• Knowing the product: When customers reach out for assistance from a business, they want to be met with a representative who knows what they’re talking about and can offer further insight into the product or service.
• Going the extra mile: Customer support teams that go above and beyond what is expected of them reinforce brand loyalty by creating relationships with customers that extend beyond just “doing business.”
• Providing omni-channel support: Offering support via phone, email and live chat allows you to stay connected with more customers and gives customers the opportunity to use the communication channel that works best for them.
• Giving back to the community: Companies that place importance on making an impact on their community show that they care about more than just filling quotas and making money.
• Asking for feedback: Customer feedback isn’t always delivered with rainbows and sunshine, but companies that put in an effort to ask for feedback and then take the steps needed to enhance their product or service are more likely to keep customers coming back for more. Additionally, 91% of consumers are more likely to use a business that has positive reviews.

Despite its seemingly simple concept, customer service is more involved than some business owners may even be aware. If you aren’t currently engaged in the essential attributes listed above, or if you’re always looking for ways to boost brand loyalty, then do we have a list for you! Check out these 30 companies with legendary customer service, and the lessons we can learn from their consistent approach.

1. Disney

Named the happiest place on earth for a reason, Disney is the unequivocal leader in creating an amazing and magical customer experience. Whether you’re visiting one of their theme parks, seeing a Disney film in theaters, or shopping at the Disney Store, you’re sure to be left with a sense of wonderment and awe. From looks to sounds and service, every aspect of the Disney empire has been carefully thought out and planned to ensure that visitors have the best experience possible.

Another thing that Disney excels at is making sure each and every visitor is treated like a VIP. It doesn’t matter if it’s your 1st or 100th visit; Disney employees take the Beauty and the Beast sentiment to heart, inviting you to “be their guest.” From character actors and vendors to ride operators and street sweepers, Disney emphasizes a “customer first” approach. In fact, the Disney brand is so successful in cultivating brilliance that they offer onsite courses on their approach to quality service. In their own words, “When an organization puts the customer at its core—empowering its people and unifying its processes—outstanding customer service becomes possible on a consistent basis, from the first greeting to the final meeting. When provided with exemplary experiences, a customer has a much greater incentive to return, as well as recommend us to others.”

2. Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is so much more than their insanely addictive chicken and ultimate thirst-quenching lemonade. A big part ofChick-fil-A’s fame is their friendly and courteous staff, and their commitment to creating a positive customer experience, ending each interaction with the quintessential phrase, “My pleasure.” Chick-fil-A is often involved in local communities and charitable activities, like the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program, which is an initiative to help restaurant operators fight hunger in their local communities. This community engagement helps create a positive image for the brand and promotes customer loyalty.

Boasting their “giving philosophy,” Chick-fil-A states that, “Everyone’s job at Chick-fil-A is to serve. No matter our title or job description, our reason for coming to work is to generously share our time and talents. Whether it’s treating customers like friends, or serving our communities like neighbors, we believe kindness is a higher calling.”

3. Amazon

Originally founded as an online marketplace to purchase books, Amazon has evolved into a multinational technology company and has become one of the world’s largest retailers. Amazon’s most notable asset is Amazon Prime, a paid subscription plan which has close to 200 million subscribers worldwide. Prime users reap the benefits of one and two-day shipping of goods, and have access to other features such as streaming, gaming and grocery shopping services.

Not only do customers of Amazon Prime love how quickly their orders are shipped and delivered, but most notably, how easy it is to work with customer service. Whether a product wasn’t shipped on time, was delivered damaged or was just not up to standards, Amazon’s return policy makes them a widely-trusted brand. Oftentimes if there’s an issue with an item, Amazon is quick to either refund the purchase, or send a completely new item in its place free of charge. Gone are the days where you have to call customer support and state your case. Users can simply log onto their app, click a few buttons, and the system handles the rest.

4. Chewy

Chewy is the #1 choice for pet parents everywhere. When I first adopted my dog, I of course turned to Chewy to order all of the necessary supplies. When one of my items came in damaged, I called Chewy’s customer service and had a genuinely fantastic experience. Not only was my rep friendly and helpful, she seemed actually interested to hear about my new family member. After our interaction, I immediately completed a survey to applaud my rep’s attention to detail and friendliness.

Chewy is known to go the extra mile for their customers in meaningful ways. Whether they’re sending free, hand-painted pictures of pets to customers at random, sending hand-written and addressed birthday cards for your faithful companion, or sending flowers and condolences after a beloved pet passes, Chewy is a name that stands out among pet owners.

5. Specialty Answering Service

Not to toot our own horn, but as the leading call center service provider in the industry, we prides ourselves on our excellent customer service. With over 500 5-star Google Reviews, customers are apt to agree, one such customer quoted as saying, “Exceptional team! A company’s essence lies in its people, and this group is outstanding, ensuring top-notch quality in every product they deliver.” While our Support staff is small, they are mighty in their abilities to assess customer issues and come up with effective solutions. Not only do we excel in solving problems, we take a proactive approach and reach out to customers periodically to check in, provide demos to show off new features, and ultimately provide an excellent customer experience.

In addition to providing top-tier support, our service comes with a state-of-the-art online portal that offers a ton of free features to sweeten the deal. Clients can securely text or call their customers right from their portal, configure numerous callback features to ensure we’re capturing every lead possible, and create completely customizable scripting solutions. In other words, toot toot.

6. Help Scout

As a help desk ticketing platform, helping customers is the name of the game for Help Scout. As a customer of Help Scout, I have never had a bad experience with their support team. Any time I have an issue or questions, their team has always been reliable, friendly, down to earth and most of all, helpful! Help Scout’s online knowledge base offers user-friendly tutorials, step-by-step instructions, and great tips and tricks when working with their software.

Help Scout is always improving their platform, keeping up with the latest technology to provide their customers with the tools they need to succeed. Recently, they’ve introduced different AI tools, like AI Summarize, which can be used to quickly summarize conversations in Help Scout, and AI Assist, which can be used to help enhance responses. Both of these features have been designed with the user in mind to ensure customers are getting the most out of their product.

7. Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s is a supermarket chain that is known for its diverse and unique array of products, and many customers appreciate the high-quality and healthy selection of food. On top of that, the employees at Trader Joe’s are friendly and approachable. Often found wearing fun Hawaiian shirts, Trader Joe’s has succeeded in creating a casual and welcoming atmosphere for shoppers.

While the atmosphere and grocery options at Trader Joe’s are the main reasons that customers love to shop there, their employees steal the show. They excel at remembering frequent shoppers and creating relationships. And let’s not forget how superbly they handle unhappy guests, like when employees put on a whole song and dance for a toddler who was less than thrilled to be there. Where most other employees would turn the other way or even remark negatively, Trader Joe’s employees strive to make everyone’s experience a memorable one.

8. Duolingo

Duolingo is the leading language learning app that provides personalized bite-sized instructions based on users preferences. Users have total control over their own education, and not only can they choose which language they want to learn, but Duolingo offers multiple avenues to learn that language. For example, users can choose to focus on travel-based language, food-based language, or a mix of a little bit of everything! Duolingo also offers courses for different age ranges, so the whole family can get involved and learn at the level that best suits them.

Learning a new language can be daunting, so Duolingo makes it fun by incorporating gamification elements to keep users engaged. Users earn points, achievements, and virtual rewards as they progress through lessons, which helps motivate their interest in language learning.

9. Publix

Like Trader Joe’s, Publix is a grocery store chain that has perfected its approach to establishing a relationship with the community. They provide excellent customer service by taking input from shoppers and stocking items that they request. Publix also prides itself on selling quality products and offering Buy One Get One deals to help shoppers get the most bang for their buck.

In addition, some Publix locations extend services via their Aprons Cooking Schools, where customers can attend cooking classes and learn new recipes. This adds an educational and interactive element to the shopping experience, which sets Publix apart from other grocery chains.

10. Subaru

Growing up, my family always had Ford cars. When it was time for me to buy my own car, I knew I didn’t want to continue the Ford legacy because on more than one occasion, I felt unsafe driving in wet conditions. After a lot of research, I kept coming back to the Subaru brand, with countless reviews boasting about their safety and reliability. After purchasing my own Subaru, I was able to put the car to the test when I had to drive home from work in a snowstorm. My car did not fail me once, and soon after, my whole family converted from Ford to Subaru.

Not only do they offer a safe and reliable product, but every interaction I have had with their customer service team has been entirely uncomplicated. Any time I’ve needed to take my car in for service, they’ve always been warm, welcoming and efficient. Also, their dog commercials are super cute.

11. The Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton is a luxury hotel that is known for providing elite service and an unforgettable experience for guests. No matter what location they choose, guests of the Ritz-Carlton can expect a luxurious stay with premium amenities. The brand consistently invests in upgrading its properties to meet the highest standards of luxury.

Additionally, the Ritz-Carlton offers a user-friendly mobile app that remembers guests’ preferences and allows users to chat with staff seamlessly. From the app, guests can call room service, view concierge tips, find local dining options, and track special offers.

12. Apple

The Apple brand is famous for producing products such as the iPhone, iMac, Apple Watch, and other widely-used services like iTunes and Apple TV. While the Apple brand is known around the world for its products, many people stick with Apple for their customer service. Whether users are chatting with a customer service rep in-store at the Apple Genius Bar or communicating online via Live Chat, they are sure to be met with reps who know the product they are servicing, inside and out.

