What You Need to Know about Anger Management
Mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, foreign takeover, the down economy, new technologies and the demand for information have created stress and conflict in the workplace. Your score as a business professional depends on how well you handle anger and “challenging”...
Are You the Culprit for Your Customer’s Anger?
Customers from Hell don’t start out as monsters. Something happens that makes them go ballistic. That “something” is often you. Customers have expectations about how they ought to be treated. If the treatment doesn’t measure up, they become agitated. To reduce your...
It’s Ok to Say “No,” But It’s How You Say It That Matters
Saying “No” to a customer is difficult. If it is done in the wrong manner, it can mean escalating a problem or even losing a customer. There are two things to consider before you do say “no” – why and how. Why Are You Saying “No” Before “no” escapes from...
Frustrating Questions – Here’s What to Say
Customers can try your patience. It is easy to conclude that no matter what you say; they won’t listen or will become argumentative. Obviously, there are some customers that fill that bill, but most will accept your answers if they sound probable and if you seem...
When the Going Gets Tough with the Customer
Picture that you have answered the phone and the caller begins with a raised voice. Without any seeming provocation, the person on the other end of the line starts making threatening statements and even swearing. How do you defend yourself against this mad, out of...
What Does Your Voice Say?
What’s in a voice? Plenty! It is your calling card. It reveals your confidence, your competence, and your warmth. It also establishes trust and credibility with your customer or client. Regretfully, most of us don’t spend much time thinking about how our voice sounds,...
Do You Know Your Customer?
Customers today are a lot more demanding and a lot savvier than they used to be. They know they have many choices. They are often in a hurry, confused, multi-tasking or have English as a second language. When they get you on the phone, their expectation is that you...
How to Understand Your Customer
Customers today are a lot more demanding and a lot savvier than they used to be. They know they have many choices. They are often in a hurry, confused, multi-tasking or have English as a second language. When they get you on the phone, their expectation is that you...
Power Listening Lessons
Listening is the number one skill for success in business today. Poor listening skills make people angry and make them feel you don’t value them. They affect all relationships, especially business relationships. Most people think they are good listeners. In reality,...
Defending Yourself Against the Mad Caller
Picture that you have answered the phone and the caller begins with a raised voice. Without any seeming provocation, the person on the other end of the line starts making threatening statements and even swearing. How do you defend yourself against this mad, out of...
How to Say “NO” Effectively
Saying “No” to a customer is difficult. If it is done in the wrong manner, it can mean escalating a problem or even losing a customer. There are two things to consider before you do say “no” – why and how. Why Before “no” escapes from your lips, examine why saying...
Calming the Difficult Customer
One bad phone call with an emotional customer risks losing a valuable account. While intuitively, every call center representative knows the importance of protecting the relationship with a customer, it is very difficult being warm and friendly to a customer who is...
Acknowledging – the Inside Scoop
When a customer, whether internal or external, has an issue, the good listener acknowledges it. By empathizing, the person feels you understand him and becomes more receptive to hearing what you have to say. He or she becomes less hostile. You build rapport. Do not...
Make Your Difficult Callers Relax with the AAH Technique
Does this sound familiar? You pick up a call in the cue in your normal professional manner and the caller on the other end of the line explodes. The person has been in cue for ten minutes, and when he does get a live person—you, he starts ranting and raving about his...
What to Do When the Customer Will Not Let You Talk
How many times have you had customers who seem like they are on a rampage? They won’t let you talk or try to resolve the problem. They seem to repeat the same story over and over. Understanding why that happens is the first step to dealing with the issue. Typically,...
Put That Smile Back on Your Customer’s Face!
Customers today are busy; some are overwhelmed by the myriad of tasks they now have to perform. By the time they call your help desk or customer care center, they are often frustrated and anything but pleasant. You can put that smile back on their face, and here is...
Defending Yourself Against the Mad Caller
Picture that you’ve answered the phone and the caller begins with a raised voice. Without any seeming provocation, the person on the other end of the line starts making threatening statements and even swearing. How do you defend yourself against this mad, out of...
What Kind of a Listener Are You — It Matters!
Approximately eighty percent of our waking hours are spent listening. You would think, by the sheer fact that so much of our time is devoted to listening, we would be fantastic at it, real superstars. The reality is not very many of us are good at listening because of...There is a Lesson to be Learned from a “Bad Call”
How many times have you had to placate an irate or distressed customer in a day? For many of us, that number is too large to calculate. Most often, we are successful in de-escalating an upset caller, but on occasion, we have a “bad call” from hell....Top Reasons Calls Get Escalated
Customers today seem quick to voice, “I would like to speak to a supervisor,” if they are unhappy with the service they receive. What is particularly vexing about these escalated calls is that as many as 85% of them could have been resolved with the initial phone rep....- Avoiding Peak Period Blues
In any call center organization, there are peak times when we are very busy and times when we are very slow. When it is hectic, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Don’t despair. There are some things that you can do as a manager that will help you survive. Start by preparing your reps weeks […]
- The Trick to Making a Winning Presentation
When that great opportunity finally comes along to make a presentation to a potential dream client, you want to be successful with a winning presentation. The question many of us have is “What is the trick?” As simplistic as it sounds, the key is in adding value. The more clearly you can demonstrate that your […]
- Guidelines for Great Large Group Presentations
What is the difference between your audience and an elephant? An elephant never forgets; an audience occasionally remembers.
You go to a lot of trouble to prepare for a large group presentation. You want it to be a success and people to feel their time was well spent. If you can put a check in front of the following guidelines, you will likely score a big hit.
- How to Unlock Your Vocal Power
Our voice is our calling card when we conduct business on the phone. If we want to make a positive impression, our voice should communicate warmth, friendliness, sincerity and confidence. The question is how can we do it? The source of our vocal power is breathing. How deeply we inhale and how freely we exhale […]
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