call center etiquette module adeel javed (onecallsolutions)

Call Center Etiquette Module

Adeel javed (OnecallSolutions)

INTRODUCTION TO CALL CENTERS

WHAT IS A CALL CENTER?

Industry term referring to a company phone center that handles such services as help desk, customer support, lead generation, emergency response, telephone answering service, inbound response and outbound telemarketing is a call center. It is a part of an organization that handles inbound/outbound communications with customers. A call center is a central place where customer and other telephone calls are handled by an organization, usually with some amount of computer automation. Typically, a call center has the ability to handle a considerable volume of calls at the same time, to screen calls and forward those to someone qualified to handle them, and to log calls. It is a functional area within an organization or an outsourced separate facility that exists solely to answer inbound or place outbound telephone calls; usually a sophisticated voice operations center that provides a full range of high-volume, inbound or outbound call-handling services.

Call Center TrainingCall Center Training


Inbound v.s OutboundInbound v.s OutboundOutbound Inbound

An outbound call center is one in which call center agents make calls to customers on behalf of a business or client.

The outbound call centers do telemarketing, debt collection, sales, fund raising and other work that requires proactive contact with customers

An inbound call center is one that exclusively or predominately handles inbound calls (calls initiated by the customer)

The inbound call centers do Customer Support, Online Help, Bookings, Placing Orders, Resolving issues/queries etc

•Learning Skills•Communication Skills•Customer Handling Skills•Team work and Individual capabilities•Telephone Etiquettes and the ability to respond professionally to clients on the telephone •The candidate's ability to use proper grammar•Vocabulary skills relevant to a call center position•Attention to detail and ability to follow specific instructions•Basic math, logic, analytical and telephone problem solving skills•Ability to follow specific instructions•Telephone problem solving skills

Skills Necessary for a call center agent


•Avoid using Slangs.•Make use of phrases such as "May I help you", "You are welcome", and "Thank you", etc. •Put the receiver down gently. Never slam the phone. • Always speak clearly so that the other person can understand what you are saying. • When picking up the phone, it is good practice to identify your Company and yourself to the caller.• When transferring calls, make sure that you are well versed with the procedure for call transfers. It is good practice to use the name of the person you are transferring the call to. • Always adopt a pleasant tone of voice and be attentive. • When placing a call on hold, inform the caller of the same. • Don't interrupt the caller when speaking. • When initiating a call, spend a few moments to mentally prepare yourself so that you know wheat need to be said / discussed.

Phone Etiquettes


•Call center phone etiquette is much different than normal phone etiquette for individuals. The main reason for this difference is the fact that call center employees are expected to remain professional in every situation, regardless of the callers demeanor.

Phone Etiquettes


•Taking the time to hear and understand what your customers are saying is a critical component to call center telephone etiquette. When callers know you are listening to what they are saying, they feel important and respected, and the call has a higher chance for overall success.

Listen to the caller


•Be enthusiastic and upbeat. Callers can hear a frown in your voice just as easily as they can hear a smile. They'll react in a more positive manner to your voice if it sounds happy and inviting.

Be aware of the tone of your voice


•That means no checking your email, having a side conversation or reading your favorite magazine when you're supposed to be taking calls. Callers can immediately detect by your tone and speech if they are not your first priority. To provide superior customer service, callers must be the only thing you're focused on when you're working.

Drop everything else you're doing and give your

undivided attention to the caller


•Speaking through a telephone headset microphone can muffle and distort your voice. Nothing is more annoying to customers than speaking with call center agents and not being able to understand them. Take extra care in speaking slowly to ensure your customers hear every word.

Speak clearly and annunciate your words


•Again, headset microphones can muffle and distort your voice, but this is one hundred times worse when it's paired with a mouthpiece that is either too close or too far away from the agent's mouth. When the microphone is too close to your mouth, not only will your voice be uncomfortably loud to the caller on the other end of the line, but it will also be garbled and incomprehensible. If your microphone is too far away from your mouth, the caller won't be able to hear you. Check your mouthpiece often while you're working to ensure it's positioned properly based on the instructions in your headset manual (the recommended placement for the microphone on most headset models is two fingers' width from your mouth).

Be aware of the position of your headset's mouthpiece.


•Not only is it very confusing for customers to be speaking with you one second and the next second they hear music or silence, but it is also extremely rude. It's the equivalent of hanging up on a caller. What happens when someone hangs up on you? It makes you angry. The same thing happens when you put customers on hold without asking permission first.

