What You Learned at 6 Applies to Handling Difficult People
Think back to when you were a preschooler. Most of us had some important life messages drilled into us by our parents, our teachers or our coaches. If we use the wisdom of these messages and apply them to our most difficult callers, we will see an immediate positive...
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...
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”...
Your Job Includes Being a Coach
Managers of phone reps all want to see their reps exceed customer expectations each day. But, today’s worker isn’t automatically committed to excellence. John Naisbitt in Re-Inventing the Corporation said: 88% of today’s workers want to work hard and do their best on...
Are Your Questions Engaging or Frustrating Your Clients
As inside sales representatives, the way we close business is by asking questions. Often, we ask the same questions of all clients. Sometimes, these questions move people to make decisions, but at other times, they don’t, leading us to wonder “what happened?” Selling...
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...
What’s Important When Training Phone Representatives
Most companies spend their training dollars on improving What Phone Reps say to their customers. While this type of training is an important piece to the puzzle, especially for new hires or when the company has changed directions, it still leaves many Reps feeling...
Make a Great Impression on the Phone
For many of us, the telephone is our primary vehicle for doing business. Since people make instantaneous decisions about our competence and confidence, often within the first thirty seconds, it is critical to remember the importance of making a good first impression....
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,...
First Impressions Are Everything
For many of us, the telephone is our primary vehicle for doing business. Since people make instantaneous decisions about our competence and confidence, often within the first thirty seconds, it is critical to remember the importance of making a good first impression....
How to Succeed in a Service Organization
Every organization aims to have exceptional customer service. The reality is that most companies only give lip service to exceeding customer expectations and continue to do as they have always done. Even with advanced technologies, many researchers actually report...
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...
Here’s How to Tank Your Product Launch
An area that is vital to most organization’s success is the launch of new products. However, instead of getting the predicted initial sales, the results are often disappointing. Companies are left frustrated and wonder if their projections were realistic, if the...
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...
Tips for a Killer First Impression on the Phone
For many of us, the telephone is our primary vehicle for doing business. Since people make instantaneous decisions about our competence and confidence, often within the first thirty seconds, it is critical to remember the importance of making a good first impression....
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 Coach for Results
People always wonder about the best way to coach phone reps so that their organization can deliver world-class customer service. If you want your reps to improve, you must understand the performance issues, know how to break down any problems into manageable steps and...
What Counts in Exceeding Customer Expectations
Jake was a supervisor of a call center for a large telecommunications company. He had worked for the company for four years when a consultant with Impact Communications coached the inside sales team and their supervisors. One of the things Jake religiously preached to...
Winning at Hiring
Call centers are the heart and soul of an organization. Customers form an impression of you and your organization within seconds based on the person on the other end of the line. If the first impression of a call center representative is positive, customers will be...
Key Vocal Issues – Rx
Susan works as a technical support person for a large corporation. Her days are spent answering up to forty or fifty phone calls each day. In her annual review, Susan’s new supervisor told her, after listening to some of her calls, her voice doesn’t sound warm or...
What Happens If You Don’t Pause
Pausing is the most under-utilized tool that a speaker has. Most people who use the phone to conduct business only concern themselves with their message. For example, they want to explain a product, fix your software or update you on month-end results. They forget...
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...
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...
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...
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...
7 Things Never to Say to a Customer
The health and well being of your organization depends on the service your customers receive. If they receive stellar service, then customers smile and stay loyal. If they are not impressed, they begin to look elsewhere. There are some phrases inside sales, technical...
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...
Feedback—What Are the Problems
George Bernard Shaw said the problem with communication is the illusion that what has been said has been understood and accepted. People are often given “suggestions” on how to do their jobs faster, better, or cheaper. Yet, many of those suggestions fall on deaf ears....
Customer ESP Comes from Listening
It isn’t easy to do business by phone. Those that are successful have a clear understanding of their customer and the person’s issues or needs. Extra Sensory Perception or ESP concerning our customers comes from being an observant listener. By listening to the...
Why Your Tone of Voice is a Problem
When callers hear your voice on the other end of the line, they imagine the person behind the voice. If they like what they hear in the tone of your voice, chances are they will perceive you as knowledgeable and confident. If they don’t like your tone, they may want...
Lower Customer Stress and Achieve Customer Loyalty
Picture for a moment your customers on the other end of the phone line. Whether they show it or not, many of your customers are highly stressed. They feel tremendous pressure from their own management team to do things faster or cheaper. When they purchase from your...
Credibility Busters
Listeners on a call or web session make instantaneous decisions about the speaker’s trustworthiness. In fact, they often feel they have a clear read within seconds. Be aware the following missteps can be costly and can inadvertently “bust” your credibility. Sounding...
First Impressions are Lasting, Particularly on the Phone
For many of us, the telephone is our primary vehicle for doing business. Since people make instantaneous decisions about our competence and confidence, often within the first thirty seconds, it is critical to remember the importance of making a good first impression....