Not only can customers seek help with servicing their products in need of repair or tune-ups, but they can also meet with Apple employees and attend special classes to learn how to get the most out of their products. The more customers can get out of the products they use, the more inclined they are to stick with a certain brand.

13. Zappos

Zappos is an online shoe and clothing retailer best known for their free shipping (always!) and their 365 return policy. Zappos prides itself on being a “customer obsessed” company and strives to maintain the “Four C’s: Commerce, Customer Service, Company Culture, Community.”

Another great aspect of Zappos and one that adheres to the community aspect of their “Four C’s” vision is their Zappos for Good program, which is a “collective effort to give back and protect the planet by providing prepaid shipping labels to support donation and recycling initiatives and donating everyday essentials to local schools.” From encouraging customers to donate unwanted shoes and apparel to hosting various giveback events, Zappos is a company that puts their customers and community first.

14. Warby Parker

Warby Parker is a predominantly online eyewear retailer that focuses on an effortless selection process. Most widely known for their Home Try-On program, users can choose up to 5 pairs of glasses to try on at home, for free. Not happy with the choices? Customers can continue to send pairs back and substitute other options until they settle on a pair (or two) that they love. For customers who don’t want to deal with the back and forth of sending and receiving packages, the retailer offers a virtual try on feature via their mobile app.

Since its inception, Warby Parker instituted a Buy a Pair, Give a Pair initiative in which the company donates a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair of glasses sold. To date, over 15 million pairs of glasses have been donated worldwide.

15. Starbucks

Starbucks is the world’s leading coffeehouse chain, with more than 36,000 locations worldwide. In addition to offering a wide variety of menu selections including seasonal, vegan and low-calorie options, Starbucks consumers continue to go back for the exceptional customer service they experience. For customers who are new to the coffee game, ordering at Starbucks can be overwhelming. One confused customer noted that a barista “made my day and finally helped me figure out the way to make my drink so I’d love it. She took time out to talk to me for 2 minutes to make my experience better than what I’m used to.” This is what we call distinguished customer service!

Another aspect that Starbucks excels at is the consistent quality of their products. Starbucks customers know that no matter what location they visit, their pistachio cream cold brew will always hit the spot.

16. Google

Google is a multinational technology company that has many claims to fame, including computer software, artificial intelligence, search engine technology, and consumer electronics. There’s no doubt about it – Google is a brand that everyone knows. Their search engine makes it a breeze to find answers to questions, tutorials, recommendations, and really anything else you’re  looking for information on. Their products are easy to use, streamlined, and offer comparative features to other similar name-brand products.

While Google may not have a singular customer service department, their search engine tool allows users to take matters into their own hands. The Google server can be accessed at any day or time, and with 40,000 searches happening every second, Google has made a name for itself in any household that has access to the internet. The ability to search pretty much any piece of information has led to a generation that has taken “DIY” to a whole new stratosphere fostering a sense of self sufficiency and empowerment.

17. CVS

When you think of CVS, you probably think of your standard convenience store where you can pick up prescriptions and buy household necessities. However, CVS is reimagining the health care experience with their Healthy 2030 Campaign, which is their initiative to increase the health of people, businesses, the community and ultimately the planet. With this program, CVS is striving to make healthcare more accessible and affordable to more communities. In 2021 over 159 million meals were provided to people who are food insecure and $185 million was invested in affordable housing.

CVS has also joined forces with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to help cut down on the plastic packaging used in their store brand products with the goal of reducing plastic products by 50% by 2030. Additionally, CVS has placed an importance on animal welfare by eliminating store brand products tested on animals and will plan to sell 100% cage free eggs by 2025. CVS’s initiative to better the lives of the community and environment as a whole makes them a commendable leader in corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts.

18. IKEA

Ikea is the modern Swedish furniture store that thousands of customers across the world have come to know and love. Not only is Ikea famous for their vast selection of affordable and sustainable Swedish-style furniture, decor and housewares, but their unique in-store experience makes them stand out among other furniture retailers.

Customers can explore room displays, try out furniture, and find inspiration for their own homes. The layout of the store encourages a hands-on and interactive approach to shopping, which is unlike what other competitors currently offer. Ikea also welcomes shoppers to eat their famous Swedish meatballs right in the store and buy a bag for the family! Who doesn’t love a good meatball?

19. Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic is a British airline that has been in business since 1984. Known for its fun and charismatic approach to flying, its chairman, Richard Branson, took part in some wild stunts to garner attention – including hot air balloon rides and rappelling down Manhattan highrises, and advertised using somewhat off-color, humorous language to get noticed. The airline has always prided itself on exceptional service and ensuring passengers’ enjoyment. To that end, in 2009, a disgruntled passenger wrote a letter to co-founder Richard Branson over the quality of the food provided on his flight. Virgin Atlantic could have responded with a run of the mill apology and offered some travel credits; instead, Branson took measures into his own hands and invited the passenger to join Virgin Atlantic’s food advisory board to help improve their menu across different flight routes.

20. USAA

The United States Automobile Association, more widely known as USAA, is a company that provides insurance and banking products exclusively to members of the military, veterans, and their families. Consistently outranking competitors, customers love USAA for their empathetic and personalized customer support, affordable insurance options and their tailored services to meet the unique needs of military members. Users who bank with USAA tend to also combine other financial products offered by the company including credit cards, checking and savings accounts and auto and mortgage loans, making USAA a one-stop shop for a majority of customers.

Oftentimes, the needs of veterans can be overlooked, so companies that pay special attention to those needs help create and foster a loyal customer base.  In addition to providing unique services, USAA also offers discounts to military members which reinforces its support for the military community.

21. Nordstrom

Nordstrom is a luxury department store that has built and upheld a strong reputation among its customer base over its 123 years in business. Not only does Nordstrom offer high-quality products and a flexible return policy, but customers can rely on receiving five-star care from employees who offer personalized recommendations and display a core knowledge of the products they are selling.

Nordstrom’s customer-centric approach allows employees to understand and anticipate the unique preferences and needs of the individual. Helping customers “feel good and look their best” fortifies confidence in both the brand and the store-level team. In Nordstrom’s own words, “Fashion changes. Shopping changes. Our commitment to happy customers doesn’t.”

22. Costco

Costco is a wholesale retailer that sells everything from bulk groceries and clothing to car parts and home improvement items. Costco has become a “one stop shop” for thousands of consumers who are able to get most, if not all, of their shopping done without having to travel to multiple stores. The retailer is also famous for their free samples, which enhance the customer shopping experience.

In addition to their wide range of available products and top tier Kirkland Signature brand, Costco puts an emphasis on savings. Bulk purchasing models typically lead to lower per-unit pricing, which results in significant savings for customers. Consumers who subscribe to Costco memberships also gain access to exclusive deals, discounts, travel, and several in-store services.

23. Hilton

Like the Ritz-Carlton, Hilton hotels are known all over the world for their consistent quality, modern amenities, comfortable accommodations and excellent customer service. Hilton’s mix of 19 different hotel brands is always on target, providing a luxury experience at an affordable rate with transparent pricing. That means no hidden fees or surprise charges. This accessibility appeals to a wider customer base who may otherwise look for different accommodations when booking for personal travel or business related needs.

Another fabulous aspect of the Hilton collection is that 80% of their hotels are pet friendly, which means that guests can travel comfortably knowing their four-legged family members will receive the same great care they have come to know and love.

24. Lexus

When you think of luxury vehicles, over-the-top experiences are sure to come to mind, and Lexus drives home (pun intended) the importance of preserving said experiences. From their concierge services, where customers can schedule pick-ups and drop-offs for their service appointments, to the attention to detail customers receive at dealerships, Lexus maintains a level of quality assurance that other car companies can’t attest to.

Lexus believes that those who purchase their brand are intent on living life to the fullest. To help customers achieve that, Lexus created an avenue where owners can explore how the world looks outside of the driver’s seat. Lexus owners enjoy exclusive experience benefits under the umbrella LexusCare. In the company’s own words, “From discounts at luxury spas, hotels and resorts to premier culinary events and wine tastings, Lexus owners can indulge in a variety of experiential activities that are sure to delight and invigorate their senses.” These perks ensure that Lexus customers are well cared for, both on and off the road.

25. Target

Target is an American retail corporation with stores chock full of clothing, accessories, tech products, groceries, and everything in between. Target shoppers often agree that they don’t go into Target with a list or a plan. When they enter a Target, it’s almost as if the store instantly syncs with shoppers’ unspoken needs and magically guides them through a maze of aisles, uncovering all the things they never knew they always wanted. And just like their unforgettable logo, the store is remarkably good at hitting a bullseye.

As someone who loves Target, I can attest that going there is always an experience. Target has developed and partnered with several brands that offer quality products at prices that are affordable. Target also offers rewards programs and discounts, customer-friendly return policies, and let’s not forget that many stores partner with Starbucks! In-store shoppers can sip on their favorite beverages while browsing their favorite brands.

26. Freshworks

Freshworks is a cloud-based customer relationship management platform that specializes in providing software as a service (SaaS) to small and medium sized businesses around the world. Their robust software roster includes products such as Freshdesk, Freshchat, Freshservice, Freshsales, and more. It is truly an all-in-one answer to an assortment of needs.