Ask permission before putting your customer on hold


•This is particularly important if the company you're working for doesn't provide music on hold. If customers are on hold for longer than a few minutes without music, they begin to wonder if they were disconnected. If they're on hold for more than a few minutes with music, they begin to get impatient and wonder what you're doing. Did you go on a break? Did you fall asleep? Where are you? Check back in to let them know you're still working on the issue and will be back with them shortly.

Check back with your customer periodically


•Put yourself in the customer's shoes. One second they're talking to you and the next second they hear another voice. What happened to you? They're left to start from the beginning again with a different agent, which is incredibly frustrating for callers.

Ask permission before transferring callers to

another agent or department.


• Take your training seriously and keep handy documents and cheat sheets nearby to help you get through your more difficult calls. Review your training materials periodically to refresh your memory and ensure you're not only following company policies but also able to handle any call that comes your way.

Be well trained and knowledgeable


• One of the worst things you can do when taking calls is to interrupt or talk over customers. It's imperative that you communicate effectively with customers in order to provide the best service. The first step to good communication is listening to customers and understanding their requests or problems. Give them all the time they need to fully explain their situations or vent their frustrations. Listening makes customers feel important and feel like you care about them.

Don't interrupt callers when they're speaking.


• Sometimes working as a call center agent can get monotonous, but you should never let customers know you feel that way. Each call should be treated like it's your first call of the day. You should constantly convey a sense of enthusiasm and caring toward your callers. By allowing yourself to sound bored during conversations with customers, you're immediately setting those calls up for failure.

Don't sound bored or indifferent to callers' requests or questions.


• Again, approach each call as if it were your first call of the day. No callers should have the quality of their service adversely affected because of a negative call you just completed. As the phone rings after a difficult call, take a deep breath and tell yourself that just because your last call went poorly doesn't mean this one will, too. Then get ready to provide the best service you can.

Don't bring your emotions from a previous call into your current call


• As a call center agent, you are at a disadvantage because you cannot see your customers. You don't know what is happening around them. They could be stuck in traffic or trying to tend to their children while speaking with you. In fact, you could be the second or third agent they've spoken to after being transferred several times. Bottom-line, you don't know what baggage and distractions they're bringing into the call. Your job is to ignore those factors and treat customers with respect and care regardless of their potentially terse tone.

Don't let callers' negative or angry tones affect you.


• However, during normal calls when customers speak to you with tones you don't like, take the opportunity to bring in your A game and bump up your level of customer service to the peak of your ability. Working with customers with the goal of providing such good service they'll have to smile is often the best way to approach negative customers. Sometimes you'll even succeed, and they're demeanor will change before they hang up the phone. Then you can pat yourself on the back knowing you performed your job well, and get ready for the next call.

Don't let callers' negative or angry tones affect you.


• When you're speaking through a telephone headset, your voice can be muffled and difficult to understand. Additionally, you aren't always aware of callers' education levels or familiarity with the English language (or the language you're using when taking calls). It is imperative that you are conscious of the rate of your speech and prepared to adjust according to your callers' cues. Are they asking you to repeat yourself? That's a good sign you need to slow down.

Don't speak too quickly


• It's bad enough that telephone headsets muffle your voice, but speaking to callers while you're eating, drinking or chewing gum makes your words unintelligible. Not only is it difficult for customers to understand you, but the sound of chewing and drinking is amplified when you're talking on the phone. While you may think you're chewing quietly, to your customers it may sound very different.

Don't eat, drink or chew gum while you're speaking with customers.


• Pay attention to your breathing pattern when you're speaking with customers. Your breathing is amplified in the mouthpiece of your headset, and you don't want to sound like a prank caller to your customer.

Don't breathe loudly into the

mouthpiece of your headset.


• Recognize when a question or problem is beyond your ability to handle and find the appropriate person to accept a transfer from you. Providing misinformation can have detrimental effects to customers. Don't let your ego get in the way of providing great customer service every time you pick up the phone.

Don't make up information


• Remember to say please and thank you. These words go a long way to showing the customer you respect them and value their business.

Don't forget your manners


• Handling Angry Callers Effectively is Critical to Success as a Call Center Agent.

• As a telephone customer service agent, you are often the first contact a customer has with a company. When you're working with customers directly, you'll eventually have to help customers who are irate. During these conversations, it's important to focus on your job and solving the problem at hand. You're being paid to assist customers - the good and the bad. Take a deep breath and follow these tips to successfully handle angry callers.

Angry Customers


• Regardless of the negative attitudes or unpleasant tones of angry callers, it is essential that you, the customer service representative, do not get emotional, too. The first key to successfully handling these calls is to remember not to personalize anything these callers say to you. The easiest way to do this is to remember not to react to anything angry callers say. Instead, take a moment to hear what they're saying and offer a response that will help calm them rather than incite them. Using phrases like, "I hear what you're saying," or "I understand," can help calm angry callers.

