Customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of any successful business. It’s not just about solving problems but creating positive, memorable experiences that turn customers into loyal advocates.
So if you are looking for some quick ideas on how to improve call centre customer satisfaction, then we have you covered.
In this article we have collected 31 actionable tips to elevate customer satisfaction in your organisation.
From quick wins to game-changing strategies, these ideas—contributed by experts and our readers—will help you foster stronger relationships, exceed expectations, and leave a lasting impression on your customers.
31 Ways to Improve Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
Never Say No to a Customer
Our golden rule: never say no to a customer. If a customer service rep can’t deliver a solution for the customer, they escalate this to their team lead, so strategically we can resolve the root cause.
If we ever have to say no, it’s a ‘Disney No’; we turn a negative into a positive through freebies such as goodwill credit or free loyalty points.
Contributed by: Kelvin
There are also more words and phrases that you should avoid using in customer service. You can find these in our article: 11 Things a Call Centre Agent Should Never Say (But Many Do)
2. Let Them See Your Smile
Be positive… Let them see your smile. A positive experience and a customer care representative that leaves a positive experience will go a long way.
Customers can hear in your voice that you are smiling – it’s hard for a lot of people to be angry when the person on the other end of the phone is happy.
Contributed by: Cristie
3. Let Your Unsatisfied Customers Guide You
Listen to those who are dissatisfied and act on their advice when it rings true, as they often provide valuable insights into gaps in your service.
Dive into the details of their experience—perhaps the issue began with a Twitter interaction, escalated to an email, and culminated in two phone calls.
Map out the entire customer journey to uncover patterns and bottlenecks. This approach not only resolves the immediate problem but helps you identify systemic improvements that can prevent similar issues in the future, enhancing your overall service quality.
Contributed by: John
4. Put the Customer at the Heart of Your Decisions
Put the customer at the heart of your decisions, ensuring their needs and expectations guide your actions, while maintaining a balanced approach.
Shift your focus from rigid adherence to processes to creative problem-solving, aiming to deliver the best outcomes for the customer.
This not only enhances satisfaction but also fosters loyalty by showing customers that their concerns truly matter.
Contributed by: Norah
5. Set the Right Expectations
Ensure your Terms & Conditions and customer communications are precise, clear, and easy to understand.
By setting realistic and transparent expectations, you build trust and reduce misunderstandings.
Most importantly, always keep your promises—delivering on what you’ve committed to is key to maintaining credibility and fostering customer satisfaction.
Contributed by: Fredrik
6. Show Agents How Their Actions Affect the Company
It is not enough to train your frontline staff in the systems, procedures or knowledge for their part of the service chain.
We need to actively share the bigger organisational ambitions and give real-life examples of how their actions can impact the reputation of the organisation. This will remind agents of the importance of their role, which could improve customer–agent engagement.
7. Adopt Training “Power Hours”
Adding training “power hours” to an agents’ weekly routines can be really helpful to continuously remind and reinforce the customer-centric mind-set you need.
Support their soft skills regularly; the ability to manage their own emotions, positive language, listening, questioning, empathy, openness (as opposed to defensiveness) and influencing skills are all critical.
Follow these links to see our list of positive words and phrases and our set of empathy statements that boost rapport with the customer.
8. Train Team Leaders, Not Team Managers
If management is mostly about the processes, schedules and targets, leadership is mostly about behaviour. So, train team leaders, not team managers.
Facilitate leadership sessions to train your team leaders to understand leadership styles, behaviours, decisions and reputation. This is key to them becoming successful and respected leaders.
Good team leaders support their teams to perform and develop and thus get the best results possible from their team members.
9. Train Agents to Have Multiple Interaction Approaches
As a customer, I expect your agent to flex his or her style to meet mine, so that we have a good rapport and your brand feels like a ‘fit’ for me.
It is important that the customer feels as if they are your number-one customer, regardless of the number of customers you serve.
10. Listen to the Voice of the Customer (VOC)
The contact centre is a great place to capture feedback from customers.
Using interaction analytics, it is possible to comb through every single customer contact and analyse the trends, problems and opportunities.
Acting on this data to proactively resolve issues in the service chain or to meet customer demands will improve customer satisfaction and retention rates.
11. Personalise the Customer Experience
Customers want to be treated as individuals, not as statistics, so a joined-up omnichannel experience should be offered.
No matter whether I tweeted you, called you, sent an email, put a post on your Facebook page, or a combination of all of those, you know who I am, what I need and where it’s up to.
Contributed by: Carolyn Blunt
12. Get Agents to Relay Customer Feedback to the Wider Business
As the call centre is a hub for customer feedback, it can be used to direct the voice of the customer into the wider business to drive real change.
If staff are constantly hearing the same customer complaints, get your agents to relay these complaints back to people who can act on the issues, to make sure future customers don’t face the same problems.
