Call Center Customer Service: A Detailed Guide

When we think about call centers, it’s easy to picture a place where agents are just answering phones all day. But the reality is that call centers have evolved far beyond that. They’re now essential hubs for engaging with customers, solving problems, and even driving sales. For many businesses, the call center is the front line. It’s where customer trust is won or lost.

But here’s the thing: managing a call center isn’t only about picking up the phone when it rings. It takes careful planning, a dedicated team, and the right tech to ensure everything runs smoothly. 

Why does this matter so much? Because a single phone call can change how a customer views your entire brand. It’s in these conversations that trust is built or broken, and the stakes are incredibly high. 

This guide will cover three points. First, I’ll explain why call center customer service is so critical. Next, I’ll explore ways to improve it. Finally, I’ll discuss why it’s vital for your business’s success.

Table of Contents

• What is customer service in a call center?
• Different types of call center services for customer support
• Importance of call center services in customer support 
• Ways to improve call center customer service
• Streamline your call center service by managing voice calls from your inbox

What is customer service in a call center?

Call center customer service is the frontline assistance that customer support representatives provide to customers, whenever they face issues or have queries. This applies to both incoming calls and outreach to customers. The main objective remains consistent: fix problems and simplify the customer’s experience. 

To help you understand this better, I’m listing down some common queries customers may have when they contact a call center support agent: 

• Billing issues: “I noticed an unexpected charge on my bill—can you help me understand what it’s for?”
• Product or service information: “I’m considering upgrading my service—can you tell me more about the new features?”
• Technical support: “I’m having trouble logging into my account—can you walk me through how to fix it?”
• Order status: “I placed an order last week, but I haven’t received a shipping confirmation yet. Can you check the status for me?”
• Cancellation or refund requests: “I’d like to cancel my subscription and request a refund—can you help with that?”
• Feedback or complaints: “I had a poor experience with your service recently—who can I speak to about this?”
• Product returns: “I need to return a product I purchased—what’s the process for that?”
• Service outages: “Is there a known outage in my area? My internet has been down since this morning.”

Now, you must understand that the job here isn’t only about fixing issues. It also involves telling customers about new items, getting their thoughts, and, ultimately, making them more loyal to your brand. 

I was reading a report the other day that really hit this point home: over half of retail customers who have an urgent issue would rather pick up the phone and talk to someone. It’s something that shows how important call center customer service is. 

It’s also important to note that call centers use various technologies to make communication easier for both agents and customers. Some of them are: 

1. Knowledge management system (KMS): A KMS creates a centralized knowledge base that agents and customers can access to find accurate, up-to-date answers across all touchpoints.

2. Interactive voice response (IVR) systems: IVR systems allow customers to interact with your phone system using voice commands or keypad inputs. They can navigate menus to find information or get answers to their questions without speaking to an agent.

3. Automatic call distributor (ACD): ACD systems are responsible for routing incoming calls to the most appropriate agent based on criteria like skill set, availability, and priority.

4. Customer relationship management (CRM) software: CRM software centralizes all customer data including past interactions, purchase history, and preferences, providing agents with a complete view of the customer.

5. Chatbots: These are bots that can automatically respond to queries and have human-like conversations with customers or prospects. However, if they’re not able to provide the right answer, chatbots have the capability to handoff the query to a human agent.

6. Speech Analytics: It analyzes recorded calls to identify key phrases, sentiments, and trends in customer interactions. This helps extract valuable insights from every conversation.

Different types of call center services for customer support

When we discuss call center services in customer support, we mean the ways a call center can help customers.

Some call centers focus on handling incoming calls—think about when customers call with questions or complaints. Others make outgoing calls, like checking on orders or giving customers important updates.

Some services manage both incoming and outgoing calls. These call centers address various customer needs. Furthermore, specialized services like tech support and telemarketing exist. These focus on achieving specific business objectives.

Let me break down the various types of call center services:

Importance of call center services in customer support

Call center services do more than just handle calls—they help improve the overall customer experience. Here’s why call center customer service is important:

1. Product or service support: When customers encounter a glitch with their purchase or struggle to grasp a feature’s functionality, agents offer solutions to make their lives easier. For instance, if a customer’s online order is stuck in limbo or a special request goes awry, they not only resolve the immediate problem but also empower customers with the knowledge and confidence to navigate similar situations in the future.

2. Surveys and feedback: Listening to what customers have to say is very important if you want to improve their experience. Call centre agents have the capability to survey customers at crucial points, such as:

• After finishing a conversation
• Once a problem is resolved

Easily collect and measure customer feedback using CSAT surveys

3. Proactive outreach: This is when call centers take the initiative to address potential issues before they turn into bigger problems. Instead of waiting for customers to call in with complaints, agents reach out with solutions or important information. Here are a few examples:

• If a product has a known issue, agents might contact customers to provide a fix or a workaround before they encounter the problem.
• Agents can remind customers about upcoming service renewals or maintenance schedules to avoid interruptions.
• Reaching out with helpful tips on how to get the most out of a product or service, especially for new users.
• A quick follow-up to ensure that a recent purchase or service is meeting the customer’s expectations.