The Freshworks development team is known for creating personalized solutions for based on the specific needs of their customers, and they adhere to a customer first approach where multiple team members may jump in and work together to resolve a customer’s issues. There are also a ton of customer stories detailing how Freshworks helped keep operations afloat via their software in a number of amazing ways.

27. Best Buy

Similar to Apple’s Genius Bar, Best Buy has a “Geek Squad” service that can assist customers with technical issues they may be having. Customers can meet with the Geek Squad in-store, or they can call their mobile unit to make house calls to help repair bigger items like TVs and major appliances.

Best Buy also offers trade-in programs and recycling services that make it easy for customers to get rid of old products like computers, cell phones, cameras, vacuums and more, and receive discounts on certain items just for recycling! At most Best Buy locations, customers can recycle up to three items per household per day. If a customer doesn’t have a Best Buy nearby, they can take advantage of their Mail-In Recycling Service and still reap the benefits.

28. Walmart

Like Target, Walmart is an American multinational retail corporation with stores that can be found all over the world. Walmart offers many types of products at discounted rates, which appeal to a wide audience of shoppers. Famous for their rollback discounts, which are temporary price reductions on a wide range of items, Walmart also has a price matching policy, which guarantees shoppers the chance to bring in competitor advertisements to receive the same price in-store.

Many Walmart stores are also open 24/7 which provides flexibility for customers to shop at various times, including late nights or early mornings.

29. T-Mobile

T-Mobile is a popular mobile telephone company and is the second largest wireless  network in the United States. People love T-Mobile for their features such as unlimited data plans, no contracts, and various incentives and promotions including their “T-Mobile Tuesday” promotion which offers T-Mobile customers freebies and discounts every Tuesday.

Alongside their innovative features, customers have grown accustomed to the reliable and efficient sales and support teams at T-Mobile. Whether setting up a new phone or looking for assistance with a tech issue, working with staff who are friendly, receptive and knowledgeable is an asset to any business, and the best way to solidify your reputation.

30. Kohl’s

Kohl’s is an American retail chain with over a thousand locations nationwide offering clothing and accessories at an affordable rate. Kohl’s is most widely known for their “Kohl’s Cash” – a loyalty program where customers earn cash back in the form of coupons for future purchases based on their spending.

Customers of Kohl’s can rely on the fact that no matter what store location they’re shopping at, they will be met with consistent inventory, great prices, friendly faces and employees that are always happy to assist shoppers with whatever they need.

Conclusion

Customer service plays a significant role in shaping the success and longevity of any sized business. It serves as the cornerstone of building strong relationships with customers, fostering brand loyalty, and ultimately driving revenue growth. By prioritizing exceptional customer service, businesses can stand out among competitors, enhance their reputation, and create positive experiences that extend beyond everyday transactions.

Join the worlds best customer service companies and try SAS for free!

The post 30 Companies With the Best Customer Service (With Key Takeaways) appeared first on SAS Call Center.

As a 24/7 live call center service, SAS is dedicated to learning about and acknowledging the brilliant minds responsible for creating the call center technology we use every day. Celebrate this important month with us by taking a look at 15 of the most influential black men and women in the science and technology fields, and how their hard work, ideas and ambition led to many of the technological advances we utilize today.

Lewis Latimer | Telephone Pioneer

• Born: September 4, 1848
• Died: December 11, 1928
• Why we Love Him: He holds the patent for the first telephone, something we use in the call center every day.

When you think of the invention of the telephone, most people immediately think of Alexander Graham Bell. While Bell is credited with patenting the first practical telephone, Lewis Latimer was actually the one to draft the necessary drawings required for the patent. At the time, Latimer was employed by Bell as a draftsman at Bell’s patent law firm.

Lewis Latimer went on to work alongside Thomas Edison and helped develop multiple patents including an electric lamp, a safety elevator, and an early model of an air conditioner. Though Latimer passed away in 1928, his contributions to the field of science and technology are still widely acknowledged and celebrated today.

James Edward West | Developed Microphone Technology

• Born: February 10, 1931
• Why we Love Him: He developed the microphone technology still found in phones and headsets.

James Edward West is an American inventor who specialized in acoustics. He holds over 250 patents and is widely known as creating the foil electret microphone, which is a type of electrostatic capacitor-based microphone. This type of microphone eliminates the need for a polarizing power supply by using a permanently charged material. Today, more than 90% of all microphones used are based on the principles of the foil-electret and can be found in items like telephones, hearing aids and baby monitors.

In addition to his multiple contributions in the field of science and technology, James Edward West has been an advocate for diversity in the field, and has founded the Association of Black Laboratory Employees, which addresses the placement and promotional concerns of Black Bell Laboratories employees. At 91 years old, James is still alive and enjoying retirement.

Henry Sampson | Invented the Gamma-Electric Cell

• Born: April 22, 1934
• Died: June 4, 2015
• Why we Love Him: He was a pioneer in the technology now used in cell phones.

Henry Sampson was a nuclear physicist most widely known for inventing the Gamma-Electric cell in the 1970s, which allowed the  wireless sending and receiving of audio signals through radio waves. Sampson was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering in the United States.

Aside from his accomplishments in the world of physics, Henry Sampson was also a writer and film historian who wrote several books focusing on the history of black filmmakers and performers. Henry won many awards throughout his career, including the Black Image Award from Aerospace Corporation, the Blacks in Engineering, and the Applied Science Award. Henry passed away on June 4, 2015.

Valerie Thomas | Helped Develop the First Satellite to Send Images to Earth

• Born: February 8, 1943
• Why we Love Her: The technology she helped create is used in various telecommunication devices.

Valerie Thomas is an American scientist and inventor. Growing up, Thomas was fascinated by technology but was not encouraged to pursue the study due to her gender and ethnicity.  However, after high school, Thomas attended Morgan State University where she was one of only two women to major in physics.

After finishing her degree, Valerie Thomas worked at NASA from 1964 to 1995. She conducted many large-scale experiments, developed computer data systems, and most notably, spearheaded the development of the first satellite to send images to Earth from space. She’s also accredited with creating the technology that has since been adapted for use in surgery as well as the production of television and video screens. After her retirement, Thomas worked to mentor youths through the National Technical Association and Science Mathematics Aerospace Research and Technology, Inc.

Jesse E. Russell | Helped Create the Modern Day Cell Phone

• Born: April 26, 1948
• Why we Love Him: He helped us be able to communicate from anywhere, without wires.

Jesse E. Russell is an American inventor, electrical engineer and business executive. After he graduated  with his Masters Degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, Russell continued his work at Bell Laboratories as a pioneer in the field of cellular and wireless communications.

Russell helped create the field of digital cellular communications in the 1980s through the use of high-power linear amplification and low bit-rate voice encoding technologies, and played a fundamental role in the invention of the modern cell phone. Russell has over 100 patents, including a wireless communication base station and a mobile data telephone.

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson | Invented Technology Used in Caller ID

• Born: August 5th, 1946
• Why we Love Her: Without Caller ID, on-call staff wouldn’t know when we were reaching out with urgent issues.

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson is an American physicist.  From a young age, her interest in science was encouraged by her parents. Her mother would read the biography of Benjamin Banneker, an African American scientist and mathematician, with her, while her father helped with school projects.  After excelling in primary school, Jackson was among the first African American students to attend MIT, where she later earned her PhD in  theoretical physics.

After graduating, Dr. Jackson began working for Bell Labs and conducted the research that led to inventions such as fiber optic cables, touch tone telephones and caller ID. In 1998, Jackson was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and became the 18th president of  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute the following year.

#7. Marian Croak | Created VoIP Technology

• Born: 1955
• Why we Love Her: VoIP Technology is essential to call center operations and call routing.

Marian Croak is an American engineer. While working for Bell Labs in 1982, she advocated for switching from wired phone technology to internet protocol, which has helped transform audio and video conferencing abilities. Today, she is accredited with over 200 U.S. patents mostly related to Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems.

In 2013, she was inducted into the Women in Technology’s International hall of fame. Croak is the current Vice President of Engineering at Google and she serves on the board of directors of the Centre for Holocausts, Human Rights & Genocide Education.

Katherine Johnson | Calculated the Flight Path for the First NASA Mission to Space

• Born: August 26, 1918
• Died: February 24, 2020
• Why we Love Her: Her ability to be a “human computer” has inspired many generations of programmers and developers.

If you’ve read or seen the movie Hidden Figures, you’re familiar with Katherine Johnson. Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician who is famous for calculating the flight path for the first NASA mission to space. From a young age, Katherine excelled at mathematics and was able to graduate high school when she was 14 years old. At 18 she graduated college summa cum laude with degrees in both mathematics and French. From 1953 to 1958, Johnson worked for Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory as a “human computer” analyzing topics such as gust alleviation for aircraft.

At age 97, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. Sadly, Johnson passed away on February 24th, 2020. She was 101 years old.

Clarence Ellis | Helped Create the First Virtual Office

• Born: May 11, 1943
• Died: May 17, 2014
• Why we Love Him: Without the ability to work from anywhere, thousands of businesses may have had to close their doors over COVID.

