When you think about customer service, you probably think about everything that happens after you make a purchase. Like, when you need help with your billing account, or need to make a last-second change to a reservation.

But customer service doesn’t just happen at the post-purchase stage of the buyer’s journey. In today’s customer-first environment, contact centers are increasingly dealing with callers who have yet to hit the buy button.

They might need help thinking through a complex problem, have a question about a product or service, or just need some plain ol’ human reassurance that they’re making the right choice before committing to a purchase.

Meeting customers in the voice channel at this stage in their journey presents a HUGE opportunity for businesses to wow them early on and put them on the path to becoming satisfied, repeat customers.

But how can you wow potential customers before they hit the buy button?

Yeah, that’s what this episode is all about.

Intro

Welcome to Snackable CX, where we break down our best resources into bite-sized guidance on how to stand out and be known for your customer experience. I’m Sam Salerno, here from Mindful, the best in class total experience solution that aims to add kindness to your tech stack.

Before we get into the how, let’s first dive into why potential customers might call into your service department.

First, customers want more information about a product or service.

For some products or services, potential customers might need more clarity or information before committing to a purchase. Chances are, they’ve played the comparison game between you and your competitors and they need to hear what sets you and your product or service apart.

Case in point. I know this is especially true for me when I’m thinking about my cell phone plan. I’ve had the exact same iPhone and data plan for seven years, and I’m starting to feel like my provider is mad at me for never upgrading. But even with all the info on their site, I’m never sure what an upgrade will mean for my monthly bill. So whenever a new promotion comes out, I pick up my old phone and call their service line to figure it out.

It’s these kinds of pre-purchase questions that customers wrestle with before they make a purchase. It’s just the same as answering questions in a store. And the company that shows up and answers these questions on the first go will resoundingly stand apart from their competitors.

The second reason potential customers call before making a purchase is because they need help with complex situations.

Maybe they’re looking to buy a home, manage their retirement account, or need legal advice for their business. As much as we enjoy the freedom of jumping on the internet and finding quick answers, it’s hard to beat the assurance that comes when talking to someone who, well…knows what they’re talking about.

Just like my scenario upgrading my phone — or, maybe in another case, switching carriers — companies that have the infrastructure to quickly and empathetically handle these calls and provide a human touch every step of the way will naturally find more customers coming through their front door.

Alright, now we get to the fun part.

We know why potential customers are calling in, but how do we create customer experiences that take them from on-the-fence to committed customer?

Now, just a point of clarity here: we’re not talking specific scripts or sales tactics. We’re talking about the tools and strategies you can use to create winning, seamless experiences in your contact center — the kind that make potential customers feel like they’re a VIP before they’ve even spent a dime.

One more note: it’s not just retail we’re talking about. Think about customers considering which credit card is right for them, or considering insurance coverage, or which flight to take. No matter what business you’re in, customers are likely trying to find out information about your products and services, and odds are good that they’d like to ask a human about it if they can’t find what they need on your website.

To get started, you first need to eliminate hold times.

This is just straight talk: If the first thing your customers face when calling for product info is a long hold time, you’ve lost them to your competitor.

Enter an intelligent callback solution, allowing callers to skip waiting on hold and get a call back from either the next available agent or at a time that works better from them.

When callers feel you’re prioritizing their time, you create a positive experience they’ll carry with them as they move through their buyer’s journey.

And a quick resource for you to check out: our Ultimate Callback guide shows you exactly how callback works, the features every winning solution comes with, and a step-by-step walkthrough of how to set it up in your contact center for the best results. You can find that on the resources section of our site, or at getmindful.com/guides.

Next, your contact center needs a mature omnichannel strategy.

What if a customer walked into your storefront with a t-shirt that said exactly what product they were in the market for and the questions they had about it? They’re already doing that on your website — you just might not be capturing that information.

So say a potential customer peruses your website and clicks through a handful of product pages but comes up with more questions than answers. Rather than call into your contact center and start from square one, an omnichannel solution could look like a click-to-call widget on your website that lets them schedule a call with an agent. Now, when the call connects, an agent gets a pop up on their desktop that shows them exactly who they’re talking to, along with all the pages they’ve already viewed — meaning they can speak directly to a customer’s needs or questions.

It’s every sales person’s dream, and will wow your customers into a sale.

Last thoughts

If I had to boil it all down, I’d leave you with three points. First, customers ARE calling you before they’re purchasing. You might be recording it as a ticket, but it’s definitely happening, and you need to make that process as smooth, easy, and fun as possible.

To make it easy, you need to meet them where they are. So if we recognize that they’re GOING to call you, and we know they’re starting online (because every consumer today is), then you need to offer a streamlined way to let them call you directly from any page they’re on. If you make them go to a help page, you’ll lose them. And if you make them pick up their phone and dial, you’ve lost all the vital web information you need to wow them when they talk to an agent.

Finally, a prospective customer should never wait on hold. If they get past your website and end up dialing a number, your hold music will extinguish their purchasing passion like a firehose.

Okay, fourth thing: don’t be scared that you’ll unleash call volume hell on your contact center. Because, first, they’re already calling you, so putting a button won’t change anything. And second, using a tool like Mindful will actually let you pace out calls more effectively, so you can improve workforce efficiencies while also serving your customers.

Good for sales AND for service? Yep. Miracles do happen.

Nutritional Facts

This episode has been adapted from the article, “The Secret Is Out: Why Customers Call Customer Service Before Purchasing,” which you can find in the Mindful CX library at getmindful.com.

We publish new, Snackable CX episodes every week, so be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. See ya next time.

Written and hosted by Sam Salerno.

Produced and engineered by Jared Evers.

Edited, mixed, and mastered by Adam Griffith.

Artwork designed by Rob Beckham.