Don't Personalize


• Don't interrupt angry callers Be patient and let them finish speaking. Sometimes they just need to vent their frustrations then they can relax a bit and work with you as you try to resolve their problem. Sometimes they aren't interested in getting help at all. Instead, they may simply want to voice their anger and complaint. If the customer knows you're listening and want to help them, there is a strong likelihood they'll calm down.

Listen and Be Patient


• A critical component to successfully handling angry callers is to apologize to them. Even if you know the customer is wrong, take a moment to apologize for the inconvenience the confusion caused. Many angry callers simply want acknowledgement from the company that a mistake was made. For other callers, an apology is the first step to overcoming their anger and opening a dialogue about resolving the problem

Empathize


• A critical component to successfully handling angry callers is to apologize to them. Even if you know the customer is wrong, take a moment to apologize for the inconvenience the confusion caused. Many angry callers simply want acknowledgement from the company that a mistake was made. For other callers, an apology is the first step to overcoming their anger and opening a dialogue about resolving the problem.

Apologize


• As the customer service representative, it is your responsibility to resolve customers' problems. Once you've identified the problem, you need to take responsibility for finding a solution that not only follows company policies but also satisfies the customer. If you aren't able to resolve the customer's problem immediately, offer reassurance that the problem is being worked on and will be resolved for the customer. Provide details about the next steps you or the company will take to resolve the problem and ensure the customer leaves with realistic expectations at the end of the call.

Offer Solutions


• Your goal is to bring closure to every call whether that means a completed sale, a change of address or resolution to a problem from an angry caller.

• By working with this goal in mind each time you answer the phone, you'll be setting yourself up for success, and you'll be offering customers first-rate service.

Bring Closure


Customer Service Module


•Any or all interactions which the customer has with your organization while conducting business

•It is the ability to provide a service or product in the way it has been promised

•It is also about treating customers with respect, individuality, and personal attention

Customer Service


• Improve comfort and confidence of the customer over the counter• Use customer-service strategies that get results• Enhance the public’s image of the Company by providing superior

customer service over the counter

• Understand the importance of Customer & Customer Service

• Identify Internal & External customers

• Understand Moment of Truth & Service-Profit Chain

• Understand & create Customer Delight

• Practice complaint handling skills

• Tips to practice & demonstrate good customer service

Objectives


At the end of this training, you will be able to define and describe:

• A Customer’s Basic Needs• 5 Dimensions of Customer Service• How to Manage a “ Customer”• Projecting a Positive Image• Techniques for handling difficult situations

Objectives


Customer service is one of the most important fields in today's world. Companies and organizations of all kinds have to make sure that the people they serve are well taken care of today because consumers have high expectations due to global commercial culture's insistence on customer care


•The most important person in any business.• Is not dependent on us. We are dependent on them.•Is not an interruption of our work, but the purpose of it.•Is part of our business – not an outsider. •Does us a favor when they come in. We aren’t doing them a favor by serving them.

Who are Customers?


•A customer is not just money in the cash register. They are human beings with feelings and deserve to be treated with respect.•Is a person who comes to us with their needs and wants. It is our job to fill them.•Deserves the most courteous attention we can give them. They are the lifeblood of every business.

Who are Customers?


•G – Greet the customer

•U – Understand customer needs

•E – Explain features and benefits

•S – Suggest additional items

•T – Thank the customer

Customer Service - GUEST


•A typical dissatisfied customer will tell 8-10 people about their problem.•7 out of 10 complaining customers will do business with you again if you resolve the complaint in their favor.•If you resolve a complaint on the spot, 95% will do business again.

Facts about Customers


•The Customer is the business’ biggest asset•The Customer pays all our salaries wages and bonuses•The customer will go where he/she receives the best attention•There is no profit, no growth, no jobs without the customer

Hence, You must be your customers’ best choice!

Facts about Customers


When a moment of Truth for a customer has been a negative experience, it becomes a Moment of Misery.

On the other hand, when the interaction has been extremely positive, it becomes a Moment of Magic for the customer

Moment of Truth


•Accuracy•Friendliness•Timeliness•Efficiency•Courtesy•Honesty

What qualities are important to ourcustomers?


The Bridge to Our Customers

Customer Delight


•Exceeding customers’ expectation is delighting customers•The customer reacts with a “wow” in return for the product/service•Every interaction with the customer has an opportunity to create delight•The challenge is to consistently maintain the delight factor

Customer Delight


Verbal Communication: Listening

Effective Active Listening

Visualize

EncourageCustomer to Talk

Make NoAssumptions

Paraphrase& Repeat

MonitorNon-Verbal

PayAttention

*Remember “Life is what happens while you're making other plans.


