For many organizations, interaction over the phone has become the primary means of communication between customer and the organization. Telephone courtesy and customer service are now intricately linked so much so that the face of the organization is actually expressed through the person behind the telephone. Choice of words, attitude and the willingness to address customer needs are the reflection of customer service.
The following are a few tips which are essential to a positive customer experience:
1. Start Well
After your introduction, the next word that would be important will be your courteous invitation for the client to express the needs or area of service which you can help to address. The typical questions that are usually used here are “Can I help you?” or “How may I help you?” There are differences in the usage of these two questions, the latter question is the preferred one simply because you are no longer asking whether you can help the client which is now a given. Your question is how you may help the customer.
2. Smile when you talk
It is often said that people can see you smile over the phone. They do. You actually carry a different tone when you are smiling than when you are frowning. Thus, cheer up when you are talking over the phone as your customers are able to see your genuine answer through your tone.
3. Listen intently
At many times, your customer only explains the symptoms without specifically mentioning his/her particular needs. For example, a customer may call you with a message that “I am with my important client at a restaurant in Fullerton Hotel. The waitress just told me that there is a problem with my credit card. Is there a problem there?” On the surface, you may actually know the exact problem with the situation. Perhaps, he has busted his credit limit and his transaction did not get through. But, you should be aware that he is with an important client and he is not interested to hear your explanation on why his transaction did not get through. He needs a solution. So, don’t just hear him but listen to him.
4. Paraphrase when possible
Whenever possible, paraphrase the needs that was addressed to you. Use your own words to reword the needs that were communicated to you earlier. This would reduce miscommunication when you are crafting a solution for your customer at a later stage.
5. Seek help
There are times when you do not have the immediate solution and you would need to seek help from your supervisor. It is perfectly fine to mention to the customer that you would need to seek his patience to wait for few minutes while you are working to solve his/her needs.
6. Ownership
If the problem can not be resolved immediately over the phone and further follow up is required with various departments and co-workers, own the problem and tell the customer that you would take ownership of his/her needs and would follow up with your colleagues. When you take the ownership of the issue, you should ensure the follow up and closure with the customer once it is resolved.
7. End well
End your phone conversation with “I hope that we have resolved your issue. Is there anything else we can do for you?” This would ensure closure of the issue you are working on. The second part of the sentence is providing an opportunity to serve any other needs that the customer might have.
I hope that the above will be of help to you. Always remember that the reputation of the organization you are representing is in your hands.
