Whether you are involved in a retail, customer-centric business environment, or an organization that handles countless internal calls, telephone communication skills are very important to the development and regular training of the people who work there.
Here's a way to assess whether your team's skills are effective and how to improve them.
Steps
Step 1. Start using your opinions
When you make a call, what are the things that really bother you? It could be those people who are not sufficiently knowledgeable about the product or service you are calling for. You may be annoyed by those who use particular terms, colloquialisms or sounds (such as "ummmmmm"), things that seem to indicate their lack of interest in you.
- Take these "nuisance factors" into consideration and write them all down on a piece of paper.
- Evaluate yourself in a training context; if you are having trouble handling calls, it is not recommended that you try to teach others how to do it; rather, take the training yourself and challenge yourself to improve yourself.
Step 2. Start training your team members right from the start of the call
The initial presentation and the speed with which you respond can determine the overall impression of the customer experience.
- In many cases, if the phone rings more than three times, it is too long; whoever calls begins to get bored. On the other hand, responding instantly runs the risk of frightening the caller. Try until you find a middle ground, perhaps by having them answer after the first ring, but before the second.
- Consider the importance of the opening greeting. Many people find the greeting "Hello, I'm Jack" rather annoying, as they assume that the person's real name is "I'm Jack", or that this automatic, informal response is a sign that their problem cannot be solved. A simple improvement could be: "Hello, my name is Jack, how can I help you?"
Step 3. Consider the pitch and speed of your voice
Again, consider the things that really bother you - it could be talking too fast, too slowly, too softly or too loudly, or putting too much emphasis on certain tones (such as those voices that might be described as too lively or too loud). dynamics), or overly flat tones, which reveal the lack of interest in the caller (always a risk for those who work in a telephone switchboard). Find out if your staff members show these characteristics by listening to their calls. Another thing that might bother you a lot is the near automatic replies, like when you talk to someone who is blatantly reading what they have to say somewhere, like a zombie.
Step 4. Consider the middle and end parts of a call - both are crucial parts
Many good calls are ruined by a bad ending, much as an excellent meal is ruined by the poor quality of the service at the cashier's desk before leaving - just one little thing wrong at any point in the experience of appreciating food is all it takes. meal to spoil it all.
- An almost automatic closing phrase like "Have a nice day" can upset people by leading them to the point where they no longer want to deal with your business, because if the words don't convey sincerity, they imply that customer service is just as unreliable.
- Also consider the overall length of the call. If your office usually has difficult requests that take a long time on the phone to handle, then it will need to give the customer the right attention. It is also true, however, that while limiting or shortening the duration of a call can make the other person feel diminished, prolonging it more than necessary can still become a problem. Build your team based on quality rather than quantity. An experienced employee in their business is important in the role your office plays as an expert consultant.
Step 5. Consider using video or DVD training programs
Another alternative is to use couple or group courses. Pairing people up and doing a simulation in order to develop their experience is actually very useful. By reviewing how they simulate calls, it could make them more aware of their attitude on the phone and how to self-improve.
Avoid "registrations" as a learning method. Recording and replaying calls for training purposes while everyone listens to a colleague on the phone is a rather dated method for learning sessions. This method can be a double-edged sword, because no one knows if their calls are being listened to in "Big Brother" style and it could make your employees nervous, especially during a particularly controversial call or they may not be in the mood for it
Step 6. Send your staff members to a diction class or drama / drama classes if they work for a major office
This is an excellent trick even for smaller companies. The caller may be led to think that the person on the other side of the handset is probably dressed elegantly, in a huge office, when in reality he is in a small and very normal office, or perhaps sitting in a cubicle of a large and busy call center. The techniques used on the stage are really effective and can help a person to express themselves more clearly and decisively.
A good example is the often suggested technique of smiling when answering the phone, which is also valid in the other sense; customers can sense when the person they are talking to on the phone is trying to sound happy and helpful, but they really aren't - it's like grinning through your teeth or hiding a secret, it gets felt. It is best to relax your face and throat (this is taught in drama classes) so that you can speak in a more natural and enjoyable way. A slight smile is fine, especially when it is sincere and involves not only the face, but the eyes as well
Step 7. Consider your customers' cultural influences
What is appropriate for some is often not appropriate for others, and this can cause a lot of problems when misunderstandings begin to arise.
- For example, many customers prefer to go straight to the point and appreciate speed and efficiency; however, some clients essentially prefer to "chat" for a while to create some sort of personal connection, and trust, before moving on to the main purpose of the call.
- Another important consideration is the time zone differences. In many parts of the world, telephone operators call during their daily hours, but it may not be day in the other part of the world where the customer is. Many people, when interrupted during sleep or during lunch / dinner or family time when not working, may find this interruption intolerable.
- Avoid imitating the person's accent or using informal words belonging to the customer's area or culture on the other side of the phone. In some cases it may be acceptable and may make the person receiving the call feel more comfortable, but it only happens on rare occasions. Many think that a false accent is hypocritical and dishonest, or a sign of disrespect.
Step 8. Make sure the people on the phone actually know what they are talking about
This may mean that additional product training or technical preparation may be needed, or make it clear when you need to refer the recipient to someone who can help them solve their problem as soon as possible.
For individual cases, call the employee you want to speak with. Quite often you can quickly find out what might be causing cause for concern, as while he may have mind-blowing interpersonal skills in person, he could be quite unpleasant on the phone
Step 9. Continue to monitor for changes
Interestingly, it's easier when people know how to handle a call well. From a staff of genuine and caring people, you can expect to see them flourish and possibly become a customer service manager in the near future.
For those who continue to have difficulties, or for those people who quickly return to their old habits, it could be the result of other conditions, such as relationship problems with the office or staff and / or hardware used, the system or problems with procedure. Or maybe, they just aren't suitable for this type of job. These people should be assigned tasks that do not include the use of the telephone; they should also be encouraged to improve their skills on their own, as it is not only the company that can benefit from their improvement
Advice
Don't rely on texts or a flow of calls in a certain order. If a customer wanted an automatic response, they would have relied on the internet to find their answer. The person answering the phone should be casual enough to make the words used seem like theirs. Your job is to teach them how to work on the phone, not to say exactly the words they need to use
Warnings
-
What works with one person doesn't always work well with another. It is perceived as a stretch when those who answer the phone seem to repeat what they have to say, as opposed to something they would say in their own words anyway. Some people rely on knowledge and confidence and are able to get straight to the point quickly, others rely on excuses and friendliness to control the conversation. You have to expect this behavior and you shouldn't try to control it.
Example: In a technical call center there will be a mix of "computer geeks" and individuals with a more customer service oriented attitude. "Computer geeks" will probably seem less sincere when they say things like, "I'm very sorry for your problem and we will do everything we can to find a solution", while they will convey much more confidence in saying "Don't worry, I promise we will find it soon. a solution and we'll let you know exactly what's wrong. " Those who are less inclined to technology will not have the same confidence in the second sentence, but they would certainly seem more genuine in apologizing