For top tips and strategies on how best to gather customer feedback from your frontline agents, read our article: Want Your Frontline Staff to Share More Customer Feedback? Try This!
13. Hold Call-Review Meetings with Agents
While we have limited time off the phones for training, I made an offer to the staff that they can send me a note about a call they would like to review with me. This might be because they are not comfortable with the way it was handled or because they think they did a good job.
This has worked extremely well.
We listen to the call together and discuss how it went and I can give real-world tips on how it might have been handled more successfully or recognise their strong performance. This results in either improved performance or improved agent morale, which can improve customer satisfaction.
Contributed by: Cindy
14. Make Moves to Boost Agent Morale
We have introduced fruit at the centre of the Support Centre to get the agents moving and a dartboard in one of the boardrooms to allow staff to interact with each other.
We also moved the water cooler across each end of the office. The office relationships and atmosphere have completely changed and it’s amazing how that has impacted the response from the customers positively.
Contributed by: Reginald
Find out more advice on boosting morale by reading our 11 Creative Tips That Will Boost Morale in the Contact Centre.
15. Put Management in the Shoes of the Customer
When anyone (managers/supervisors/agents) is listening to calls, make them stand up during any time the agent puts the customer on hold. It’s a great way to demonstrate just how long it feels to the customer.
By doing so, managers may be more motivated to better equip call centres to handle problems, and agents could be more motivated to decrease hold time, resulting in a great experience for the customer.
Contributed by: Mike
16. Under-Promise and Over-Deliver
Follow the timeless principle: “Never over-sell and under-deliver.” Set realistic expectations for your service levels, ensure they are clearly communicated to customers, and consistently meet or exceed them.
Delivering on promises builds trust and loyalty, while falling short risks disappointment and dissatisfaction.
Contributed by: Iain
17. Present a Sample of Customer Complaints in Team Meetings
Get team members to present a sample of the customer complaints in the weekly team meetings. This allows the team to review the problems faced and also feel engaged in the process of coming up with longer-term solutions.
Contributed by: Peter
18. Respond More Quickly to Emails
With social media, this is the age of the instant answer. A one-working-day turnaround for email is too slow!
Try to send a reply quickly, even if it is just to confirm you have received their email and to set expectations for when they can get a proper reply.
19. Tone is Very Important
Always choose positive, encouraging language while showing genuine interest in the customer’s needs.
Since customers can’t see you, tone becomes crucial—it sets the mood for the entire interaction. A warm, empathetic tone helps build trust and reassures customers that you truly care about resolving their concerns.
Contributed by: Michelle
For more on tone of voice, read our article: How to Utilize Tone of Voice in the Contact Centre
20. Allow the Team to Listen To and Score Their Own Calls
In a previous role I encouraged my team to listen and score their own calls. This built buy-in to a predominantly uncomfortable coaching session by giving agents the opportunity to identify their own areas of improvement with customer satisfaction
Contributed by: Julia
21. Improve Your Service Levels and Queue Time
An obvious way to improve customer satisfaction would be to increase service levels and decrease queue time. But, if you wish to do this, you would need more agents in the call centre.
You can find out how many more staff you would need to employ to improve your service level and queue time by using our version of the Erlang Calculator, which factors in shrinkage.
22. Throw Away the Scripts
We have found that scrapping the script has had a huge positive impact, treating the customer as the individual that they are – talking to them like a fellow human being has seen us receive feedback for being friendly and approachable and is bringing people back time and again.
Contributed by: Danielle
23. Treat the Customer as You Would a Friend or Business Partner
Take care of the customer from start to finish, treating them with the same respect and consideration you would show a friend or business partner.
Avoid stressing over KPIs like Average Handle Time (AHT). Instead, focus on the lasting impression you leave on the customer.
It’s the quality of the interaction and the customer’s experience that truly matters, not just the numbers.
Contributed by: Anna
24. Make Other Departments Understand Your Role in Customer Service
If the culture in the rest of the business is different from the service team, make sure everyone in your company understands the impact they have on the success of the business.
Show them how their actions affect the customer experience as well as the cost to the business.
Contributed by: Victoria
For ideas to help share the call centre with the wider company and improve its reputation, read our article: 12 Inspiring Tactics for Sharing the Call Centre With the Wider Company
25. Keep in Touch with the Customer
Plus 1’s work for us. A follow-up call or a box of chocolates, or a free trial of a paid feature.
Show that they are valued customer – a small token can make all the difference.
Contributed by: Anneliese
26. Share Experiences Through the Company
My tip is to foster a culture of continuous feedback across the entire customer service organisation.
Ensure that every employee’s voice is heard, and that their experiences are shared within the company to drive improvements in processes.
