The phone support specialist position is easily one of the most underrated (but most important) jobs in business today.
Here’s the deal.
Businesses everywhere are spending millions and millions of dollars automating their customer service with AI chatbots, ticketing platforms, and self-service help centers. And yet…
Do you know what most customers are STILL doing when they need help?
They’re picking up the phone.
Over 76% of consumers prefer calling for help when they have a problem with a business. That should tell you everything you need to know about why human-based phone support is so important.
Key Takeaways
- Phone support specialists play a crucial role as human contact is essential for customer service, despite automation trends.
- Over 76% of consumers prefer phone calls for assistance, highlighting the ongoing importance of human-based support.
- Effective phone support specialists combine listening, problem solving, emotional intelligence, and communication skills to excel in their role.
- Technology should assist specialists by handling routine tasks, allowing them to focus on meaningful interactions with customers.
- Finding a balance between automation and human connection enhances customer satisfaction and builds loyalty in phone support.
Table of contents
Why Phone Support Specialists Are Here To Stay
Truthfully… Every business wants to automate phone calls.
It’s cheaper for business. It scales incredibly well. And it works perfectly… until it doesn’t.
Then what do you do when a customer calls in with a problem? Send them to chat with a robot?
Of course not.
Customers want to talk to humans. They want somebody to explain things to them, empathize with their situation, and help them fix their problems as soon as possible. Enter the phone support specialist.
Whether it’s a customer support specialist in Arizona, Retail Customer Service Representative in New York or Customer Success Engineer in Texas… these employees are dealing with the kind of phone calls that bots can’t begin to handle.
“I tried clicking ‘help’ but nothing happened.”
“The payment page kept giving me an error.”
“I’ve already called and spoken to someone about this. Why do I have to explain my whole life story again?”
These are the calls that frustrate customers.
These are the calls that determine whether your business makes a loyal customer… or loses them forever. And here’s a scary stat for you…
96% of consumers claim that excellent customer service is extremely important when it comes to their loyalty to a brand.
If you take anything away from this article let it be this…
Every phone call has the potential to drastically impact your business.
How Technology Can Help Your Phone Support Team
Technology is not trying to replace your phone support team. In fact, quite the opposite.
Technology is here to allow your phone support team to be the best it can possibly be.
The highest performing phone support teams are harnessing the power of AI to deal with simple tasks. This allows their employees to focus on higher-level issues and providing incredible customer service.
Here’s how it works.
First, AI chatbot software takes care of all the small things. Routing basic questions to the right department. Answering common questions. Troubleshooting simple technical issues.
When a customer does call, automation ensures they’re speaking to the right specialist. And front desk agents have quick access to customer history via a CRM platform.
Finally, team leaders have access to admin analytics which highlight key information. Things like common problems, average handle times, and other metrics.
This right here is the magic formula.
Allow technology to do the simple stuff and your human employees can take care of the rest. Empathy. Critical thinking. Problem-solving.
Things that robots simply can’t do.
But please… don’t fool yourself into thinking that technology can do everything.
The smartest customer support teams know that automation helps, but will never replace a genuine human connection.
And here’s another thing most people don’t know…
Phone support specialists that utilize technology will always outperform ones that don’t.
Allowing your specialists access to full customer history, previous tickets, notes, and purchase history allows your employees to identify and solve problems quicker and more effectively.
The customer doesn’t have to repeat themselves. Your phone support specialist already knows what’s going on before the customer even begins explaining.
“How can I make my phone support team more effective?”
… Start here. Cut down on the repetitive tasks and let your employees handle the conversations.
Qualities of a Top-Notch Phone Support Specialist
While some phone support tasks can be automated. There’s no robots out there that can mimic the skills and abilities of a great phone support specialist.
Here are qualities that all great phone support specialists share:
- They Listen: Yep. It’s that simple. Listen to what the customer is saying. Not just the words coming out of their mouth, but their tone. Their level of frustration. And what their problem really is. Listening is probably the #1 skill any phone support specialist can have.
- Knows How To Solve Problems: Your phone support specialist shouldn’t sound like a robot running through a predetermined script. They should be thinking on their feet and knowing how to handle any situation that comes their way.
- Emotional Intelligence: Your phone support team will run into rude customers on occasion. That’s inevitable. But the best phone support specialists know how to handle these types of calls. Staying calm and collected. Showing empathy and understanding. But also knowing how to deescalate the situation.
- Very Knowledgeable: Your phone support specialists should know your products, services, and systems inside and out. This will allow your support team to answer questions quicker and more efficiently.
- Fantastic Communication Skills: Last but certainly not least. Phone support specialists should be able to communicate well. They should know how to simplify the most complex explanations into easy to understand terms.
And that’s about it! These are the skills that will set your phone support team apart from your competitors.
And these are the skills that employers are looking for when they’re hiring new phone support employees.
If you want to be a top performer in your phone support role. Start by mastering these five skills.
Finding The Balance Between Automation and Humanity
Here is where a lot of businesses go wrong.
They jump on the automation bandwagon and implement way too much tech into their phone support team. Or…
They go to the complete opposite direction and ignore technology altogether.
Forget about extremes. Instead, learn how to balance the two.
Here’s a simple way to look at it.
Automation should be handling the what’s. Routing calls to the right teams. Pulling up customer data. Managing call queues. Answering common questions.
Your phone support specialists should be handling the how’s.
How you build rapport with your customers. How you creatively solve your customers’ problems. How you turn a negative experience into a positive one.
Once you figure out how to balance these two aspects of your phone support team you’ll start to see some crazy results. This is how the best teams scale customer service operations without sacrificing quality.
You’ll notice an increase in customer satisfaction, a decrease in your average handle times, and your phone support team will become one of the most valuable assets your business has to offer.
And this is exactly what the most successful businesses in the world are doing.
They’re not picking sides. Technology vs. Humans.
They’re blending the two together to create a phone support experience that no one else can compete with.
Did you know that businesses are starting to see their phone support teams as a revenue driver?
Sure, every business knows that phone support is necessary. But top-performing businesses understand that every positive phone call increases the chance for repeat business, referrals, and long-term customer loyalty.
Wrapping Up
Phone support specialists are the ultimate collision between technological advancement and genuine human connection.
We live in a world where everyone wants to automate everything. But your phone support team is the perfect example of why humans are here to stay.
- Technology will take care of the boring simple tasks and free up your employees to do meaningful work.
- Your phone support specialists will provide the empathy, creative problem solving, and connection that your customers crave.
- When you find that perfect balance between the two your phone support team will be unstoppable.
Looking to join the phone support field or improve your business? Remember this article and start with people over technology. Tools and apps will come and go. But you can always count on humans to need genuine human connection.