4. Customer insights: Call centers gather tons of data from customer interactions. This data, when analyzed correctly, can reveal a lot of interesting insights such as trends into recurring issues, things customers don’t like about your product or service, and more. 

Here’s a snapshot of the kind of insights you can derive from customer call data: 

• Monitor busy hours and call frequencies to reduce wait time for customers.
• Analyze the tone and language used by customers to gauge overall satisfaction or frustration levels.
• Gather customer opinions about products or services to identify areas for improvement or innovation.
• Understand the different touchpoint a customer uses to get in touch with your support team.

5. Personalized service: With the right data, call centers can tailor interactions to individual needs. An agent who knows a customer’s past issues and preferences can provide more relevant and helpful support, making them feel valued. Some examples include: 

• Notifying a customer when their subscription or warranty is about to expire, based on their specific account details.
• Starting a conversation by acknowledging a customer’s last issue and confirming that it’s been fully resolved.
• Reaching out if there’s an unusual activity or potential problem related to their account, like a payment issue or suspicious login.

6. AI-based service: Today’s call centers use AI to handle everyday tasks and also provide 24×7 customer support. This helps speed up service, cut costs, and allow agents to spend less time on grunt work. Here are some ways AI is helping call centers: 

• Call routing: Direct calls to the most suitable agent based on the customer’s issue and history.
• Sentiment analysis: Analyze customer tone and mood to help agents adjust their approach in real time.
• Predictive insights: Predict customer needs based on past interactions, enabling proactive support.
• Speech recognition: Convert spoken language into text for faster and more accurate data entry and response.
• Automated responses: AI-powered chatbots handle common queries, providing instant answers and ensuring there’s no wait time.

Ways to improve call center customer service

Improving call center customer service hinges on paying attention to small details that impact customer feelings. This involves grasping their needs, listening well, and cutting down on customer frustration. 

14 quick tips on improving call center service for customer support: 

✅ Encourage agents to use positive language to create a more friendly interaction.
✅ Implement silent monitoring to coach agents in real-time without interrupting live calls.
✅ Rotate agent roles periodically to prevent burnout and keep skills fresh.
✅ Use gamification to motivate agents and make repetitive tasks more engaging.
✅ Allow agents to access customer social media profiles for gaining more context during calls.
✅ Integrate CRM with call center software for better customer data access.
✅ Create a customer FAQ page to reduce call volume for common questions.
✅ Use voice analytics to detect customer emotions and adjust responses.
✅ Implement a mentorship program for new agents to accelerate their learning curve.
✅ Offer stress management resources to agents for better mental health.
✅ Use AI to suggest next best actions during calls, based on customer data.
✅ Conduct regular team huddles to share insights and best practices.
✅ Provide language training for agents to better serve diverse customer bases.
✅ Use interactive voice response (IVR) to pre-qualify customer issues before connecting them to an agent.

Here’s a detailed guide:

1. Master active listening

Active listening goes beyond hearing what the customer is saying. It involves grasping their feelings and understanding the situation. 

Some tips: 

• Train your team to recognize emotional signals so that they can react with compassion.
• Encourage agents to pose questions that reveal deeper insights about customer concerns.
• Teach agents to summarize customer concerns to confirm understanding and show they’re fully engaged.

Some encouraging phrases could be: 

• “I can hear that this situation has been frustrating for you. Let me help resolve this as quickly as possible.”
• “I understand how important this is to you, and I’m here to assist.”
• “Can you tell me a bit more about how this issue is affecting you?”
• “Let me recap what you’ve shared so far to ensure we’re on the same page.”

Here’s what CX experts are saying about top customer service skills 

2. Reduce call hold times

Long hold times frustrate customers. We found in our “State of Customer Support” report that around 39% of customers are annoyed by long waiting times on the phone.

While some waiting is inevitable, reducing hold times should be a priority. It’s about empowering your team to handle calls efficiently and being prepared during peak hours.

Some tips: 

• Encourage agents to review customer history before the call to reduce the need for holds.
• Make use of hold time to update customers on their wait or give them the choice of a callback.
• Use data to predict call volumes and adjust staffing levels to meet demand.

Tools like Zendesk and Five9 can help you with this. Zendesk allows agents to access customer history before a call, reducing the need for hold times. With all previous interactions visible in one place, agents can quickly address customer needs without delays.

Five9 offers a predictive dialer and real-time analytics, which help forecast call volumes and adjust staffing levels accordingly. It also provides a callback option during hold times, giving customers the choice to avoid long waits.

3. Improve call routing

Routing calls effectively ensures customers are directed to the right support staff in a timely manner. Poor routing leads to repeated call transfers, which can frustrate customers. 