Clarence “Skip” Ellis was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in computer science. While studying mathematics and physics at Beloit College, Ellis helped set up the school’s first computer laboratory, where he spent many hours developing his love of computer science.

After college, Ellis worked at Bell Labs for a few years before becoming an assistant professor and a founding member of the computer science department at the University of Colorado Boulder. Later, he accepted a job at Stanford University where he headed the Office Research Group, helping to develop the first office system which used icons and Ethernet for collaborating at a distance. This type of technology has allowed millions of people to effectively work from home, which is so important considering the current climate due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Unfortunately, Ellis passed away on May 17th, 2014.

Kimberly Bryant | Founded the Black Girls CODE

• Born: January 14, 1967
• Why we Love Her: She’s encouraging more young women to enter the field of science and technology.

Kimberly Bryant is an African American electrical engineer who worked for a chemical manufacturing company before transitioning into consumer products. After moving to the Bay Area in the early 2000s, she noticed a “2.0 web blossoming” with the introduction of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which encouraged her to get into the tech field.

In 2011 Kimberly Bryant  founded Black Girls CODE, a non-profit  program dedicated to teaching computer programming to girls of color. Bryant says at first Black Girls CODE was not on her radar, but after putting her daughter in computer science classes and noticing how there were never any other girls in class, she realized there needed to be better representation for young women within the computer science field.

Granville Woods | Invented the Induction Telegraph

• Born: April 23, 1856
• Died: January 30, 1910
• Why we Love Him: Without his inventions, telephone communications may have never evolved.

Granville Woods, also known as the “Black Edison” was an American inventor who held over 50 U.S. patents focusing mainly on telephones, trains and streetcars. After the Civil War, Woods became known as the first African American mechanical and electrical engineer.

Woods is credited with inventing the Induction Telegraph, which was a telephone-telegraph hybrid that allowed people to speak over telegraph wire. Granville Woods passed away on January 30, 1910, but remains a household name among scientists today. In 2006, Woods was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Marc Jones | Helps Improve Businesses through the Internet of Things (IoT)

• Why we Love Him: Connected devices make our lives so much easier.

Marc Jones is Chairman, President & CEO of Aeris Communications, a company which focuses on IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity solutions that has helped power some of the world’s largest companies. Marc grew up in Chicago but eventually moved out west to earn a law degree at Stanford University.

He is widely known for his deep commitment to the non-profit sector and sits on many boards, including The Board of Trustees for Stanford University, The Board of the California Health Care Foundation and The Board of Directors for Working Partnerships USA.

George Robert Carruthers | Invented an Ultra-Violet Camera

• Born: October 1, 1939
• Died: December 26, 2020
• Why we Love Him: Without having the ability to capture ultra-violet images, our knowledge about Space would be non-existent.

George Robert Carruthers was an African American astrophysicist who spent many years working at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC, focusing on ultraviolet astronomy.  Over the years he made many contributions that would  benefit the space program, including the invention of his ultraviolet camera, or spectrograph, that helped uncover the mysteries of space and the Earth’s atmosphere.

In 1969, Carruthers was given credit for inventing the “Image Converter” which is an instrument that detects electromagnetic radiation in short wave lengths . In 1970, his invention recorded the first observation of molecular hydrogen in outer space and In 1972, he invented the first moon-based observatory. Carruthers recently passed away on December 26, 2020.

Mary Jackson | The First African American Female Engineer to Work at NASA

• Born: April 9, 1921
• Died: February 11, 2005
• Why we Love Her: Her work inspired thousands of women to pursue a career in mathematics and engineering.

Another woman showcased in the movie Hidden Figures, Mary Jackson was an American mathematicians and aerospace engineer who in 1958 became the first African American female engineer to work at NASA.

Jackson worked as an aerospace engineer for 20 years, but after being denied management-level positions, she took a demotion and became  Langley’s Federal Women’s Program Manager. In that position, she worked to improve the opportunities for all women within NASA’s organization. Mary Jackson passed away on February 11th, 2005, but her legacy lives on in young women everywhere.

Philip Emeagwali | Helped Create High-Performance Computing Applications

• Born: August 23, 1954
• Why we Love Him: Without high-performance computing applications, call centers wouldn’t be able to run reports that can help predict potential elongated queue times.

Philip Emeagwali is a Nigerian American immigrant who came to the United States to attend university.  While working towards his doctorate at the University of Michigan, Emeagwali began a project that used supercomputers to identify underground oil reserves. Eventually, he figured out that using thousands of microprocessors would be more efficient than using multiple supercomputers and successfully programmed a machine that ran over 3 billion calculations per second.

When asked about his breakthrough, Emeagwali recalled how he used to observe bees in nature, and recognized that their way of communicating and working together was fundamentally more efficient than trying to accomplish tasks separately. In 1989 Philip Emeagwali won the Gordon Bell Prize for price-performance in high-performance computing applications, and is still alive today.

References:

https://www.thoughtco.com/lewis-latimer-profile-1992098

https://www.biography.com/inventor/james-west

http://www.myblackhistory.net/Henry_Sampson.htm

https://www.biography.com/scientist/valerie-thomas

https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/jesse-russell-sr

https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/shirley-ann-jackson-41

https://www.invent.org/inductees/marian-croak

https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography

https://cs.illinois.edu/about/awards/alumni-awards/alumni-awards-past-recipients/clarence-ellis

https://premierespeakers.com/kimberly-bryant/bio

https://www.biography.com/inventor/granville-t-woods

https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/george-carruthers-astronautical-engineer-astronomer

https://www.nasa.gov/content/mary-w-jackson-biography

https://www.thoughtco.com/philip-emeagwali-4689182

The post 15 of the Most Influential Black Men and Women in Science and Technology appeared first on SAS Call Center.

While you’re putting the finishing touches on the Christmas Tree, baking up those treats for Santa, and watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas on repeat, try your hand at our Christmas Call Center Crossword puzzle and see how many you can get right without peeking at the answer key.

If your family loves call center themed crossword puzzles as much as ours does, download the free Christmas crossword puzzle below and print copies for everyone. Here’s a tip to keep it fun – the first one to finish gets to open a present early!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, from our SAS family to yours!

The post Download Our Christmas Call Center Crossword Puzzle appeared first on SAS Call Center.

A Telehealth Explosion

Pre-pandemic, virtual doctors’ visits were around but uncommon. Believe it or not, the concept of telehealth dates all the way back to 1879, when an article in Lancet discussed avoiding unnecessary office visits by conducting appointments via phone. The authors predicted that remote healthcare would eventually become widespread, and it expanded considerably in the 1970s. By March of 2020, in the throes of a global health crisis, telehealth became ubiquitous.

In the first quarter of 2020, the medical industry saw a 50% uptick in remote healthcare visits when compared with the same period in 2019. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, case reports indicate that telehealth went from accounting for less than 1% of visits to representing as much as 80% of visits in areas significantly impacted by COVID-19. And whether COVID-related or routine care, patients had no choice but to accept the new normal of virtual appointments.

Medical Office Adaptation & Transformation

As the pandemic barreled its way across the globe, some private practices and large healthcare systems furloughed employees, while others shifted gears and adapted to the rapidly changing landscape. Under CDC guidelines, healthcare offices began restructuring patient flow procedures, spending extra time on sanitization between appointments, and rethinking the entirety of how to effectively run their practice during a pandemic. For many practitioners, this meant an increasing reliance on virtual medical answering services to provide front office support.

There’s a certain level of comfort in walking into your doctor’s office and seeing their hard-working team face to face. They’re familiar, understanding, empathetic. When a practice administrator makes the decision to outsource front office tasks, it can be difficult for virtual receptionists to recreate that same sense of connection. But if you think about it, the interaction between patients and their providers starts virtually. From booking appointments to referral requests to intake paperwork, a lot happens in advance of that one-on-one time. So, if you’re working with a virtual medical receptionist, how can you generate the kind of interaction that patients have come to expect from your staff?

Prepping Your Virtual Medical Receptionist

The key is to empower your call center agents to manage many of the same administrative tasks as your in-house employees – smoothing the transition between what patients are used to, and what they can expect from a shared operator pool. Let’s take a look at a few ways that a healthcare call center can accommodate existing service levels and preserve a patient-centric approach in a virtual environment.

#1. Answer Basic Questions

When they’re not shuttling between exam rooms and cleaning like crazy, your staff is managing myriad tasks. They’re logging information for referrals, acting as the go-between for medical concerns, transferring calls, providing instant answers to any number of questions, and more. How much can remote agents really do to help with these varied needs? For starters, they can take some of those simple questions off your hands.

Delivering an exceptional patient experience means delivering on-demand convenience. When patients need info fast, they don’t want to leave a message and sit by the phone waiting for a call back. And whether callers are speaking with your staff or with your outsourced front desk, the process by which their questions are answered is largely the same. Consider equipping your virtual receptionists with clear and concise FAQs that are not directly related to medical conditions, medical symptoms, and the like. Call center agents can quickly locate and provide details such as:

• In-office COVID-19 guidelines (e.g., mask requirements, what to do upon arrival, testing and vaccine availability, etc.)
• Accepted insurances and pricing for out-of-pocket options
• Cancellation policies and associated fees
• Locations, business hours, and services / specialties offered
• Practitioners’ names and NPI numbers

The more your virtual front desk team can answer for callers, the more it will seem like they’re a true extension of your practice.

