What You Should Know about 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...
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”...
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...
How to Get the Long Winded Customer Off the Phone
Have you ever wanted to say to a caller, “Hey, let’s move this along?” Sometimes, it seems like our customers will never end the call. If there are calls in the cue, long-winded customers can make our lives very stressful. To manage calls more efficiently, pay...
Don’t Use That Tone of Voice on Me!
There are a lot of reasons why I hate calling Customer Support. It doesn’t matter what company. The issues remain the same. If I had a wish list, these are the things I would like to see changed- immediately! The first thing that bugs me is long waits with a message...
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...
Talking to People Where Language is a Barrier
Guest Author By Deb Kowalczyk, M.A.— Director Clearspeak Why Work on My Accent? Whether you speak with a foreign accent or regional dialect, it can impact your job performance and affect the way you are perceived by customers, co-workers, and employers. Although the...
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...
How Can I Lead Them If I Can’t See Them!
In the old days, managers saw their direct reports daily. They may even have eaten lunch with them or been on the same company bowling team. However, today, managers often oversee people around the globe, in places as far away as India, Kuwait or Korea. The days of...
Hey, Let’s Move This Along
Have you ever wanted to say to a caller, “Hey, let’s move this along?” Sometimes, it seems like our customers will never end the call. If there are calls in the cue, long-winded customers can make our lives very stressful. To manage calls more efficiently, pay...
Here’s How to Be Perceived as a Polished Professional on the Phone
Before you start worrying about building brand identity through marketing and public relations campaigns, you might start thinking about the image you and other employees are projecting when making or taking a phone call. Obviously, when customers can’t see you, the...The Magic Formula When Answering an Inbound Call
Within the first ten seconds of a call, customers form an impression of the organization and the person on the other end of the line. If the customer doesn’t like what he or she hears, sometimes they will disconnect or asked to be switched to another representative....- Without Listening, You can’t sell.
“Listen to the sound of the river, and you will catch fish.” ~ Old Irish Proverb Customers judge people who are trying to sell their ideas or services on the phone by how well they pay attention to them. They expect phone reps to find solutions to their business issues and to anticipate their ever-growing […]
- The Grave Digger’s Shift — What to Consider When Presenting Later in the Day
Is your presentation scheduled for 3 p.m or even later? If so, you’re in the Grave Digger’s Shift. In fact, any time you speak in the afternoon, you run the risk of digging your own grave unless you are interesting and engaging. People are tired and typically have a lot to do before they end […]
- Achieving Long Lasting Client Relationships on the Phone
The importance of developing long term relationships with your customers cannot be underestimated, particularly in this down economy. In the past, if a company had a terrific product, customers flocked to the company and stayed with it. Not any more. Today, despite the product, there are competitors who are selling something similar. Customers have lots […]
- Breathing, the Source of 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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