ServiceFirst: Customer Service Blog

Customer service is one of the most important aspects of any business. Good customer service increases customer loyalty, generates word-of-mouth business and increases the amount of money customers spend. Poor customer service has the opposite effect and can even destroy a brand. AnswerFirst has been in the customer service industry for more than 20 [...]

Every company should strive to make their call center into a brand ambassador A brand ambassador embodies all of the values, beliefs and attitudes of the company they are working for. The more effective a company’s inbound call center is, the better their chances are of increasing both brand awareness and sales. Those who [...]

Wondering if you should still include your business' phone number on your website's contact page? Would anyone still call you when today's digital age allows them to email or chat you when they need assistance? The short answer is yes, you should. Calls are making a comeback, after taking a step back as chat services [...]

Do you still remember that Comcast service call that went viral in 2014? The incident was such a nightmare. Media outlets called it hellish, condescending, and terrorizing. Of course, that's the last thing you would want for your company but even your best employees could flub an important call. You see, employees handling inbound calls need [...]

The quality of customer service has become increasingly bad over the past several years, but very few companies can actually afford to neglect it. Poor customer service costs brands money. Scare off a few loyal customers and you could be in for a bumpy ride down. As much as $83 billion in lost business is attributed [...]

When given the choice between 4 types of customer service interactions the results from Forrester data were eye-opening. The choices were a virtual agent, web self-service, online chat, and voice assistance. Of the 7,000+ customers surveyed 69% found the highest satisfaction when assisted by a live agent. That's quite significant. And a big reason why service-oriented [...]

Imagine the frustration of dealing with a company that just doesn't care about you as a customer. We have probably all experienced poor customer service at least once. Poor customer service rarely leads to repeat customers. In fact, 54% of millennials say that have stopped doing business with a company due to bad customer service. If [...]

Understanding the art of delivering exceptional customer service is crucial for any business aiming to thrive in today's competitive landscape. Companies often expend significant resources in enhancing product development and operational efficiencies. However, a pivotal Harvard Business Review study revealed that customer satisfaction significantly declines due to ineffective customer service strategies rather than the [...]

Have you ever called a company only to hear someone on the other end that was rude or did not thank you for your call? Even though our society uses phones for more purposes than ever before, actually talking on the phone is becoming less common. For a company, that could mean that you [...]

We all have that one example of terrible customer service. 79% of consumers say they need a brand to understand them before they'll engage. Your customers don't want you to treat them like data on a spreadsheet. They want you to treat them like people. Get it right, and the rewards are huge. Below, we've [...]