You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. When someone contacts your company for the first time – whether via telephone, Internet, or in person – remember just how important that first impression can be.Making that stranger feel wanted and appreciated can turn him or her into a lifetime advocate for your service or product offerings, whether he buys or not.

Customer Care Skills


The Ability to Listen Closely to Customers

•This is the number one skill because, in essence, this is what the job itself is all about. All other customer service skills pale in comparison to this particular one because if a customer service rep is not listening to the customer they are never going to be able to provide good service.

•Not only do you need to be able to hear what they are telling you in terms of sheer data, you need to be able to try to understand what they mean by what they are saying. This is one of those customer service skills that is most often polished over an entire career, but it begins with a willingness to listen and listen closely.

10 Essential Customer Service Skills


Clear Verbal Communication

•Aside from being able to listen, you also need to be able to communicate verbally with the customer. While written communication is another of the customer service skills you'll want to master, it is verbal communication that is most often used in today's call centers.

•The purpose of this kind of communication is to not just repeat a spiel or information to the customer, but to make sure that they understood what you said. You will need proper speaking skills, good grammar and the ability to choose the right mode of speaking for the person on the other end of the line.



Ability to Empathize

•This is an ability that will most likely be honed over time and it is one of the customer service skills that can actually erode for some who have been in this industry for a while. You need to be able to listen and actually involve yourself in what the customer is telling you about their situation.• If you are only following policy and not listening, you may miss important special considerations that need to be taken into account in order for customer service to be kept at a high quality level. Empathy is sensing and understanding the emotions of others and of all the customer service skills, some will argue that this is most important. Those who are good at empathy can often win the trust of even the most dissatisfied customers because those customers will feel they have someone on their side at last.



Data Entry and Basic Computer Skills

•Most of your other skills are about dealing with people, but some customer service skills are about things you need to do for the company. In nearly all cases, you will be working with some sort of computer program that needs you to record data about your call.

•It is important that you can type quickly so that customers do not have to wait and that you understand the basics of using a computer and software so that you can properly perform your job.



Understanding Human Psychology

•While everyone is certainly different, there are commonalities among us as human beings. For those who take the time to study at least some basic psychology, the job of helping people over the phone is much easier to do.

•This can often help you defuse tense situations and anticipate what a customer wants before he or she verbalizes it. This is one skill that can impress customers and your superiors alike.



Basic Acting Skills

•The fact is, sometimes in order to maintain professionalism you are going to have to put on a mask of friendliness and concern. This does not mean you are attempting to deceive anyone for a nefarious purpose, but it is important to know how to do. Even if a customer is irritating you, it is not appropriate to act irritated.

•Basic acting can help you present certain information in a more cheerful and upbeat tone, make sure your body language and facial expressions convey what you mean to say and generally help you get into the mindset you must be in so that you can do your job well.



Ability to Memorize Protocol and Guidelines

•Most customer service positions are within companies that have official ways of handling calls. You will need to be able to not just look over the rules, but actually internalize them.

•You need to understand the guidelines and then use them the way they are intended. Those who follow the rules best usually end up working at a company the longest.



Time Management Skills

•No one appreciates those that waste time. This is a skill you need for nearly any job, but in customer service those who waste time keep customers waiting. That's not very good service.



Management of Personal Emotions

•While you can certainly act the opposite of how you feel, it is important to deal with your own emotions.

•If you can learn to manage your emotions in healthy, productive ways, the stress of customer service positions will be water off a duck's back to you.



Situation Evaluation and Analysis

•Many times, in customer service work, you will encounter a problem that is not covered in the company's guidelines. When this happens, you are going to need to evaluate the situation and decide whether or not you need a supervisor present. One of the most important customer service skills to have is being able to decide whether or not a person is being honest or trying to deceive you. To do this, you have to be able to analyze data and, preferably, do this quickly.



• Do my current skills help reduce my stress when dealing with difficult calls?

• Do I enjoy being at work when I make a valuable contribution to the company?

• Does the company save money when I provide accurate and responsive customer service over the phone?

• Do I feel personally satisfied when I’m doing a great job?

Questions to Ask Yourself


Be There

• Be present while you’re doing what you’re doing

• Listen for content AND emotion– doesn’t take any more time

• Don’t let tasks get in the way of your real work of serving the customer

• Antidote to being tired is being fully present (not necessarily doing less)


Make Their Day

• Make the world a better place to one person at a time

• Something unexpected• Don’t exclude the difficult co-workers or

customers• Make it a challenge to do everyday!


