The first golden rule is to consider 'the customer is king' and always put the customer first. From the moment a customer calls in, the only focus should be to listen to his problem, understand it and solve it in the shortest time possible. Sometimes it may be a unique problem but the company needs to be prepared to go out of its way if required to take the opportunity to please the customer and make his day.

Excellence in customer service is about making customers feel good about a transaction, providing excellent service and thanking them for their business. Customers should always feel that the company has their best interests in mind and can trust the people they are doing business with.

Customers always want to know that they are heard and understood and their pain points are being addressed. The simple act of listening patiently can result in a satisfied customer and a positive brand impression. It is important for call centre executives to polish their communication skills. As most people think, good listening can be summed up in three key points - not interrupting when others are speaking, indicate you are listening through verbal sounds, and being able to repeat exactly word for word what the caller had said.

After listening, if there has been a mistake, it is important to apologize well. Customers are often satisfied with service recovery like a refund or credit. But an apology on top of the compensation and an effort to exceed to customer's expectations, will mostly retain the customer with a good reference and recommendation for the brand.

It is important to companies to recognize this as one of the most important factors in providing flawless customer service. It is necessary to accept the opinions of customers, process them and follow up when and if it is necessary. This is also one of the best ways to improve business understanding the gaps, faults or criticisms that customers send. Customers can provide very good ideas and so asking them to share their thoughts is a great step in enhancing customer service. Not only does the feed feedback help in growing business, but the company's acceptance will also have a positive impact on the brand's reputation. A post call quick feedback will make it easier for customers to provide their feedback.

It is absolutely essential that the call centre executives know about the products and services and have the expertise to answer any questions that customers might have. An expert can serve customers quickly without struggling to answer or look for someone else to help. Hence employees should be trained to become experts, so that they are able to answer any questions thrown their way. Also all employees should be trained to be on the same page so that if the customer calls in twice for the same problem two different employees should not be giving out different answers.

Role playing customers and call centre employees and enacting different scenarios can help to train employees to respond or react to customer calls.

Lastly, but this is probably a factor that could make or break a company's name, fame and fortune. None of the customer service strategies would work without well-trained, enthusiastic and capable employees. Employees who are unhappy cannot make customers happy. It is important to provide employees with the most effective training and motivation and assure them that they are valued and respected. This will made them confident enough to pass on this attitude to customers.

Giving employees the power to think on their feet and trusting them to make the right calls will allow employees to feel that their voices are heard and feel valued and more empowered to perform their best.