#2. Offload Patient Scheduling

According to a study by McKinsey and Company, 11% of consumers used telehealth prior to COVID-19, whereas 76% of consumers are interested in continuing to use telehealth going forward. In-office or virtual, all appointments have at least one thing in common: they require scheduling. Rather than watch your support staff break under the weight of increased telephone calls, utilize remote agents to fill up your calendar. Integrating cloud-based scheduling software such as Calendly or Google Calendar with your in-house system will enable call centers to book appointments on your behalf. Some answering services even offer integrations that can push new patient paperwork directly to your callers.

Taking scheduling a step further, for those patients attempting to book same-day or next-day appointments, you can create a script that incorporates the AMA’s COVID-19 screening questions. This will save your team from additional outbound calls and give the appearance that your offsite receptionists are working right alongside your in-house staff. Keep in mind that to remain HIPAA-compliant, your virtual appointment line should be limited to scheduling only. This prevents agents from accessing PHI for reschedule and cancel requests.

#3. Screening and Routing Calls

Speaking of screening, well-defined logic options will allow agents to easily triage calls and take patients in the appropriate direction based on their needs. Carefully thought out scripts usually begin with a driving question. From there, each path can drill down and gather the rest of the information your staff needs to address the corresponding issue or request. Here are a few common answer phrases:

• Are you a new or existing patient?
• Are you calling regarding an emergency?
• Are you calling to schedule an appointment?
• Are you calling regarding COVID-19 or vaccinations?

By building a robust script that covers typical call scenarios, agents will be in a position to provide extended support. For example, remote receptionists can:

• Document referral requests
• Document prescription refill requests
• Complete online intake forms
• Book appointments for the entire practice or specific doctors
• Process payments for services that require prepayment
• Transfer emergency calls, both during and after hours
• Initiate a reach on-call, either manually or via an automated system

Most after-hours medical answering services only have the power to pass a simple message on to the practice. Comprehensive virtual resources bring the interaction to the next level, facilitating communication between your patients and your staff.

Bouncing Back

The financial impact of COVID-19 has been far-reaching, across innumerable industries, and all around the world. If you had asked people a few years ago which field they thought would be pandemic recession-proof, it’s likely that the majority of people would have suggested the medical field. But as a result of both state and federal guidelines, and in the interest of protecting as many people as possible from this deadly virus, medical facilities of all types and sizes were hard-hit and had to pivot on a dime to keep things going.

Though budget cuts, budget reallocation for PPE, facility closures, layoffs and furloughs did considerable damage, some practices were able to bounce back by adopting a telehealth model, allowing staff to work remotely, and outsourcing certain administrative responsibilities to healthcare answering services. Call center agents are not a replacement for the expertise and training of seasoned medical office professionals. But with the right setup and capabilities, virtual receptionists can go a long way in showing your patients that no matter what life throws at you, outstanding care remains your priority.

The post 3 Ways A Healthcare Call Center Can Help Improve The Patient Experience appeared first on SAS Call Center.

The main problem is that retailers now have to do most of the work themselves. Yes, the customer picks out the item. But employees then have to locate the item, box it, and ship it – or if they’re lucky, bag it for curbside service. If a consumer has a ton of items in their cart, you can imagine how time-consuming and costly this becomes. And if you’ve ever heard of impulse buying – well, no one is in the stores to see or hear about anything additional to snag before heading to the register. So, what happens to personalized, customer-centric support while everyone is busy fulfilling orders? That is where call centers come in. And they can do way more than just answer your phone.

Field more than just phone calls.

Live Chat

According to a 2015 Zendesk study, as many as 92% of consumers feel satisfied when using live chat. And how about the statistic that 50% of consumers say having questions answered via live chat during an online purchase is an essential feature for any brand? While your staff is busy processing, filling and shipping online orders, a call center can manage your live chat channel. Skilled agents are able to juggle several chats at once. That means happy customers getting the answers they’re looking for, and more sales conversions to boost your bottom line. In fact, research has shown that live chat leads to a 48% uptick in revenue per chat hour and a 40% higher conversion rate!

SMS Response

Did you know that 98% of smartphone users in the United States text on a regular basis, but only 14% of companies text with consumers? If you haven’t adopted texting as part of your customer service arsenal, then here’s the 411. In a survey of 346 companies that use business texting, 85% of their customers would rather receive a text over a phone call or email. For a call center, responding to inbound texts is just as easy as responding to a live chat. And with 77% of consumers using texting over any other messaging tool, now is as good a time as any to incorporate texting into your business model. It’s quick and convenient, no Internet required.

Give callers the impulse to buy.

Order Taking

Though many consumers prefer the low-contact method of web surfing to make purchases, there are still people who want to talk to an actual person, on their actual phone. In fact, a global customer service study by Microsoft found that 39% of people prefer speaking on the phone to any other means of customer service. And when broken down by country, 44% of Americans are dialing in for assistance. Call centers specialize in order taking, and agents will peruse your website during training to familiarize themselves with your products and the checkout process. From entering orders to returns to tracking shipments, customers will get the full-service care they want, and you can work your magic without being tied up on the phone.

Cross-Selling & Upselling

When an agent is working with a caller to enter an order, you can instruct the agent to look for those pop-ups and side bars that suggest items the caller may want to purchase based on what’s in their cart. It’s an easy cross-sell to an impulse buyer. You can even program an agent’s script so that if a customer intends to make a purchase in a particular category of items, the agent is prompted to cross-sell by asking follow-up questions. For example, let’s say that a customer is interested in cast-iron pans. A cast-iron seasoning and cleaning kit can be scripted as an add-on. Along the same line, if they request the basic seasoning kit, the agent can upsell, offering an upgraded kit with two extra pan scrapers and an oven mitt for just $3 more. Agents are trained to both follow instructions and read their script. If you program it, they’ll say it!

Let technology do the walking.

Virtual Queueing & Callback Systems

Whether or not you’ve heard of the term virtual queueing, you’ve most certainly experienced the technology. You call your ISP. The automated greeting informs you that there is a 25-minute wait to speak with a representative. Do you want to hold, or would you like to receive a call back when it’s your turn in the queue? Well, some call centers can do the same thing. And they can also track callers who disconnect before reaching an agent and call them back to try to help you recapture those leads. With retail sales plunging as a result of the coronavirus, grabbing hold of every prospective customer is essential to your mid- and post-pandemic success.

CRM Integrations

If you’re currently using customer resource management or lead tracking software such as Salesforce, Pipedrive, or HubSpot, why not integrate them with your call center? Agents can take down customers’ information, and via API integration, that data can be pushed to your software. This way, even if the customer doesn’t follow through with a purchase, you’ll have their contact details to reach out regarding any questions or concerns they need to discuss before completing the sale, or for future marketing efforts such as promotions and surveys. This eliminates having to do double the work – receiving a message and taking time out of your day for data entry. Let technology work on your behalf and make your job so much easier.

The best part of using a call center to help with hands-free shopping is that your valued customers are communicating with live human beings! No bots, no auto-replies. Only real people answering questions in real time. Your call center becomes your trusted intake department. And that frees up your intake department to lend a hand getting orders out the door asap. It will not only increase the likelihood of making a sale, but it will increase productivity across the board for your staff. Having a team of agents waiting to personalize customer interactions while you’re tied up behind the scenes is invaluable. As anyone in business can tell you, when you show your customers how much they matter, you’re building lifelong relationships. And that’s money in the bank for years to come.

The post How Call Centers Can Help Maximize Sales with Hands-Free Shopping appeared first on SAS Call Center.

For this post, we wanted to focus on celebrities who worked in or around a call center. Here are 13 celebrities who worked as a call center representative before they were famous.

#1. Angela Kinsley

Before she was Angela Martin on The Office, Angela Kinsey worked as a call center representative for a dental practice. Her years as a call center rep were so memorable, that she even pitched a semi-autobiographical show to TBS called 1-800 which is about her time as a call center rep.

#2. Vin Diesel

When you hear the name Vin Diesel, you probably think of fast cars and action-packed movies. Well, before he was Vin Diesel, he was Mark Sinclair – and Mark Sinclair had to start somewhere. When he couldn’t land an acting job upon arriving in Los Angeles, he became a telemarketer, selling tools over the phone. Word is, he was pretty good at it, too!

#3. Jennifer Aniston

Prior to her iconic role as Rachel Green on Friends, Jennifer Anniston bounced between a lot of different jobs. In one of those jobs she was working as a telemarketer selling time shares in the Poconos. She’s been quoted saying that “I didn’t make one sale. I was terrible at it.” We all find our calling eventually, right?

#4. Johnny Depp

Even though Johnny Depp started his film and television career early in life, he still needed to find regular 9-5 jobs to help pay his bills before becoming a household name. One of these “regular” jobs was as a telemarketer selling ballpoint pens. His role involved offering complimentary grandfather clocks or trips to Tahiti if the customer ordered a shipment of pens. I wonder how many pens someone would need to buy to win a trip to Tahiti?

#5. Ruby Rose

Ruby Rose is an Australian actress, model and DJ, and became well known in the United States  for her role in the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black. Before fame, Ruby worked at a call center for an Australian telephone company. She started out as an agent, then got promoted to Team Lead rather quickly, where she used her calm demeanor to help deescalate irate callers.

