Manage customer communication over complex matters
Overview
This standard is about managing customer communication over complex matters in a contact centre. It covers providing support and guidance to ensure that colleagues handle all levels of communications from simple to complex, whilst meeting all organisational procedures and guidelines. It involves both verbal and written communication with customers over complex matters. Sometimes a specialist support may be required to resolve complex matters raised by customers. You will also work with colleagues to develop customer service procedures and guidelines for communicating with customer and monitor their implementation to align with organisational communication policy objectives. It is for contact centre professional who are responsible for managing the customer communication over complex matters.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Communicate with customers verbally over complex matters
1. deal with customers' conversations referred by colleagues with limited authority
2. initiate conversations with customers about complex matters regarding services and products handled by the contact centre
3. deal verbally with complex queries initiated by customers about the services and products
4. adapt your use of language and vocabulary to meet the needs and understanding of customers
5. communicate a message to a customer that clearly sets out at least two alternative points of view
Communicate with customers in writing over complex matters
6. deal with complex customer matters in writing referred to you by colleagues with limited authority
7. initiate an exchange in writing with a customer about complex information or issues
8. respond in writing to complex queries initiated by customers regarding services and products offered or supported by the contact centre
9. adapt your writing style and language to meet customer needs whilst remaining within organisational guidelines
10. explain to a customer in writing the relative merits of at least two alternative points of view
Set an example and support colleagues who are communicating with customers through a contact centre
11. monitor communication between colleagues and customers for compliance with organisational guidelines and overall effectiveness
12. provide colleagues with feedback and guidance about verbal and written contacts with customers
Support development of customer communication procedures and guidelines in a contact centre
13. identify organisational business and customer service objectives
14. identify and evaluate the benefits and costs of choosing different media for communication with customers
15. consult front line customer contact colleagues about the needs of customer communication
16. consult with specialist support for complex matters' resolution
17. develop and agree with management, the customer communication policies for use in the contact centre with different customer types
18. link customer communication policy with customer service objectives to help development of procedures and guidelines
19. audit procedures and guidelines for compliance with customer communication policy and ensure that they are fit for purpose
Contribute to team skills development to enhance customer service through effective customer communication in a contact centre
20. review team and individual communication skills in the contact centre context
21. evaluate the contribution of skills development activities to achievement of communication policy objectives
22. develop, agree and implement team and individual development plans to improve communication skills levels
23. follow current legal, regulatory and data protection requirements, codes of practice and organisational policies and procedures relating to handling personal information
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the range of services or products offered or supported by your contact centre
- the organisational requirements and external regulations that impact on communication with customers through the contact centre
- the organisational procedures and guidelines on written communication with customers
- the benefits and drawbacks of choosing verbal or written communication with customers
- the limits of authority of colleagues dealing with complex exchanges with customers
- the techniques for adapting language and vocabulary to customer needs when dealing with complex queries
- how to present information to customers which offers two clear alternatives
- the formal and informal methods for monitoring communication between colleagues and customers
- the techniques for providing colleagues with feedback and guidance about verbal communication
- the techniques for providing colleagues with feedback and guidance about written communication
- the key components of a customer communication policy
- the organisational customer service objectives
- the benefits and costs of different media for communicating with customers in a contact centre
- the importance of consulting front line colleagues about the practical needs of dealing with customer communication
- the specialist support for complex matters' resolution
- the techniques for devising procedures and guidelines for use by front line staff when communicating with customers
- the importance of linking communication policies and guidelines to customer service objectives
- the methods of auditing customer communication policy and guidelines for compliance and ensuring they are fit for purpose
- the importance of planning skills development actions at team and individual levels in terms of developing team and individual communications skills
- the current legal, regulatory and data protection requirements, codes of practice and organisational policies and procedures relating to handling personal information