What happens during the first 30 seconds of a support call sets the stage for the entire and could determine whether the customer relationship will be a long, happy one or short-lived. Join us for a live Webinar with Rich Gallagher, Great Customer Connections author and former customer support executive, who will share proven best practices strategies for building a solid rapport in 30 seconds, setting expectations, defusing hostility and more. You will also learn how remote-support technology helps you maximise your impact within the first 30 seconds of a support call by enabling you to see the problem, diagnose it and effectively resolve it - ensuring a healthy, long-lasting customer relationship.

1. The Power of 30 Seconds
Best Practices for Exceptional Support
Listen to audio over your computer speakers
or you may phone in:
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We will begin at approximately 11am Australian EST

2. Introduction to Moderator
Catriona Wallace
Director, callcentres.net

3. #30Seconds

4. Welcome Webinar Attendees
1. Viewer Window 2. Control Panel
Type your question here

5. Introduction to Speakers
Rich Gallagher,
President, Point of Contact Group
Brenda Dentinger,
Product Marketing, Citrix Online

6. What we will learn today
Steps for coaching your team to manage the first 30 seconds of a
support transaction
Set customer expectations, establish trust and measure the
effectiveness of the interaction
Leverage remote-support technology to quickly diagnose and
resolve technical issues

7. Introduction:
A tale of two support calls

8. What happens in the first 30
seconds?
Your agents create psychological
triggers that govern the other person’s
response
They broadcast their own level of
competence
They build a level of trust that affects
the life cycle of the entire transaction

9. Polling Question
How do you think most people on your team would
respond when a customer says “I’m at the end of my
rope with this problem.”?
1. Uh-oh ... it’s going to be a long call.
2. I am good at turning situations like this around.
3. My job would be easier if people didn’t dramatise
everything.
4. This person could be legitimately frustrated …
or high-maintenance.

10. The first step:
The inner game of customer support
What people think before they speak determines how the first 30 seconds will go
•Tone of voice
•The words they choose
•How they react

11. The science of our “vibes”: Common
thinking traps
Negative expectation: the presumption things will go wrong
“Here comes another demanding customer”
Stereotyping: assuming patterns in people
“These kids/elderly/non-native speakers take up a lot of my time”
Personalisation: it’s all about me
“This person’s frustration is directed at me, not their computer problem”

12. Managing your “vibes”
Unconditional positive regard: imagine one good thing about the
customer
“This person cares about doing a good job”
Reframing: choose an alternate description for the situation
Turn “she is wasting my time” to “she is detail-oriented and I can help”
Reattribution: seek other causes for customer emotions
“She may be shy, not passive-aggressive”

13. The second step:
The first things you say
Opening statements – particularly after your company’s scripted greeting –
set the tone
There is no one universal effective opening statement
Effective openings are:
Sincere
Appropriate
Benefit the customer

14. An example of an effective opening
Step 1: “Welcome to XYZ company. May I have
your name?”
Step 2: “Hello (name), what can I do for you
today?”
Step 3: Paraphrase the customer response

15. Polling Question
How do you think most people on your team would
respond when a customer tells him/her that their
software is not working?
1. “I am sorry to hear that.”
2. “I understand.”
3. “So your software stopped working on you. Let’s
take a look at what happened.”
4. “Can you tell me more about what happened?”

16. The third step:
Your initial response
Many standard “support” responses create bad reactions
Repeating customer issue word-for-word
Asking questions before acknowledging customer
Using catch phrases
The best first response is a three-step process:
Paraphrase customer statements
Acknowledge the customer’s agenda
Make an action statement

17. The three octane levels of
acknowledgment
Level 1: Observation
“I can see this software problem is really
frustrating you.”
Level 2: Validation
“No one likes to have their word processor
freeze.”
Level 3: Identification
“I would be unhappy if my bill wasn’t correct
either.”

18. Canning the catch phrase:
Words to avoid in the first 30 seconds
Avoid these phrases like the plague:
“I’m sorry” – usually followed by “but”
“I understand” – no you don’t
“You’ll have to” – no one “has” to do anything
Because of overuse, people process these phrases to
mean “I don’t care”
The sentiments are OK, just choose different words

19. The fourth step:
The “Quiz Show” technique
Wording things in the form of a
question shows interest and gathers
data
Helps transaction become much less
likely to become adversarial

20. The anatomy of a good question
Good questions are targeted, relevant, benefit-driven, and respectful
The best questions link to the customer’s own statements
“Since you started getting that error message, has your system
performance changed?”
The worst questions are scripted, off-topic, and unexplained
“I have a disk drive error.” “What version of the operating system are you
using?”

21. Summary
You can teach people how create a great service
experience in 30 seconds or less
Customers respond to:
What you are thinking
Opening statements
First responses
Good questions
The right communications skills integrate with tools
like GoToAssist

22. Augmenting Communication with
Remote Support Technology
1. Connect Instantly to See
Problems
2. Collaborate to Solve Complex
Issues
3. Get Customer Feedback
4. Monitor & Analyse Performance
5. Define and Reach ROI

23. # 1: Connect Instantly to See Problem
Initiate Session via Web or Phone

24. # 2: Collaborate to Solve Complex Problems
1st to Market
END‐USER
TIER 1
TIER 2
ESCALATED TIERS
VISIBLE INVISIBLE
OR MANAGER SILENT MONITORING

25. # 3: Get Customer Feedback
Post-session surveys and online reporting provide
immediate, measurable feedback on the end-user
experience
Jerry did an excellent job. What a life
saver.
Excerpt from Management Reporting

26. # 4: Monitor and Analyse Performance
Reporting Real-time Monitoring Session Playback Administration

27. # 5: Define and Achieve ROI Goals
Develop Clear and Measurable Goals
FCR C-SAT ROI
% % $

28. Win a copy of How to Tell Anyone Anything
Question
How many remote support sessions can
a GoToAssist subscriber conduct per
month?
Answer
Unlimited.

29. Questions & Answers

30. Get Started Today!
Complimentary Trial
1800 451 485
www.gotoassist.com
+61 2 8870 0870
Look for a Link to the Recorded Session within 24 Hours

31. More Power of 30 Seconds related information:
To learn more about today’s topic, visit
www.greatcustomerconnections.com
Rich Gallagher’s communication skills training programs,
visit www.pointofcontactgroup.com
To contact Rich:
Email: gallagher@pointofcontactgroup.com
Twitter: @gallagherPOC