Phone etiquette can make a significant difference for your business. Harris Interactive found that 89% of consumers have switched to doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience.
But what goes into providing a positive experience for your callers? Here are 9 customer service phone etiquette tips to help you ensure that your call center team is hitting the mark every single time.
It seems like such a simple thing, but answering the phone promptly starts calls off on a positive note. This doesn't mean that your reps have to pick up the call the second it comes through. When training new reps, have them aim for answering calls within the first three rings. This gives them time to take a breath and center themselves so they're ready for each call.
The first thing your reps should do after answering a call is to introduce themselves. This differs from what we do in non-business calls. Instead of answering a call with a simple "Hello," your staff should have a script that they follow to ensure that the caller knows who they've reached, the business they're calling, and that the person answering the call is ready to help.
Start with a simple script like, "Hi, this is [your first name] at [your company]. How can I help you today?" From there, your call center representatives can customize the script to match their own personalities (within reason) so they don't sound like robots.
When you talk on the phone all day, every day, it's easy to start talking quickly or mumbling. This is especially true when you first answer the phone. Your warm greeting can quickly turn into confusion for your callers if you're not speaking at a normal pace, speaking clearly, and using professional language.
The words you choose are important. Always be respectful of your callers and stick to the more formal side of language. This doesn't mean you can't joke around with your callers (especially if they're joking around with you), but keep your words neutral and non-controversial.
Oh, and don't chew gum.
It's important to pay attention to callers so you don't miss important information your caller is sharing. This goes beyond simply hearing them talk. Active listening is important for quality customer service.
Active listening is a technique of listening and observation of non-verbal cues (like tone), with feedback in the form of mirroring (paraphrasing what the caller is saying back to them to ensure that you understand). It's a technique commonly used in counseling, training, and solving disputes or conflicts.
Nobody likes being interrupted. If a caller is going on a tirade, it can be so tempting to interject. But it's not going to help the situation. It's best to just take notes and wait until they've had their say so you can take back control of the call and get to a resolution.
This does not mean that call center reps should be expected to sit and listen to personal attacks or racist, misogynist, homophobic, or other abusive language. If the language being used is abusive, call center reps are well within their rights to interrupt and establish boundaries such as, "I want to help you but I can't do that with you speaking to me like that." If that doesn't work, call center agents should hang up.
There will be times when a caller is rude or grumpy. The knee-jerk reaction may be to let them know all about themselves. Instead, encourage your call center staff to stay calm and turn to empathy. It's important to try to understand why the caller is upset while still maintaining a positive and friendly vibe. Even if the caller is still grumpy at the end of the call, it'll feel great knowing that they handled the call well.
A big part of staying upbeat is the words you choose.
Try to always use positive language when interacting with customers, focusing on what you can do for them instead of what you can't do. For example, if you're out of stock for an item your caller wants and you won't be able to get it for another month, don't just tell the caller they can't have it. Check out the difference:
"Unfortunately, it's out of stock. I can't get that for you until next month."
OR
"That product will be available next month. I can go ahead and place the order for you and it will be sent out as soon as we get it."
Which would you rather hear?
You can even turn this into an upsell if you have an alternate product that fills the same need. Just add something like, "We also have this alternative product that does this, this, and this that the original product does. It's a little pricier but it's in stock right now. Would that work for you?"
Nobody likes being put on hold. This is especially true if you've already waited to speak with a free representative. When a caller must be placed on hold, reps should ask them for their permission before doing it and explain why it's needed. Keeping the caller informed will make them feel better about being placed on hold because they understand that it's necessary so their problem can be handled.
Sometimes a caller will ask a question that just hasn't come up before or that doesn't have a readily apparent answer. In those situations, call center reps should be honest. Let the caller know that you don't have the answer but are going to get it for them.
Sometimes it's just not possible to answer a call. Maybe it comes in during a particularly heavy call time, a company-wide meeting, or after hours. No matter why the call goes to voicemail, it's vital that your call center reps return those calls.
We recommend checking voicemail and returning calls at the beginning and end of each day.
Don’t forget to add these metrics to your quality monitoring scorecard
Source https://voxjar.com/10-customer-service-phone-etiquette-tips-to-keep-callers-happy
Publish Date: July 1, 2021 2:05 PM |
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