This collaborative approach helps identify opportunities for growth and ensures that everyone is working toward the same goal of enhancing the customer experience.
Contributed by: Bart
27. Senior Managers Should Match Words with Behaviours
Senior managers should align their words with their actions.
Customer-friendly language from leadership must be reflected in their personal behaviours and the policies they implement, for example customer-friendly words from the ‘top’ should be matched by personal behaviours and policies.
This consistency sets a strong example for the rest of the organization and helps build trust with both employees and customers.
28. Reward Positive Behaviour
When KPIs (key performance indicators) are met or exceeded, the team is rewarded with a budget to choose and organize a fun activity of their choice.
However, if the KPIs fall short, the budget is reduced to zero.
This approach creates a direct connection between team performance and rewards.
Contributed by: Tom
29. Show That You Care
Take the time to understand your customer’s business and demonstrate genuine care when they encounter an issue.
Approach the situation with empathy, providing not only quick but also clear and effective solutions.
Showing that you understand their challenges and are committed to resolving them helps build trust and strengthens the customer relationship.
Contributed by: Romeu
30. Use Customer Focus Groups
Use customer focus groups to gain direct insights into what customers truly value and believe contributes to their satisfaction.
By engaging with them in a meaningful way, you can identify key areas for improvement and tailor your services to better meet their expectations, ensuring a more customer-centric approach.
To find out more, read our article on 10 Top Tips for Running a Customer Focus Group
31. Be Honest
Be honest. Customers appreciate it! Listen to your customers and educate them for better understanding.
You can engage them more if you let them see the bigger picture and the background of some of your decisions.
Contributed by: Monika
If you want more advise on improving CSAT, try reading some of the following articles:
- 9 Strategies to Improve Customer Satisfaction
- 21 Practical Techniques to Boost Customer Satisfaction in Less Than Six Weeks
- Want to Increase Customer Satisfaction? Stop Measuring Average Handling Time!
Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Robyn Coppell
Published On: 11th Jan 2017 - Last modified: 10th Dec 2024
Read more about - Hints and Tips, Carolyn Blunt, Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Customer Service, Morale, Positive words
Great Guide. Thanks
as much as a appreciate this tips you have to understand that all companies have a different policy in treating their customers, im a team leader for the customer care of large mobile operator, every contact centre operator has to find a way between what the customer wants to hear and what he should hear and that is hard cuz most of the time the customer wants something we cant give especially when he is complaining
Agree with bleron – sometimes you have to be straight and honest with a customer or no one would get any thing done!
Encourage the agents to smile when answering the phone…often makes the world of difference 🙂
I’m not sure that the two are mutually exclusive.
Speed is important, but not as the expense of quality – think pit stop in a Formula One race.
Great tips for improving customer satisfaction. My favorite is being honest because I still believe that honesty is the best policy. Honesty gives our customers the security that they need to confidently do business with us.
Thanks
Hi, Thanks for this information. Yes! every center has its own policy however this is just only a tips it’s not necessary mean that every information written on this must be followed. credits to the author
Foster open communication. Put in place structured ways to communicate with you about their thoughts, feelings ECT
Regard much on the first impression: The first impression is very important to customers. At the first time the customers should be received friendly since it is the major way for a customer to assess the overall services of the organization.
Excellent tips. Customer satisfaction can also be improved by providing customers with personalised experiences. It was found in a recent survey that 89% customers wouldn’t mind sharing their personal information with marketers in leiu of targeted content.
To create these personalised experiences effortlessly, businesses use beacon technology. This technology makes it possible to create personalised experiences and deliver it to the customer’s phone.
From retail to real estate, this technology is creating waves. It is predicted that in 2016, 85% businesses will be using beacon technology.
Nice article. Thanks.
Here one point I would like to add.There are some basic rules to be followed for ending a chat session. You cant end that abruptly. Customers always want to be appreciated and well treated when they talk to the sales and support personnel. SO you should always keep it in mind.
The basic etiquette before ending the conversation would be:
1.Always sound polite and cheerful
2. Don’t forget to thank your customer
3. Make sure all their issues are resolved
4. Good Bye should mean ‘Hear from you soon’
5. End the chat in a more personalized way
6. Let customer end the chat first
Great article as long as we can use the elements which are fit with our business nature.
and regarding the item of “On time Response” from my point of view it is an important item however the Quality of the action taken is the most important item.
kindly share ideas from your perspective about how to achieve the Client Satisfaction.
You’ve mentioned some great points, I would also add that it is important to have a good cloud call centre software in place, to facilitate the customer service.
Emily Stone is so so right. Call centre software should always be to date and fitting for your business’s needs.
18. Respond more quickly to emails: Another way to respond quickly to customers is by allowing them to communicate via text message or through social messaging apps. Today’s customers want options and when email is not fast enough, texting is the way to go.