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Telephone customer service may look easy, but until you\u2019re responsible for navigating the world of tough calls, it\u2019s difficult to appreciate the kicking, blocking, and sparring skills some customers have perfected.<\/p>\nTelephone customer service may look easy, but until you\u2019re responsible for navigating the world of tough calls, it\u2019s difficult to appreciate the kicking, blocking, and sparring skills some customers have perfected.<\/p>\n
Luckily, there are some proven moves for handling difficult calls and doing so in a way that keeps customers coming back.\u00a0These three specific moves, when used with precision, can improve interactions with challenging callers.<\/p>\n
Move One: Set the Stage from the Start<\/strong> Here\u2019s how it works. Thank callers for dialing in and letting them know you are glad to hear from them. “Mrs. Smith, I\u2019m so happy you called. How is your morning going? Allow for a minute of chit chat. Well, I sure am glad\/sorry to hear that. What is it that I can do for you today?”\u00a0Now, if you ask, \u201cHow is your morning going\u201d and you\u2019re told, \u201cfine,\u201d move on to helping the caller. The person is probably not a long talker, but you won\u2019t know for sure until you test the waters.<\/p>\n Your expression of interest at the start of a conversation gives people the feeling you don\u2019t find them to be a burden. Communicating that is especially important in environments that serve a lot of callers who are routinely blown off by most of the people they interact with.<\/p>\n Why does this tactic work? Long talkers almost expect you to rush the conversation and try to escape, just as everyone else does. But when you don\u2019t follow that pattern, these people tend to be pleasantly surprised, and they have less of an urge to try to keep you on the line.<\/p>\n Showing genuine interest is a win-win for you and your callers. Does this mean you should be prepared to spend an extra 20 minutes with everyone who dials in? No. You are, however, on the phone to be compassionate and kind. The extra niceties shouldn\u2019t take you but a minute or two. What\u2019s more, if you master them, you\u2019ll find that your overall call length will decrease, and the frequency of dial-ins from long callers will decline.<\/p>\n Move Two: \u201cNo\u201d Know-How<\/strong> Scenario One<\/em> The second choice is preferable to the customer because while the \u201cwhat\u201d is obviously the same, the \u201chow\u201d makes a difference. There are reasons why option two is a service-centric response, in comparison to the dismissive nature of option one:<\/p>\n Move Three: Suggest a Close<\/strong> During telephone interactions, you don\u2019t have the luxury of body language, so you\u2019ll need to use a different move to draw calls to a natural close. Although these ideas are not as simple as saying, \u201cMrs. Green, I\u2019m picking up my purse,\u201d they\u2019re close.\u00a0Let\u2019s look at a few examples:<\/p>\n Each of those closes suggests the end is near, and each is tailored for a certain kind of customer.<\/p>\n Option one would work well for someone in need of service and a friend. Option two is a good choice for situations where you have to say \u201cno,\u201d and you want to reinforce the idea that you are empathetic. Option three is a winner when you have callers who repeat themselves.<\/p>\n Being a Telephone Ninja when ending calls is part art and part science. Refining your master moves requires precision and practice. But as the saying goes, \u201cno pain, no gain.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Telephone customer service may look easy, but until you\u2019re responsible for navigating the world of tough calls, it\u2019s difficult to appreciate the kicking, blocking, and sparring skills some customers have perfected. Luckily, there are some proven moves for handling difficult calls and doing so in a way that keeps customers coming back.\u00a0These three specific moves, when used with precision, can improve interactions with challenging callers. Move One: Set the Stage from the Start The first tactic is designed to help service providers end calls with long talkers when the conversation gets to the point where there is no additional business to be done. Because you can\u2019t always identify a long talker at the beginning of a call, it\u2019s a good idea to start most of your interactions using this move. Here\u2019s how it works. Thank callers for dialing in and letting them know you are glad to hear from them. “Mrs. Smith, I\u2019m so happy you called. How is your morning going? Allow for a minute of chit chat. Well, I sure am glad\/sorry to hear that. What is it that I can do for you today?”\u00a0Now, if you ask, \u201cHow is your morning going\u201d and you\u2019re told, \u201cfine,\u201d move on to helping the caller. The person is probably not a long talker, but you won\u2019t know for sure until you test the waters. Your expression of interest at the start of a conversation gives people the feeling you don\u2019t find them to be a burden. Communicating that is especially important in environments that serve a lot of callers who are routinely blown off by most of the people they interact with. Why does this tactic work? Long talkers almost expect you to rush the conversation and try to escape, just as everyone else does. But when you don\u2019t follow that pattern, these people tend to be pleasantly surprised, and they have less of an urge to try to keep you on the line. Showing genuine interest is a win-win for you and your callers. Does this mean you should be prepared to spend an extra 20 minutes with everyone who dials in? No. You are, however, on the phone to be compassionate and kind. The extra niceties shouldn\u2019t take you but a minute or two. What\u2019s more, if you master them, you\u2019ll find that your overall call length will decrease, and the frequency of dial-ins from long callers will decline. Move Two: \u201cNo\u201d Know-How In the service business, from time to time the answer is \u201cno.