Misery loves company, and nobody knows that better than a Filipino who works at a help desk, or call center. They know that sometimes, when you are angry, the only thing you really need is to simply feel as though ONE PERSON cares about your problem. In your mind, company XYZ has somehow done you wrong, so you feel justified for being a jerk to the poor SOB Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) on the other end of the line.
Who cares if I’m rude, really? I’ll never meet this person or see them in public, they are on the other side of the world! Its the same feeling people get when they get behind the wheel of a car. They feel anonymous and therefore don’t need to be as nice. I know super nice people that are super jerks when they drive. Once their angry phone call, or road rage, is over, they feel much better, like pressure has been relieved. Its cathartic.
At the end of the day, a good Help Desk will make your customers feel much better when they hang up the phone than they did when they picked it up to complain. People need a good voice to complain to, who will listen and be compassionate to their needs and suffering. Again, its the misery loves company thingy. They also need someone that can answer their questions quickly, with sincerity and compassion. When someone is sincere and compassionate, its unmistakable, and nobody does this better than Filipinos.
That’s why the Philippines is the call center capital of the world, people have big hearts.
Sincerity + Compassion = Secret Sauce
Today’s businesses must continually strive to enhance all aspect of their operations, from streamlining the production of deliverables to enhancing the customer service experience. Consumers will always need answers about how a product or service works, and they will always want those answers YESTERDAY. And with social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and review sites like YELP popping up left and right, providing excellent customer service has never been more critical. Before, if your customer had a bum experience on the phone with your company, they might tell a friend or two. Now, they will tell the entire world with a click of the mouse or a tweet. Consumers are more powerful than ever, they want, and indeed DEMAND customer service that is beyond their expectations. Think the Cheesecake Factory, Southwest Airlines and Apple. Companies like these are raising the bar not just in their industries, but for all of us!
In today’s social media world, its not about just keeping your customers happy, its all about turning them into BRAND ADVOCATES. A good help desk experience may successfully turn an ordinary buyer/customer into a bonafide evangelist. Every moment of every day, little conversations are happening all over the Twittersphere about your company, and how it treats its customers when they call them, text them, email them, or write them. People are tweeting negative and positive things about brands all the time, such as “Thanks Southwest for the free Rapid Rewards ticket”, or “Just got my new iPhone 5, LOVE IT!”. You won’t those conversations about your brand to be positive. Its also important that a Help Desk know how to reach out there and calm somebody down quickly when they aren’t satisfied, especially if they are powerful online and have many friends or followers. That one person can do a lot of damage, but a good help desk can help calm that person down when they are just a little spark, and before their issues turns into a giant inferno of bad PR for your brand. Things can get ugly FAST online – just ask Anthony Weiner.
But why are more and more companies outsourcing their customer service to the Philippines? For businesses, it takes an enormous amount of time and energy to build an effective help desk experience that will exceed their customer’s expectations. They must scout and recruit talent, text them, train them on best practices, and hire potential candidates for the job. This huge outlay of time expends valuable company resources and funds. To offset these costs and all the hassle, more and more companies are outsourcing customer support to the Philippines – the call center capital of the world.
Turnkey helpdesk call centers in the Philippines make sense. They save your company money, improve the customer’s experience, and help ensure that your company never misses another important call, instant message, email or tweet ever again!