• Every customer is an opportunity to enhance customer relations, your image, and the image of the company.

• Remember: The typical person tells 20 people about a negative experience and tells only 5 people about a positive experience.

Why Should You Improve?


• To be recognized and remembered• To feel valued• To feel appreciated• To feel respected• To feel understood• To feel comfortable about a want or needView every one (both internal and external) as a

customer

The Basic Needs of Customers


Satisfying customers over the telephone is often more challenging than serving face-to-face.In case you need to handle a customer’s call


1. Professionalism2. Speedy Responses3. Accurate Information4. Genuine Concern5. Reliable Follow-through

5 Dimensions of Customers Service


1. Professionalism - use thank you and please, control background noise, don’t use office-specific jargon or acronyms

2. Speedy Responses - predict follow-up time, don’t pad conversation with idle chatter, don’t take more than 24 hours to return a call, time is money

5 Dimensions


3. Accurate Information - use easy-to understand examples, don’t blame others, don’t use outdated material

4. Genuine Concern - use empathy, don’t judge caller’s feelings, don’t let one negative call “bleed” into another

5. Reliable Follow-up - responsibility to carry out promised action

5 Dimensions


The Engine that drives excellent service

forward.

The key ingredient in providing the 5 Dimensions of Customer Service.

Positive Attitude


1. Creates goodwill with customer2. Reduces the potential for irritating the caller3. Lessens stress for you4. Helps you enjoy your job more5. Creates a more productive work environment

Advantages of a Positive Attitude


• Keep organized work space• Make conscious effort to be positive• Link being positive with consequences• Choose role model who is positive• Focus on the caller’s needs instead of your own• Feelings are a choice

Projecting a Positive Attitude


• Answer Promptly• Greet the Caller and Identify Yourself• Offer to Help• Listen Carefully• Use Caller’s name

How to manage a customer


“Thank you for calling Cost Plus Sofas, this is Allan, how may I help you today?”

“Yes, Mary, I will check on the status of your order. Would you like to hold, or would you prefer I call you back in a few minutes with an answer?”

Example


• Word choices seem simple, but small changes make a dramatic difference

• Positive phrasing creates an environment where caller can respond with an open mind

Applying Positive Attitude to Create Positive Impressions


• Avoid blind transfers– Ask the caller whether he or she can hold– Tell caller to whom they’re being transferred– Briefly introduce the caller to the coworker

• Closing the Call– Close Call Formally– Repeat action you agreed to take– Say “Good-bye” instead of “Bye-bye”

Managing the Call


• Keep it short• Give your availability• Repeat name and phone number at the end• Close with “Thank-you”

Voice Mail


• Recognizing the Signs of an Angry Customers:– High-pitch speech– Long pauses– Sighs– Demands– Short-terse answers– Volume gets louder

Angry Customers


1. Deal with feelings first. Listen and respond with empathy.

2. Ask questions to get specifics about the complaint3. Summarize caller’s problem to get agreement4. Offer a choice of alternatives to fix the problem5. Let the customer decide which alternative to use6. Follow through on what you agree to do7. When possible, do something extra

7 Steps for Resolving the Angry Customer’s Problem


A slight mistake has made this customerMad.

How to handle?•Let the customer finish talking. Don’t interrupt. Use the pressure cooker method•Be firm and polite else they may not be happy

Angry Customer


The customer who wants more than youcan offer. They are not easily satisfied.

How to Handle?•Be firm yet polite•Be professional•Avoid being too docile but not rude

Demanding Customer


The Customer who listens to you. Is quitemeek and extra polite. Will sound apologeticwhen complain.

How to handle?•Listen carefully what they have to say•Sound professional and don’t brush them aside•Gain their confidence

Passive Customer


Definition:• A customer who goes beyond expressing

anger about a problem and begins attacking the person handling the him/her

• Often includes swearing and personal attacks

Abusive Customers


Abusive Customers: • Stay Calm • You’re not the target• Give customer warning

– “I beg your pardon?”– “I don’t appreciate the language you are using.”– “If you aren’t able to talk with me without

swearing, I will have to end this call.”• If it goes beyond your control , inform your boss

immediate

Handling Abusive Customers


• Customer uses another language-don’t increase volume, try simple phrases

• Customer is mentally challenged-gear level of language, focus on critical information, summarize for agreement

• Customer asks for manager- try to address the problem yourself, ask if they can hold, inform manager

More Difficult Situations


THANK YOU


Questions Please?

call center etiquette module adeel javed (onecallsolutions)

Documents

inbound calls

center phone etiquette

center agents

company phone center

skills ability

place outbound telephone

center position attention

skills skills necessary