\u201d How you communicate this message can have a lot to do with how palatable it is. Here\u2019s how to employ \u201cno\u201d know-how, with the backdrop set at a property management company. Scenario One Someone is in a resident\u2019s preferred parking space, and there is no assigned parking in the complex. Choice One: Mr. Jones, there are no assigned parking spaces in your building. Choice Two: Mr. Jones, I hear you. I\u2019d love to have an assigned parking space myself. Let me take a look at the lease for your building. Please give me a minute. Pause. Mr. Jones, the lease for your building does not provide for assigned spots. I know you like your spot, and I wish I could tell you it was yours and only yours, but I wouldn\u2019t be telling the truth if I did. At this point, you have to hope your favorite parking place is empty when you want it because it can\u2019t be reserved. The second choice is preferable to the customer because while the \u201cwhat\u201d is obviously the same, the \u201chow\u201d makes a difference. There are reasons why option two is a service-centric response, in comparison to the dismissive nature of option one: The service representative is repeating what she\u2019s been told; never mind that she already knows the building doesn\u2019t have assigned spaces. But by repeating Mr. Jones\u2019s complaint, she\u2019s showing she\u2019s listening. She\u2019s agreeing that having an assigned space is preferable. Agreeing with the statement shows she connects with caller\u2019s desires. It doesn\u2019t mean she\u2019s going to change the rules. When she pauses before breaking the bad news, she shows she is serious about the question and shifts the focus from herself to the lease. In other words, she\u2019s communicating that the disagreement is between the terms of the lease and the caller and not the caller and herself. Finally, she ends by reinforcing that she understands Mr. Jones, and she wishes the answer were different. Move Three: Suggest a Close When you are interacting with people in person, you can use body language to suggest it\u2019s time to move on. Body language is powerful. During telephone interactions, you don\u2019t have the luxury of body language, so you\u2019ll need to use a different move to draw calls to a natural close. Although these ideas are not as simple as saying, \u201cMrs. Green, I\u2019m picking up my purse,\u201d they\u2019re close.\u00a0Let\u2019s look at a few examples: Mrs. Jones, I certainly have enjoyed talking to you, and I don\u2019t want to tie up your afternoon. Let me go ahead and make a note that you called about this, and then I\u2019ll let you get back to your day. Mr. Smith, I\u2019m sorry I wasn\u2019t able to give you the answer you were hoping for. I certainly prefer it when that\u2019s not the case. Before we hang up, is there anything else I can answer for you? Mr. Allen, you\u2019ve certainly shared a lot with me (repeat the facts). Is there anything else I need to ask before I hang up and start researching the answer? Each of those closes suggests the end is near, and each is tailored for a certain kind of customer. Option one would work well for someone in need of service and a friend. Option two is a good choice for situations where you have to say \u201cno,\u201d and you want to reinforce the idea that you are empathetic. Option three is a winner when you have callers who repeat themselves. Being a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[79,1650,1638],"tags":[3031],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22929"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22929"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22931,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22929\/revisions\/22931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe first tactic is designed to help service providers end calls with long talkers when the conversation gets to the point where there is no additional business to be done. Because you can\u2019t always identify a long talker at the beginning of a call, it\u2019s a good idea to start most of your interactions using this move.<\/p>\n
\nIn the service business, from time to time the answer is \u201cno.\u201d How you communicate this message can have a lot to do with how palatable it is. Here\u2019s how to employ \u201cno\u201d know-how, with the backdrop set at a property management company.<\/p>\n
\nSomeone is in a resident\u2019s preferred parking space, and there is no assigned parking in the complex.
\nChoice One: Mr. Jones, there are no assigned parking spaces in your building.
\nChoice Two: Mr. Jones, I hear you. I\u2019d love to have an assigned parking space myself. Let me take a look at the lease for your building. Please give me a minute. Pause. Mr. Jones, the lease for your building does not provide for assigned spots. I know you like your spot, and I wish I could tell you it was yours and only yours, but I wouldn\u2019t be telling the truth if I did. At this point, you have to hope your favorite parking place is empty when you want it because it can\u2019t be reserved.<\/p>\n\n
\nWhen you are interacting with people in person, you can use body language to suggest it\u2019s time to move on. Body language is powerful.<\/p>\n\n