get consistent service across all channels, no matter how they reach out. So, make sure you choose a contact center solution with omnichannel capabilities that integrates all customer interactions into a single, unified system.
5. Improve Workforce Management and Scheduling
Poor workforce management and scheduling will lead to long waiting times and customer churn during peaks. Using workforce management tools can help you forecast customer inquiries and schedule agents efficiently beforehand, which always ensures the right number of agents at all times.
To improve workforce management and intelligent scheduling:
- Look into call volume trends over periods to identify peaks.
- Allow agents to choose part-time hours or remote work.
- Use real-time adjustments.
6. Provide Real-Time Coaching and Feedback
Real-time coaching and feedback empower agents to continuously refine how to improve customer service skills in a call center, including communication skills and problem-solving abilities. This practice provides agents with development opportunities and fosters a culture of continuous improvement within the call center.
To make real-time coaching and feedback effective:
- Focus on specific skills rather than general feedback.
- Train supervisors to be supportive, not critical.
- Use call recording to review interactions together.
7. Use Speech Analytics for Quality Assurance
As customer service expert Jeanne Bliss notes: “Quality assurance shouldn’t be a guessing game—speech analytics turns intuition into data-driven action.” Speech analytics uses advanced technologies, like natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, to transform raw call recordings into actionable insights. It helps you identify customer trends, pinpoint pain points, ensure regulatory compliance, and improve the quality of customer service.
Here are some formative suggestions when using speech analytics tools:
- Focus on high-priority QA metrics to avoid data overload.
- Integrate speech analytics tools with your existing CRM and knowledge base.
- Turn analytical data into actionable coaching opportunities for continuous improvement.
8. Personalize Support with CRM and Data Integration
According to a McKinsey report, 76% of customers feel frustrated if they don’t get a personalized experience. Integrating your call center with a CRM system lets you access customer data, including preferences, purchase history, and past issues, and personalize the overall customer experience. This, in turn, makes customers feel seen and respected.
To offer personalized customer service, you should:
- Train customer service agents to use CRM data reasonably.
- Group your customers by their behavior to personalize support.
- Update CRM data to ensure future agents have the latest information.
9. Deliver Consistent and Positive Customer Experience
Deliveringa consistent and positive customer experience is important to foster long-term customer loyalty and strengthen brand reputation. To achieve that, you need to focus on understanding what a positive CX looks like for them.
Some customers like using self-service options for quick resolutions, while others expect to get human-like assistance from a live agent. So, the best way is to build a system where agents can gather instant feedback at the end of each interaction. This can be as simple as asking open-ended questions like, “Could we have done anything better for your experience?”
10. Actively Listen to Customers and Practice Empathy
Call center customer service isn’t just about hard skills; it’s about training agents' soft skills - active listening and genuine empathy to connect with customers. Some simple, useful gestures, such as addressing customers by name, asking open-ended questions, and sending short welcome messages, can make a great difference in customer experience.
Here are some tricks to practicing these soft service skills:
- Train agents to use warm and empathetic phrases.
- Have agents role-play complex issues, such as handling angry customers.
- Encourage agents to share customer stories.
11. Encourage Proactive Communication
Proactive communication is one of the best practices to predict customer needs and avoid some problems. This may include notifying customers of upcoming discounts, providing tailored recommendations based on their history, and informing them of service interruptions.
For example, an online retailer sends a sincere apology email about a back-ordered item ahead of the expected delivery date and offers a 10% discount on the customer’s next purchase. This proactive communication reduces frustration while boosting retention.
12. Build Trust and Transparency
Building trust is the foundation of every long-term customer relationship. Whether about products, services, or problem-solving processes, clear and transparent communication can help you build trust and reassure customers.
Transparent customer service means that you need to be honest about potential challenges, explain policies clearly, and set realistic expectations for customers.
13. Empower Agents to Make Customer-First Decisions
Empowering agents to make customer-first decisions with a defined scope can help them practice their problem-solving skills and improve customer satisfaction. This means that agents can address customer issues without having to wait for a supervisor’s approval. For instance, a clothing retailer lets agents offer free shipping to customers with delayed orders—no supervisor approval required.
To empower agents:
- Clearly define what agents can and can’t do.
- Train agents to weigh options (e.g., “Is a refund the best way to keep this customer?).
- Celebrate agents who make good decisions.
14. Build a Positive and Encouraging Work Culture
Satisfied and motivated customer service representatives are more likely to deliver high-quality service. So, it’s important to foster a positive and encouraging work environment for them. To build this culture, you can try these practical tips:
- Host team-building exercises regularly to boost overall workplace morale.
- Implement employee recognition programs to enhance their sense of value.
- Create channels for agents to share their voice concerns and suggestions.
15. Recognize and Motivate Agents to Improve Engagement
Engaged call center agents are more likely to provide consistent, high-quality customer service. Recognizing their hard work and offering targeted motivation is critical to boosting engagement and fostering a sense of commitment. Here are some proven strategies to achieve that:
- Recognize top performers with bonuses, extra time off, or other meaningful rewards.
- Provide clear career development paths and opportunities.
- Value their well-being and support work-life balance.
How Does Solvea Redefine Call Center Customer Service
Solvea is a comprehensive customer service platform that delivers an AI-powered customer experience for e-commerce retailers, call centers, and other industries. It offers instant 24/7 support for customers in multiple languages.
Boasting 80% human-like accuracy, Solvea can understand what customers really need and meet their expectations. It has helped lots of businesses to streamline workflow and improve customer service efficiency. For example, Anker has achieved a 95% response rate and increased customer satisfaction by 30% after adopting the solution.
FAQs
1. What are the 5 C's of customer service?
The 5 C's of customer service refer to “Care, Communication, Culture, Compassion, and Compensation”.
- Care means to be empathic with customers.
- Communication is clear and proactive.
- Culture means a customer-centric workplace.
- Compassion is to express genuine concern for customer issues.
- Compensation means fair remedies for service failures.
2. Why is customer experience important in call centers?
This is because customer experience directly impacts customer loyalty and retention. According to Yotpo’s research, 71% of customers say they will switch to other brands after just one bad customer service experience.
3. What are the 4 P's that improve customer service?
The 4 P’s for customer service improvement include: Promptness, Problem-solving, Professionalism, and Personalization.
- Promptness: offer fast resolutions or responsiveness.
- Personalization: provide tailored support based on customer behavior.
- Problem-solving: ensure the issue gets solved effectively.
- Professionalism: experienced customer service skills.
4. What are the 5 most important skills in customer service?
The 5 most important skills in customer service may vary across different industries. For instance, call center agents pay attention to the top 5 skills - active listening, clear communication, problem-solving, empathy, and stress management.
