Customer Service by phone; 12 ideas to improve this
Do you have a customer service or do you work at a customer service center?
If you have experience in customer service by phone, you may know that this is a very important part of any company or institution. In order to improve it, there are some simple ideas that can work very well. Let’s have a look at some.
– Be quick
Do you want your customers to grow old while waiting for you to answer their calls? then stop watching videos of that lovebird in knit sweaters and pick up that phone now! There is nothing worse than a long wait or having to call many times to be listened to. Speed up your phone service and things will get better.
– Make sure the waiting is not annoying
If you have to leave the customer on hold for a few seconds – for example because a technician is taking care of resolving the problem – make sure the wait is not overwhelming. If you use a musical tone to avoid leaving them in silence, make sure it is not a loud music or with lyrics ( this can be annoying). And if you see that an excessive amount of time has passed, interrupt the waiting as many times as necessary to speak directly with the user, apologize for the delay and let them know that you are working to solve the problem.
– Use an appropriate tone of voice
Would you feel well treated if you were to call a customer service centre and be answered by a screaming voice? and if you had to stick the phone to your ear because the person who answers you does not speak, but whispers? The tone of voice is the basis of telephone communication. It must be nice, optimistic – without being too casual – and neither too high nor too low. Don’t let your customers go deaf or make them think they are.
– Use the “phone smile”
Haven’t you heard of it? Believe it or not, if you or your people smile when you talk on the phone, the customer will notice it. The telephone smile influences the tone of your voice and will help you find the right inflection and be more optimistic without even realizing it. Therefore, even if the client cannot see you, you will transmit more positivity.
– Use a basic greeting
You don’t have to list all the names, nicknames, titles of yourself and your company, as if you were announcing Daenerys Targaryen. Just give the name of the person who answers, the name of the company, and say a short, friendly greeting. No kingdoms, no dragons.
– Listen to the client
Once the introductions have been made, it is necessary to show interest in the client’s problems. You have to let them explain themselves to you to find out what they need. Don’t interrupt them (“unless you see them start telling you irrelevant things, such as their niece Paquita’s wedding menu) and show them that you’re taking everything they say into account. And, of course, take note of all the key aspects that can help you solve their problems.
– Be positive and diligent with them
If you have a customer service or work in one of them you don’t have to listen to the users’ pain, but to help them solve their problems or clarify their doubts about your products or services. Therefore, in addition to being kind and listening to them, you should do everything possible to solve the problem or pass it on to the people trained to do so. In any case, let them know that you will do everything in your power to resolve the situation.
– Be polite
Sometimes the client will have a bad day or will simply be rude. At other times, you may be nervous because you have a problem that seriously affects you. Be empathetic, patient and don’t lose your temper. Don’t take it personally. Be polite.
– Explain yourself properly
Alfredo, a 96-year-old retired man, doesn’t need to know what a wavelength multiplexing is. Come down from your watchtower to Planet Earth and explain things clearly. Take your time, don’t create misunderstandings just to save a few seconds. Use language that the client will understand, and especially don’t lie to them.
– Always provide an answer
There’s nothing worse than leaving a call unresolved. Never say something like “we can’t help you now” or “call back later”. If it is not possible to solve the problem at the moment -for example, because it is an incident that requires the intervention of a technician- make it very clear that you are going to start working to solve the problem and, if possible, set a deadline for its resolution.
– Be professional and hire professionals
Not everyone has the attitude to work in a customer service environment. In order to do this without having to jump out of the window, it is necessary to be a kind, optimistic, patient and very professional person. In addition, it is good to know the tools that are available to carry out the work.
– Have the proper tools for the service to work well
Customer service by phone is very important for any company, and requires specific tools so that it can be carried out in a professional and efficient manner. You need to know that in order to provide good customer service in the 21st century, there are tools that can help you, such as incident management systems.
And now let us present Integria IMS to you. Integria IMS is a software that, among other features, has a ticket-based incident management system that can be a great help for a customer service or a Customer Service Center.
If you want to know what the helpdesk solution can do for you, please visit the Integria IMS website.
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