#6. Leslie Jones

Leslie Jones was an SNL cast member and has starred in hit movies like the remake of Ghostbusters alongside costars Kristen Wig, Melissa McCarthy and Kate McKinnon. In an interview with Ellen, Leslie recalls living in Glendale and needing money for rent. She found an advertisement to be a Scientology telemarketer, and said “it was a very easy interview. I just acted crazy.”

#7. Jerry Seinfeld

Before he created “the show about nothing”, Jerry Seinfeld sold lightbulbs over the phone. Maybe that’s where he got his inspiration for this hilarious joke in an episode titled “The Pitch”

• Jerry: This isn’t a good time.
• Telemarketer: When would be a good time to call back, sir?
• Jerry: I have an idea, why don’t you give me your home number and I’ll call you back later?
• Telemarketer: Umm, we’re not allowed to do that.
• Jerry: Oh, I guess because you don’t want strangers calling you at home.
• Telemarketer: Umm, no.
• Jerry: Well, now you know how I feel.

#8. Gabourey Sidibe

In Hollywood, sex sells, and you can find it everywhere; movies, TV, books, and even Broadway.  Before the Precious star hit the limelight, she recalls being 21 and not being able to afford going to school, and was on the job hunt. When her therapist suggested telemarketing, Gabourey says she immediately thought of phone sex operators, (which is a common misconception in the telecommunications world). However, she says that being a phone-sex operator helped prepare her for the emotional toll of being an actor.

#9. Demi Moore

Demi Moore is famous for her roles in hits like Ghost and A Few Good Men, but what you might not know is that she once moonlighted as a debt collector before making it big in Hollywood. I’m sure if debt collecting agencies hired celebrities to make phone calls, a lot more people would pay up!

#10. Nicki Minaj

Before exploding on the rap scene in 2010, Nicki Minaj held a number of different jobs in the service industry while trying to make a name for herself in the music world. Most notably, she worked at several Red Lobster chains (which she was subsequently fire from), as well as a customer service representative for a telephone company.

#11. Dustin Hoffman

Once upon a time, before the Internet became a staple in all of our lives, and before Smart Phones allowed us instant access to information at our fingertips, a thing called The Yellow Pages existed. The Yellow Pages was a comprehensive directory geared towards businesses, and included contact information, listings, and ample space for advertisements. While working towards his acting career, Dustin Hoffman took on some odd jobs to help pay the bills, including typing up the Yellow Pages.

#12. George Clooney

George Clooney may not have worked as a call center rep, but he worked his fair share of jobs before making his big break in Hollywood. One of those jobs was a door to door insurance salesman. Clooney has been quoted saying: “I sold insurance door-to-door, but it didn’t work out well. The first day I sold one (policy) and the guy died.” Yikes!

#13. Vince Vaughn

When Vince Vaughn was 17, he and his friends were recruited one summer to sell tickets to his community’s Lake County Sheriff’s Police Rodeo. Looking back, he’s sure the job was a scam, but in the end he walked away with a check and a great story.

The post 13 Celebrities You Never Knew Worked as a Call Center Representative appeared first on SAS Call Center.

Is there a difference between telecommuting and working remotely?

While telecommuting and working remotely are very similar in nature, there is a slight difference. Working remotely implies that the employee is in a separate geographic location than the business itself. For example, an employee living in Pennsylvania but working for a company located in California would be working remotely. On the other hand, if an employee is mainly working from home in the same geographic location as the business and can perform on-site tasks, as needed, they would be considered a telecommuter.

For business owners, bringing telecommuting to the table is not as easy as you might think. There is a mixture of elements to take into consideration, and the correct setup requires time. But who has time when half the planet is on lockdown and your customers need you yesterday?

If you already have a well-established remote workforce, then your organization is equipped to handle anything that the COVID crisis can throw at you. However, for businesses that are suddenly switching gears to try and adapt, keep reading. It’s a mind-bending task to immediately move your customer support team to work-from-home during a global pandemic. Power through these lessons to be learned, and your staff will be on their way to teleworking success.

Internet Access

The first caveat of an impromptu remote workforce is Internet connectivity. Not everyone has the financial means to afford home Internet. And while people may be connected to the web on their smartphones, it doesn’t mean that those devices are designed to accommodate any number of activities that are required for your business. What are your options?

Wi-Fi Hotspots

Many cell phone providers offer tethering, turning smartphones into Wi-Fi hotspots that can be shared by other devices within range. Some of your employees may have this as a part of their monthly plan. If they do not currently subscribe to a hotspot service and it is an option via their provider, it could be added. However, whether it is already set up or an add-on, bear in mind a couple of things:

1. This is an expense that your employees will incur to do their job. Expect to reimburse them in full.
2. Depending on the service, there may be data caps and slower speeds, and connectivity is also impacted by spotty cell service. That being said, it may not be ideal for your business’ needs.

Free Home Internet

In response to the coronavirus crisis, Comcast is offering two free months of service for new customers who sign up by May 13, 2020. A mountain of other cell phone and Internet Service Providers (ISP), including giants AT&T and Verizon, also agreed not to terminate service for 60 days and waive late fees for existing customers who are unable to pay their bill as a result of this situation. You can see a list of participating providers in this press release from the FCC. If the COVID crisis stretches beyond the free service window and employees still need home Internet, regular rates will apply. Still, take advantage of the offer while it’s on the table.

Hardware & Software

Once you have the Internet piece squared away, it’s time to talk about hardware and software. We’ve already established that not everything can be handled from a smartphone. So, do you actually have the hardware to do the job away from your brick-and-mortar establishment? And if you do, can staff access business applications via a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) or by logging in to individual websites? Ask yourself these questions:

Does your staff operate from laptops that they can take home with them?

• If they are taking equipment home with them, is their home setup compatible with their work equipment?
• If office equipment is not mobile, can they use their own PCs, Macs or tablets?
• Laptop Setup: If a work laptop will be used, provide, at a minimum, a power cord and USB mouse. If separate monitors are available to take home, provide the proper cords and docking station, as well as a separate keyboard. If a personal laptop will be used, whenever possible, provide a USB mouse, separate monitor, cords, docking station and separate keyboard, if these are not already a part of the employee’s at-home workstation.

Do you have a cloud-based CRM and ticketing system, such as Zendesk, NetSuite or HubSpot, so that everyone can access data simultaneously?

• If you do not have a cloud-based CRM and ticketing system, and strictly rely on a shared email inbox, how will you determine who handles what?
• Do you have a triaging procedure to label or flag messages that require an immediate response? Or a system to label requests as pending, and file them away once they have been addressed?

Will your staff be able to take VoIP phones home from the office?

• If the home Internet connection bandwidth is fast enough for VoIP, contact the ISP to ensure that the office VoIP phone is compatible with service. Then, provide the phone and handset or headset, power cord, and an Ethernet cable that is long enough to reach the workstation.
• If the employee will be converting their home phone to a VoIP line, they will need an Analog Telephone Adapter, which can be purchased separately or may be available via the ISP.

If employees will not have a physical VoIP phone, are you using a cloud-based phone system (aka softphone), such as RingCentral or Grasshopper, that enables you to make VoIP calls from your computer?

• If you are not using a cloud-based phone system, are you prepared to foot the bill for employees making and taking calls from their cell phones?
• Can you provide headsets so that background noise can be easily muted?

Both hardware and software availability are clearly deal breakers. After all, it doesn’t much matter if you have the Internet if you have nothing to connect to it.

Data Security

One of the most obvious and pressing concerns about instituting a work-from-home protocol is data security. When it comes to hardware, even if your business can operate via a secure VDI, malware is a potential issue. And that does not speak to the hackers and other security breaches that are lurking in the background on personal gadgets that are not adequately protected, just waiting to siphon the next bit of useful data. So, some things to consider:

• If employees will be borrowing company laptops, be sure that they are all firewall-protected and include updated antivirus software.
• If employees will be using personal devices, your IT team will need to remote into those devices to check their security controls, install firewalls and antivirus software, and install any other applications that will make working from home feasible. Depending on the size of your remote workforce vs. the size of your IT department, this may take up a considerable amount of time and resources. Plan accordingly.
• For cloud-based applications, switch all platforms to two-step verification, if possible. This ensures that even if usernames and passwords fall into the wrong hands, sites are not accessible without a security code provided via a secondary process, such as sending an SMS to a cell phone or a verification message to an alternate email address.
• Employees will need to safeguard their home office Wi-Fi connection by changing the password and adding security questions or two-step verification as a log-in requirement. It also goes without saying that employees must avoid working from public places with free, unsecure Wi-Fi.
• Data visibility concerns while telecommuting must also be brought to light, and common sense practices can help mitigate any such intrusion. For example, remind employees to: not leave computers unattended; log out of all systems when stepping away; and use monitor privacy screens if there are others in close proximity to the workstation.

If your business uses a PCI-compliant call center, or if your staff processes orders and takes payments over the phone, information security must be addressed at every level of the organization, especially if employees will be doing the same work remotely. The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council has put together a list of best practices for maintaining the safety of payment card data. Though geared towards PCI-compliance, the evaluation procedures outlined are a worthwhile read for every business owner. And if you are working with a call center, check with your account manager to confirm that the appropriate protocols are in place for their remote agents.

