Are you connecting with customers? Today’s technology provides plenty of ways to do it—from social media to video chat to e-mail. But it’s all too easy to let technology take over in customer service. When it does, that spells trouble. It can drive customers away. And that’s not good. They don’t need another reason to defect. Unfortunately, many service desk managers let this happen. They allow technology to take precedence over the human aspect of service delivery.

That can dehumanize a service desk.

Savvy managers, on the other hand, use technology to improve the customer experience.

The key to doing this is to make sure the customer stays at the center of everything your call center services desk does. Below are 7 rules to help you do that:

Build rapport with customers

The best way to build reports with customers is to speak to them as people. If you don’t have a technology platform that lets you do this, get one. Greeting them by name is a good start.

Other ways to build rapport are mirroring the pace and pitch of a caller’s speech, taking cues from the mood reflected in the tone of the caller’s words, and adapting to the formality of a caller’s language.

Train and monitor your service desk

The most important asset your service desk has is its customer service skills. They trump technological knowledge and other qualifications by far. Customer service skills are developed through training. To provide training for the right “soft skills.”

Also, make sure you’re monitoring calls and e-mails regularly. It’s the best way to determine if agents are following through on their training and meeting the standards you’ve set for the service desk.

Respect customers’ time

Long waits and continuous transfers increase call abandonment rates. No one likes to wait or get the runaround. Respect customers’ time by offering them different ways to get in touch with you.

Also, invest in a technology platform that lets you collect data, process it quickly, and route it to an experienced, knowledgeable agent. This helps improve first contact resolution rates.

Offer special services / VIP status via your service desk

Offering special services and/or VIP status lets customers know you care. It makes them feel like their being taken care of. (It’s also something they may be willing to pay more for.) Put simply, reward the customers that have been with you the longest.

Keep customers informed

Don’t keep customers in the dark. Walk them through the resolution process. Let them know each step being taken to resolve their issue—especially with remote support. Don’t jump straight into someone’s machine without explaining things. This makes customers feel like they are being dealt with in a human and personal way.

Leverage social media at your service desk

Social media is a great way to interact with customers on a personal level. If you’re using social media, make sure your agents use their real identities and pictures. If you’re not using it, consider deploying it. It allows many more users to engage with your company.

Keep customers involved

You can’t improve customer service without feedback. So listen to what your customers have to say about their experiences. If you don’t have a method of collecting customer data and service reviews, create one. Social media and customer surveys are great ways to tap customer buzz.

Your service desk must deliver the service today’s customers expect and demand to boost customer satisfaction rates. So don’t let today’s technological advances throw you off your game.

When it comes to help desk outsourcing, there’s simply no substitute for human contact. It enables you to establish a profound connection with your customers that surpasses anything else.

Let us put our proven experience in providing tech support for small and medium-size companies to work for you. Request a quote from our sales team.