Let’s face it. Call centers have a reputation problem. When you think of a call center, you probably think of somewhere far away, staffed with folks who don’t understand or care about your problem. You may be picturing yourself sitting on hold for an eternity or encountering a difficult language barrier when trying to explain a complex need.
These are legitimate concerns, and when you are dealing with a decision as delicate as choosing a senior living community, these concerns could make or break your chances of a conversion.
We’ve compiled the most common concerns that our clients voiced, along with what we are doing to combat these negative industry perceptions.
Negative perceptions and LeadGenie’s responses
Impersonal service
Many people feel that contact centers provide impersonal and robotic customer service due to a lack of genuine human interaction. This could stem from lack of training, high turnover, overly-scripted responses, or support staff with unreasonable quotas.
At LeadGenie:
Our Genies are hired for empathy and they receive a minimum of 80 hours of training before they pick up the phone to engage with prospects. We develop comprehensive knowledge bases for each community, so our Genies are empowered to answer frequently asked questions to act as an extension of your on-site team. Our Genies are encouraged to build rapport and relationships with prospects, as part of a relationship-based selling process.
Long wait times
Lengthy wait times for customer service can frustrate callers, leading to dissatisfaction. Leads who are put on hold, or transferred from department to department are much less likely to convert to a tour.
At LeadGenie:
Our Service Level Agreements (SLAs) offer an 80/30 expectation – our Genies will answer 80% of inbound calls within 30 seconds of that phone ringing, ready to respond to the prospect’s needs. This is our commitment to you, but we consistently exceed this performance, to be on the safe side… Not to brag.
Repetitive information requests
Callers strongly dislike having to repeat their information and issues multiple times as they get transferred between agents or departments. Callers feel that this shows a lack of respect for their time and their needs.
At LeadGenie:
We train each Genie fully on the client that they are working with. These dedicated Genies have the knowledge and ability to work with a lead, entering all their relevant information into the sales CRM ensuring a seamless handoff to the on-site sales team.
Language barriers
Offshore contact centers can sometimes lead to communication difficulties due to language differences and accents.
At LeadGenie:
We work with 100% US-based Genies located throughout the country to effectively manage leads across multiple time zones. No language barriers and no foreign outsourcing here!
Scripted responses
Customers may perceive scripted responses as insincere and unhelpful. Senior living is a deeply personal and important decision. Scripted responses just don’t cut it.
At LeadGenie:
We do not use scripts; we train on conversation flows instead. This empowers the Genies to build rapport and gather information about prospect needs, wants, situations and urgency through conversation, not inquisition!
Conclusion
The call center industry has a bit of an image problem. The common perception isn’t always great, but there are companies out there, like LeadGenie, that are determined to turn that perception around. Discover more about the LeadGenie process here.