Insurance & Liability

Every workplace has certain liabilities. Business owners maintain insurance coverage, such as General Liability, Property, and Workers’ Compensation, to protect themselves from a number of issues. Potential liabilities at the primary office, such as adequate ventilation, lighting, and ergonomics, are managed. A home office may not specifically be in the business owner’s control – but ultimately, the employer is responsible for ensuring that the employee’s at-home working conditions meet the same standards as the primary office.

In the throes of the current global pandemic and trying to cobble together telecommuting for your organization, chances are that researching whether an employee could file a workers’ comp claim for falling down the steps to their home office is not on the to-do list. Well, it is now. Specific guidelines for work-from-home staff must be developed, and all remote workers need to sign the agreement. This might include information such as how and where to properly set up a workstation, when and how long to take breaks, requiring working smoke alarms, checking for any potential electrical hazard, and more. If initial and continued inspection of the home office premises is not possible, a self-certification checklist should be completed by the employee and maintained with your HR department.

Work-from-Home Policy Resources

Telecommuters are no longer bound to the confines of their desk, cubicle, or office. Ah, sweet freedom! But what if all that extra freedom becomes a giant distraction that sharply reduces productivity? Designing a system that creates a seamless home office experience for your staff will encourage success, growth and stability in an otherwise uncertain time. We’ve compiled a few resources below that will help you develop your own WFH policy:

• Need to Create The Perfect Work From Home Policy? These 3 Sentences Are All You Need: Simple and straight to the point, this policy highlights the 3 main talking points of any successful work from home policy.
• 11 Essential Tips to Managing Remote Employees: This guide will give you complete insight into working remotely and managing teams from afar, including how to make the best out of challenging situations.
• 6 Ways to Keep Your Team Productive While Working from Home: Productivity is key in maintaining a successful operation.  Make sure your WFH policy encompasses these features to ensure team members are staying productive.
• How to Create an Effective Work-From-Home Policy: Allowing your employees to work from home doesn’t automatically mean success. First, you must create a policy that works.
• A Guide to Managing Your (Newly) Remote Workers: If this is your first time managing remote employees for an extended period of time, make sure you’re following these tips for success.
• Top 15 Tips to Effectively Manage Remote Employees: Another great resource to help manage your work from home employees.
• 5 Ways to Make Work From Home Successful: Adapting to a work from home business model can be challenging. Set your team up for success by following these guidelines.

So, what have we learned? To sum up, anything that is a concern at the primary office is a concern at a home office, which is essentially an extension of your business. When you have a cohort of people working for you, launching a work-from-home program is way more involved than simply flipping open your laptop. If you haven’t set up your remote workforce yet, the above lessons will give you a clear path to follow to ensure a successful run. On the other hand, if you already have employees addressing customer support concerns in their pajamas and these lessons have alerted you to some loose ends, it’s time to cinch things up. During the days of COVID-19, enabling telecommuting is a tremendous benefit, if you run the type of business that allows for it. Just be sure to protect your business and your staff in the process.

The post 4 Essential Considerations for Work-from-Home Staffing appeared first on SAS Call Center.

With different expectations comes a new rule book on hiring your next receptionist. Today’s candidates need to have strong phone etiquette, but that’s really only a piece of the puzzle. If you’re in charge of hiring the office receptionist,  you need to consider other skills like technical aptitude, emotional intelligence, and the ability to adapt to the needs of different callers. First impressions still matter and the way your receptionist handles your calls is a direct reflection on your brand. The right receptionist will have a profound impact on your business.

If you’re starting to hire for your receptionist position, we’re showcasing 3 areas to focus on as you’re reviewing potential candidates.

1. Great phone etiquette will always be the top skill

First impressions are important, and in the business world, they can easily make or break a new opportunity. A receptionist that is warm, polite and engaging is one that will easily connect with customers on a personal level and help secure long-lasting relationships!

Consider these tips on how to gauge phone etiquette:

Conduct a phone interview prior to your in-person interview

The best way to experience a candidates phone etiquette is to talk to them on the phone. If you’re interested in a candidate, set up a phone interview first so you can hear how they sound and if they give off a good vibe.

Are they mindful of their volume?

Offices are busy environments, and if a lot of people are on the phone at once, it can get loud. Someone with good phone etiquette will always be mindful of how loud they are speaking while on the phone. If you can hear your receptionists’ conversation from your office, they’re probably not the right fit.

They answer the phone correctly.

If you’re picking up the phone at your house, you may answer with “hello?” but that’s not the way a business should answer. A receptionist with good phone etiquette will always answer with a friendly greeting and introduce both themselves and the name of the company. For example, “Hello and thank you for calling ABC Plumbing, my name is Gabby. How may I help you today?”

2. Get to know their technical ability outside of Excel or Word

Almost everybody is familiar with the standard Office products like Word and Excel and know how they operate. However, as technology continues to advance, new products and processes will be created to help streamline the work production of any modern day business. Having a tech-savvy receptionist at your disposal is an asset.

Here are some questions to ask and what to look for:

Ask what experience they have with various software.

Have they ever used a CRM before? What helpdesk software do they have experience with? A good receptionist will have some knowledge of various systems and lingo that are used frequently among businesses both big and small. The more experience they have with systems outside of Microsoft Office, the more likely it is that they’ll catch on quickly to whatever system you’re using.

How are their message taking abilities?

This may not necessarily be a “technical ability” but it’s close. Creating clear, concise messages that are easy to follow and that illustrate attention to detail are all traits that a smart, organized, tech-savvy receptionist should have.

Do they adapt quickly to changes?

In business, changes come quickly, and it’s important for your team to adapt in order to stay with the program. An employee that is unable to catch on to new processes will ultimately slow the rest of the team down which could lead to serious losses. When looking for a receptionist to be the “voice of your company” you want to make sure they can change gears without hesitation.

3. Assess how your receptionist will adapt to the emotional needs of the caller

Having the ability to empathize with customers is essential. Phone calls will bring in a wide variety of requests, questions, issues and of course, emotions. Being prepared to handle them all is a key feature when looking for a solid receptionist.

Here are some questions to ask and what to look for:

Ask if they have experience working in customer service.

Having experience working retail, grocery stores, call centers, or any other job that focuses on customer service is a good thing to look for when finding a receptionist. A person with a customer service background is familiar with fixing problems and making people happy.

Give them a couple fake scenarios to see how they respond.

During your interview, give them a few examples of some issues customers have called in with, and ask how they would handle someone who was upset or irate. For example, if Joe Smith called in upset with his most recent invoice, will your receptionist be able to keep it calm, cool and collected or will they crumble under the pressure?

Ask your customers for their opinions.

The people communicating most with your receptionist are your customers, so it’s a good idea to ask them for their input. A simple survey regarding their experiences interacting with your company will provide great insight into what’s working and what’s not. For example, if customers love your business but feel differently about the person up front answering calls and greeting walk ins, it may be time to rethink your options.

Is your current candidate the best fit for your organization? Are you having trouble finding a great receptionist or just don’t have the time? If you’re still searching and hitting walls, you can also hire a call center to be the front end receptionist of your business.

The post Hiring Today’s Receptionists: What You Need to Know appeared first on SAS Call Center.

If you’re a 2 person small business or a 2,000 employee behemoth, your customer is your most important asset. The secret to growing your company is being able to maintain a high customer service level despite how small (or how large) your operation may be. If you do things right, the first customer you acquired could still be using you 10, 20, or even 50 years later! Want to know how businesses do it? It’s easy – call center services.

Call centers help businesses maintain a high level of customer service without the businesses themselves having to hire their own in-house staff for customer service. And, with that power at your disposal, your customer service can be reactive, proactive, and educated. Here’s how call centers can help your customer service success:

1. Inbound customer service without business hours

Most call centers are available and staffed 24 hours a day, which means your customer service doesn’t need to be limited by traditional business hours. Your customers will always have someone to talk to even when your business has closed for the night.

Being available 24/7 means you are catering to every customer type – those that will call during business hours and the ones that will reach out to your business once they’re done with their own. And yes, you’ll even be available for those middle of the night 3 am type emergencies. 24 hour coverage shows you care about every customer.

2. Make your customer service employees more productive

While your call center agents are answering the phones, your in-house staff will have more time to work on more important tasks – making your staff much more productive. Call centers can reduce the burden on your in-house staff by:

• Answering questions on your behalf: Questions like what type of services do you offer, what is your pricing structure, when are you available, etc. are easy questions your call center can answer without having to take a message for a return call.
• Troubleshooting basic issues: When call center agents are given the opportunity to assist with basic troubleshooting requests, customers are able to be helped on the first call.
• Decreasing call backs: Call center agents will help cut down on the amount of calls you and your team will have to return and handle, which means you can really focus on the big stuff.

3. Centralize all of your customer communication

In order to stay organized, businesses need to compartmentalize different tasks and create departments that handle those tasks, like billing, customer service, etc. Where this can be a maze for customers is when each of those departments has independent contact data.

Instead of making your customers memorize a bunch of different numbers, create a single point of contact for your customers no matter the issue. For example, setting up a front end IVR to direct calls based off the caller’s response or input will help centralize all points of contact and streamline calls.

