Customer operations director, Lynne Mills, posed as a number of customers placing calls on a variety of scenarios, ranging from everyday queries to angry complaints. To help prospective customers understand how Genesis is using the information gleaned, Mills has posted a podcast of her findings on the company’s website.
The role plays have enabled Genesis to refine its customer experience further with a number of innovative tactics including providing front-line call staff with more indepth product knowledge, particularly on the latest hosted solutions. By arming the team with data on advantages and disadvantages of various solutions, potential cost savings and implementation requirements, customers can quickly get answers to general sales queries, without having to hold for their specific account managers.
Mills stated: “A few years ago, Genesis’ reputation for customer service was non-existent, however the transformation in the customer experience since then has been an enormous achievement. We are always conscious that standards can slip very quickly if continual checks aren’t made, so it’s critical that we continue to proactively challenge and test the helpdesk team to make sure we retain strong customer service skills, whatever the query may be.”
“We may be a technology company, however being able to speak to a ‘real’ person at the end of a phone line remains the most important element of our customer service,” continued Mills. “Customers want to feel that any query, big or small, will be dealt with quickly and effectively. The ‘mystery caller’ experiment was extremely enlightening and it’s something we’ll continue to do, and share with staff and customers.”