Some tips: 

• Use routing systems that adapt in real time. For instance, Nextiva – a call center software – uses intelligent call routing that adjusts dynamically based on factors like agent availability, skill set, and call volume. 
• Develop teams with specific expertise and route calls to them based on the customer’s needs.
• Gather feedback on routing experiences and adjust your system as needed.

4. Use live chat

Live chat can be a real game-changer for your business if incorporated correctly into your support strategy. Chat allows you to handle queries from multiple customers simultaneously. In our survey report, we found that around 63% of customers prefer using live chat to contact a business. But how do you ensure customers know that they can reach out to you via chat?

Some tips: 

• Make it easy for customers to connect by adding a clearly visible chat widget to your site. This gives customers instant access to your support team and helps you engage them based on their browsing behavior.
• Once live chat is available, inform your customers – maybe through an email campaign – letting them know they can now reach your support team quickly and easily via chat. This helps raise awareness. 
• Integrate live chat with other channels like email or phone, so agents have a complete view of the customer’s history.
• If a chat reveals a complex issue, smoothly transition to a phone call without making the customer repeat themselves.

Deliver 24×7 customer support with Hiver’s live chat

5. Make smart use of chatbots

Chatbots help handle routine tasks and commonly asked questions giving agents time to tackle tougher issues. The trick is to use them in a way that makes things better for customers without losing the human touch.

Some tips: 

• Use customer data to make chatbot interactions feel more personal.
• When a chatbot can’t handle a query, ensure it hands off the conversation to a human agent with all relevant context.
• Regularly review chatbot performance and update scripts based on customer feedback.

A Gartner report indicates that many companies will use chatbots as their primary channel to support customers.

6. Keep an eye on key metrics

Watching your numbers isn’t just about data; it’s about seeing what works and what needs fixing.

Some metrics to track:

• First Call Resolution (FCR): Keep track of how often you solve problems on the first call. This metric is indicative of how effective and knowledgeable your agents are.

• Customer Effort Score (CES): Use CES to measure how easy it is for customers to get their issues resolved through your call center. A lower effort score indicates that your processes are streamlined, and customers are finding it simple to reach out and get the help they need quickly. 
  
• Average Handle Time (AHT): Track AHT to see how efficiently your call center agents are resolving customer issues. A lower AHT indicates faster resolution times.

7. Ask customers what they think

Getting feedback is more than just gathering data; it’s about showing customers that their opinions matter. Plus, when you act on their feedback, it builds trust and loyalty.

Some tips:

• Use tools like CSAT surveys to gather customer feedback after every support interaction or issue resolution. Timing is key—send surveys right after the interaction when the experience is fresh or when an issue has been resolved. 
• It’s not enough to just collect feedback—you need to act on it and close the feedback loop. Share with customers how their feedback has led to improvements. This shows that their input is valuable and makes them feel heard, strengthening their connection to your brand.

How to collect customer feedback and what to do with it?

8. Incorporate a customer-first culture

Building a customer-focused culture is about making your customers the focus of everything you do. Whenever you make a business decision, ask yourself: how does this benefit my customers? 

This way of thinking should be part of every interaction and every decision your call centre takes.

Some tips:

• Empower your agents to make decisions that are in the best interest of the customer, even if it means stepping outside the usual process.
• Rewarding agents who go above and beyond for customers is a great way to encourage a customer-first mindset. Beyond just recognition, consider offering tangible incentives like bonuses, extra time off, or even career development opportunities. 
  
• Link team goals to customer happiness, ensuring everyone aims to give the best service.

9. Balance technology with the human touch

AI can automate several tasks in call centers, like routing calls to the right agents, answering frequently asked questions with chatbots, and analyzing customer sentiment in real-time. 

But, the key is knowing when to let AI handle routine tasks and when human agents are needed for complex issues that require empathy and personal interaction.

In our ‘AI vs Human customer service‘ report, we found that 49% of support professionals believe AI will work alongside – and not replace – human agents.

Some tips:

• Use AI for routine inquiries, while human agents handle situations that require more empathy and on-the-spot thinking.
• Make AI interactions feel personal by training the bot to speak natural language and personalizing conversations.

Streamline your call center service by managing voice calls from your inbox

If you’re looking to improve your call center operations, but want tools that are simple for your team to learn, Hiver’s Aircall integration could be the perfect solution. This integration allows you to manage voice support directly from your inbox, making it easier to handle customer calls without the hassle of switching between different apps.

With Hiver’s Aircall integration, your team can:

• Make and receive calls directly within your inbox.
• Assign calls to team members, ensuring full accountability.
• Log every phone conversation for easy tracking and resolution.
• Access all relevant information about each call in one place.

Getting started is straightforward. Once you have a registered Aircall account, you can easily enable the voice channel in Hiver. Simply authenticate your Aircall account within Hiver, and you’ll be ready to manage all your Aircall conversations from Gmail.

I hope this guide has helped you understand more about enhancing your call center customer service. If you’re ready to streamline your call operations, give Hiver a try with a free 7-day trial.