4. Easily sift through call data to find weak spots

Call centers are chock full of reporting data which can be used to your advantage. For example, you can look for trends based on call disposition to see how new processes may be implemented to improve the customer experience. Here is some other important data you should be paying attention to:

• Call Result: This may go by different names depending on your service provider, but the objective is the same; to capture and categorize what customers are calling for. For example, this month, an HVAC company may have had 65% of calls result in a scheduled appointment, 25% result in messages taken, and the last 10% were questions that operators were able to handle via programmed FAQs.  For a business that wants to decrease the amount of messages taken, they need to train operators to handle more tasks. They should look to their current call result stats and decide what needs to be added, like some basic troubleshooting capabilities.
• Call Traffic: Being aware of trends in peak call traffic to your business is a great tool to use to help yourself plan ahead. When you know that your business is receiving the most amount of calls during 10am-2pm Monday through Friday, you can schedule your in-house employees accordingly. That way you’re never over or understaffed at ill-opportune times.
• Call Length: If your call center charges by the minute, you should be able to access information that shows just how long your calls are taking, especially when taking your customers into consideration. While it may be helpful to have your call center agents gather a lot of information, it may be frustrating for your customers if they’re not up to answering a bunch of questions.

5. Periodic outreach to take your clients temperature

If you want customers to stay loyal to your business, you need to reciprocate the loyalty. Whenever you need, call center agents can make outreach calls to your customers to check in to see how things are going. They can gather feedback from customers, engage in customer satisfaction surveys and ultimately keep the line of communication open between your customers and business.

If customers are having issues, have questions the operator’s can’t answer or want to talk to someone about their account, call center agents can transfer the call over to the correct person. This proactive approach to customer service will certainly keep your customers around.

SAS Call Center helps businesses like yours keep customers happy with live customer service. Learn more about our call center services and explore how SAS can help your business.

The post How Call Centers Help You Focus on Every Customer appeared first on SAS Call Center.

While many companies will recover from this current pandemic, hundreds of small businesses are feeling overwhelmed. Customer service teams are dealing with spikes in customer service requests for information and service changes – and even cancellations and refund requests from customers who are just unsure of what to expect in the future and planning for the worst. Maintaining communications with your customers is essential, and not easy. While business can’t control what happens in the world, they can control how they respond to it — which is why emergency call center services are an essential part to any business continuity plan.

If you are looking for a call center to handle your crisis communication, here are 5 characteristics you should be looking for to reduce the impact of the situation, any situation, on your customers.

#1. Emergency dispatching experience

People need communication during emergencies. When selecting a call center, you’ll want a center with experience handling emergency communication. Call centers can help alleviate your communication bottleneck by fielding and screening phone calls which can be funneled efficiently through your pipeline. While emergencies will vary from business to business, here are some questions to start with:

• What experience do you have dispatching during emergencies? Check what type of industries the call center is familiar with and what type of dispatching experience do they have within those industries. Not only is this helpful when assessing if the call center can work for you, but it’s also helpful to see how other businesses in your industry are handling their dispatching needs.
• What dispatching methods do you have? Many call centers offer multiple types of dispatching methods, like transferring while the caller is still on the line, hanging up with the caller and reaching out to your on-call staff, and sending messages via text, email or page.
• Do you have protocols in place to determine what is an actual emergency? If a caller is not having an emergency, the call center operator can help diffuse the situation, answer questions, create support tickets, etc. You’ll want to see what types of flexibility they have in their scripting to help determine what is an emergency and what can wait.

Once you’ve gathered information about how the call center handles emergency dispatching, you’ll be more confident in your crisis communication planning. The next step is to make sure the service has protocols in place to handle spikes in volume.

#2. High volume ready

In the initial days of any crisis, it can be an all out scramble for customers trying to find out as much information as they can. Are you still open? Can I get a refund? What models are involved in the recall? Whatever the request, you’ll need to make sure the call center has enough agents to handle the traffic. You’ll want to ask questions like:

• What happens when there is a spike in volume? When there is a spike in volume at the call center, your callers may experience a queue, or hold time while the floor supervisors work on moving agents around and changing distributions. Your callers could hear music during this time, or you may be able to insert your own custom hold greeting to play.
• Are there limitations on how many calls you can accept on my line? To protect their other clients, call centers may place caps on a line so they can only accept a certain amount of calls at a time. Any calls in excess of this number may ring busy or just be queued. You’ll want to find out what this number is, how easily can it be changed, and if there is a chance your callers will hear a busy signal when they call.
• Do you have work at home agents that can step in if necessary? Most call centers employ at least some remote agents that are able to handle your calls from home. In a situation like the current pandemic, work at home agents are necessary to provide continuity at the call center.
• How much notice would we need to provide to ramp up to handle calls? While call centers would typically ask that you provide them with a 2 week notice if you are expecting a higher call volume, emergencies don’t give notice. You’ll want to check with the call center on how quickly they can scale their workforce and adapt to the volume.
• If there is a wait time, do you offer a queue call back system? Not all call centers offer this feature, but many, including SAS, do. A queue call back system allows the caller to wait for a call back without having to actually wait on the line. They can disconnect and continue on with their business, and then once an operator becomes available, they can call the customer back.
• Are you staffed 24/7 or just during business hours? Most call centers are available to answer your calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, the heaviest staffing periods are only during high traffic periods. This model works well for US based companies, but if you are an international company, you may want to discuss the possibility of staffing during off peak hours.

With staffing models and emergency dispatching out of the way, you’ll want to see if the call center can speak your language.

#3. Multilingual support

Your customers count on you during a crisis even more than usual. There can be a lot of confusion and panic, and depending on what line of work you’re in, you may tend to see more of it than others. In order to help minimize stress and offer a sense of structure, including multilingual support for your customers is a must. If you anticipate multilingual communication, don’t leave customers without a shoulder to lean on during a crisis. Speak with your call center to see if multilingual call center support is something they offer.

• What languages do you offer customer service in? Most call centers offer both English and Spanish speaking customer service agents, but some may offer support in other languages as well like French, Mandarin, German, etc.
• Is there any additional cost for bilingual or multilingual agents? Just because a call center offers bilingual or multilingual support, doesn’t mean it’s free. While bilingual operators are easier to come by, multilingual operators are not. So, your call center may charge a premium to utilize those agents.
• Do you use a translation service for anything outside of the languages you are able to handle in house? If a call center is not able to provide multilingual support, they might be able to use a translation service to help during times of need. However, this service may also come at a premium.

With the ability to service customers in any language, you’ll need to make sure your call center is able to be there when you can’t.

#4. A solid call center crisis communication plan

Delivering constant support in a crisis is a must. That is especially true for call center companies who must maintain a high-quality level of customer service in any crisis without compromising their standards. Here are some questions you should be asking.

• Are your systems premise based or cloud based? A premise based call center system is installed locally on a business’s computer or server, whereas a cloud based system can be accessed via web browser. The difference is that customer data through a cloud based system can be accessed anywhere, but an on-premise system can only be accessed on the actual premise of the business. It’s important that most call center systems are not premise based in the event of a fire or other natural disaster that may result in a catastrophic failure.
• Do you use work at home agents? Call centers often utilize remote work from home operators, which means you don’t have to worry about employees getting sick or having to call out, which means your phones can still be answered and your customers can still be helped.
• Is it possible for you to lose power? A call center’s main job is to maintain contact and communication with its customers, so having a solid back up plan in the event of a power outage is a must. A solid call center will rely on multiple back up generators to help keep power flowing in the event of an emergency.

Now that you’ve discovered how equipped your call center is to handle a crisis, the solution needs to fit into a monthly budget.

#5. Price that fits your budget

Call center pricing varies greatly. While some centers require contracts, others can be setup quickly and operate on a month to month basis. You’ll want to ask the following questions pertaining to call center cost:

• Do you require a contract? Contracts can be good or bad, depending on your view. If your call center does require a contract and a call center service is something that you foresee needing for sometime, make sure you negotiate a low price for a long term contract. If you don’t anticipate needing a call center for a length of time, inquire if they offer something like a temporary call center with no contracts so you can provide communication continuity in a crisis, and then cancel once things go back to normal.
• If we need a quick setup, what are your options? If you’re in a pinch and need help answering calls or handling customer communication, call centers may be able to get you up and running in about 15 minutes or less – depending on your needs. Additionally, most call centers offer a base package to start with so you won’t have to worry about spending too much. If you are worried about adding extra expenses during a time of crisis, think about it like this; The more accessible you are to your customers, the less likely they are to abandon ship, which means you won’t have to kiss valuable income goodbye.
• Do you have a low package so we can keep the service active in case of emergency? If you don’t need the service every day but want to have something set up in case of emergency, see if your call center can put you on the lowest possible package to help you save money. Low packages typically don’t include a set allowance of minutes or calls, but if you’re only keeping it active for emergencies, then you most likely won’t incur many charges.

Although a crisis may drag on and seem like it will never end, eventually the world resets back to normal. Whatever customer service call volume you’re experiencing now will inevitably go back to normal. With preparation beforehand in selecting the best call center service, you can help your team cope with the unexpected.

The post 5 Characteristics Of A Crisis Communication Call Center appeared first on SAS Call Center.