8. They are the first in the organization to notice changing trends in the market – such as the perspective towards the company.They are well positioned to take the pulse and temperature of the business on a daily basis. They face the brunt of irate customer and frustrated prospects the most. Being prepared with a good script and issues handling techniques will enable the caller to face negations and turn them into positive opportunities.
9. Telephone Etiquettes Smile. It can alter your voice. Sit up and take a deep breath. It is relaxing and will take the tension out of your voice. Be conscious of all background noise. Respond as quickly as possible, without interrupting the customer. Speak clearly. Be courteous. Treat callers as you would like to be treated. Listen carefully. It is the best way to clearly understand a customer’s needs. Evaluate the urgency of the customer’s issue by asking questions. Find out the implications. Do not draw a conclusion until all of the information has been presented. If you believe that additional time is needed to research the issue, discuss options with the customer.
10. Telephone Etiquettes Contd… Once the issue is resolved, be certain that the customer is satisfied with the resolution. Fully document all of the details in the database. Do not place a customer on hold unless it is absolutely necessary. If you need to place a customer on hold, then explain how long you expect to be away from the telephone. Obtain permission for putting them on hold. Always check back with the caller if you are longer than expected. Ask if they would prefer you to call them back by a certain time. Always thank the caller for holding.
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12. Taking one step forward and owing up to the situation is like taking responsibility to make things right. IT’s natural of humans to like it.
13. Irate prospects and customers, when complaining about receiving repeated cold calls, unsettled bills or delay in delivery like to hear such soothing words; of course they need to be meant by action.
14. GOLDEN RULE: IF you want to control and maneuver the call in the right direction, then you ought to take ownership of the situation and take corrective actions.
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16. Identify the caller: It feels good to be on the caller end and being addressed by the receiver by name directly even before asking for details.
17. Qualify the call: Immediately on being connected, we need to understand the need of the customer
18. Provide Solution: Map the solution to the prospect’s problem with the product / service that best fits from your offerings.
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20. On Hold Script: “Mr. Cooper, welcome to ABC Corp. My name is Alex and I’d be happy to assist you. Please allow me to place you on hold for not more than 2 minutes as I retrieve all your previous records and understand your problem better”
21. Apologetic Script: “Mr. Cooper, welcome to ABC Corp. We apologize for your situation and will try our best for a resolution during this call. My name is Alex and I am your resolution associate during this call.”
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24. Identify and Understand the caller’s reason to call and give the caller a listening ear to make him comfortable.
25. As soon as you take command of the call, summarize the conversation so far and provide a resolution which best fits the caller’s needs
27. Refrain from using negative phrases like “I am not available”, “This cannot be resolved”, “This is impossible” or “We do not provide this service” during a call. Rather, maneuver the call to a different direction if required.
28. Never stick to a calling script and NEVER READ a SCRIPT during a call. Scripts are for understanding but not using per se.