You Need to Love Your Customers or Someone Else Will!
Remember the old song by the Beatles, “All We Need Is Love?” Well, that’s the tune your customers are singing. If you don’t show you “love” them, someone else surely will. In fact, your competitors are eager to do just that. In today’s day and age, there are a lot of...
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...
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...
Who Do You Trust?
Groucho Marks emceed a television game show in the fifties called “Who Do You Trust.” The contestant had to choose which of three people was telling the truth. On this show, contestants paid close attention to the body language of the three people as a means of...
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,...
Speak Up!
Soft voices are the bane of many people. As a soft talker, you may think it is not such a big issue. However, for your listeners, a voice that is not clearly heard is maddening. It causes people to interrupt or to tune out, especially if they are on a long conference...
Inflection Matters!
A voice with inflection is captivating and motivating. It commands attention and makes people want to hear more. A voice without inflection is flat, a monotone. An uninteresting voice bores annoys and confuses those having to endure it. As you consider how you might...
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...
The Problem with NOT Pausing
Pausing is the most under-utilized tool that a speaker has. Most people who use the phone to conduct business only concern themselves with their message. For example, they want to explain a product, fix your software or update you on month-end results. They forget...
Did You Have Them at Hello: Your Tone of Voice is What Counts!
A good portion of anyone’s day is spent on the telephone. Everyone wants to make a good impression, but it’s the first few words out of your mouth that determine whether people will perceive you in a positive or negative manner or whether they will trust and believe...
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...
Your Voice Affects How People Perceive You
Fact: Your voice affects how people perceive you over the phone. Fact: If there is any inconsistency between your words and your tone of voice, 85 percent of the time, listeners will trust what they hear in the tone of your voice, instead of your actual words. Fact:...Sell Value and You Will Close the Sale; Sell Me Stuff and You Won’t!
Business professional today are busy – really busy. They have a million things to do before they end their day. The last thing they want is to be interrupted by a call from a salesperson trying to sell their latest product or service. Inside Salespeople need to...Lessons Learned from Toyota about Customer Complaints
For many years, Toyota enjoyed an irrefutable reputation in the US as the maker of reliable, fuel-efficient cars. Sales were double those of Honda, and Toyota rivaled GM and Ford for the #l spot. However, in 2010, things changed. A problem with a sticking accelerator...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....Things Never to Say to a Customer
The health and well being of your organization depends on the service your customers receive. If they receive stellar service, then customers smile and stay loyal. If they are not impressed, they begin to look elsewhere. There are some phrases inside sales, technical...What is the Most Important Skill for a Customer Care Representative?
Our organization is often asked, either by managers, interviewers or call center representatives, “What is the most important skill a customer support representative needs to ensure their success?” Is it the ability to handle irate customers or to resolve issues...Reasons Why I Hate Calling Customer Support
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...Surviving the Hard Times with Your Customers
Many of our existing customers are no longer able to make their usual purchases or upgrades. They can no longer provide training for their employees. The temptation is, of course, to move on to those who are able. However, ignoring our existing customers in difficult...Extraordinary Service in Extraordinary Times—What It Takes
When a sales or service center is deemed or reported world class by such organizations as JD Powers or The Association of Support Professionals, the sales or service representatives themselves attribute it three key factors. They are: Knowledgeable Committed Empowered...Stay In Touch with Your Customers
Inside sales representatives beware! In this uncertain economy, there is a tendency to overlook existing customers who have put the skids on purchasing. Even if a customer isn’t buying today, eventually they will. If you stay in touch, your customers will remember....A Difficult Economy Requires Extraordinary Communication Skills
The effects of the down economy are being felt all around the globe. The “R” word is being said out loud. Every corporation in almost every industry is feeling the pinch of the recession no matter where they are located. In tough times, the frontline people, those...- Everything About Your Voice Matters
When callers hear your voice on the other end of the line, they imagine the person behind the voice. If they like what they hear in the tone of your voice, chances are they will perceive you as knowledgeable and confident. If they don’t like your tone, they may want to speak to a supervisor […]
- The Top Three Complaints about Managers
Does this sound like your life as a manager? If it does, be cautious of making the work take precedence over your people skills. Subordinates will notice. In fact, they look to their managers as role models. When you don’t emulate the behaviors they think are critical, they complain and do it loudly. Here are the top three communication complaints our organization hears regularly.
- What’s Important When Training Phone Representatives
Most companies spend their training dollars on improving What Phone Reps say to their customers. While this type of training is an important piece to the puzzle, especially for new hires or when the company has changed directions, it still leaves many Reps feeling uncomfortable or apprehensive in their roles. Most often, Reps don’t know […]
- 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, it is the result of four critical missteps on the part of the customer service or technical support person.
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