Zoomed Out? Some Tips
Due to the Pandemic, most business professionals work from home, and many may continue to do so even as corporations and businesses reopen. Zoom and its equivalent are now the norms. Quite possibly, you attend or host three or four of these meetings every day. If you...
Virtual Meetings, the New Normal
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...
Tips for Leading the Remote Team
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...
Generating Interest When Cold Calling
The last thing your customers want to do is take an unsolicited phone call. They are very busy people who have a million problems to solve before the day is done. Their automatic assumption is cold calls waste time. By generating interest immediately, you can...
How Managers Can Mitigate Conflict
It would be nice if we could wave a magic wand and have all workplace disagreements disappear. In the close confines of a call center or an inside sales organization, conflicts will happen. As the manager, you may be asked to assume the role of a mediator. It is...
Here’s how to Gain 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...
Here’s How to Leave a Killer Voicemail
In today’s business world, it is almost a rarity when people answer their phone. Mostly, we reach people’s voicemails. This is extremely frustrating for those of us who need information or want answers. What compounds the issue is that when we leave a voicemail,...
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...
Fast Talker — Fast Fix
A lot of us speak quickly when we are on the phone with our customers or clients. Sometimes it is because we have so many calls in the cue or because we feel pressured to get on to the next call. Whatever the case, it is a habit that can cost us business. Why? When we...
Listen Up and Move Up
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,...
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...
Leading a Remote Team
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...
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”...
Want a Call Back?
In today’s business world, it is almost a rarity when people answer their phone. Mostly, we reach people’s voicemails. This is extremely frustrating for those of us who need information or want answers. What compounds the issue is that when we leave a voicemail,...
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...
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...
How to Mold Outstanding Reps
Nobody is born as a peak performer. Just ask Serena Williams or Simone Biles. They achieve excellence by being coached and by practicing. They never accept that they are “good enough.” They strive to get better. To coach peak performance in a call center environment,...
What Your Voice Says About You
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,...
Valuing the Customer—it’s All in the Notes
Larry King, the famous television interviewer, once said, “I remind myself every morning that nothing I say this day will teach me anything. If I am going to learn anything, I must do it by listening.” The advantage for Larry King, of course, is that he sits across...
Motivating Your Team is Everything
Success in today’s pressure-cooker workplace depends on high functioning teams. The question that befuddles many managers and supervisors today is how to motivate their inside sales or customer service teams to exceed customer expectations. Three key elements seem to...
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 your lips,...
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...
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 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....
Who Needs the Stress
Anyone who works in a call center environment knows about stress and just how stressful it is. In fact, the U.S. Department of Statistics, an agency that categorizes jobs, notes that customer service representatives have the eighth most stressful job. They are right...
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
Making a good first impression is essential to anyone in today’s business world. Obviously, it is more difficult to do when you are not face-to-face. By truly listening, having an upbeat and friendly voice and a positive attitude, you increase the odds that people will take you seriously and will want to do business with you.
When the Going Gets Tough with the Customer
Customers have choices today. Their loyalty depends on how you treat them in challenging situations. While there is no magic solution to out of control customers, a common sense approach, coupled with TLC and good listening skills, is definitely your best bet.
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,...
Intentional Listening: A must for Salespeople
Strong listening skills are a must. 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...
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....
Make Your Meeting Worth It
As business professionals, we attend meetings constantly. Sometimes, many of the meetings we attend are a waste of time. Often, they are counterproductive. If you are chairing a meeting, there are a few tips to remember. Preparation Preparing ahead is important. It...
Tips for Motivating Your Team
Success in today’s pressure-cooker workplace depends on high functioning teams. The question that befuddles many managers and supervisors today is how to motivate their inside sales or customer service teams to exceed customer expectations. Three key elements seem to...
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...
From Conflict to Cooperation
It would be nice if we could wave a magic wand and have all workplace disagreements disappear. In the close confines of a call center or an inside sales organization, conflict will happen. As the manager, you may be asked to assume the role of a mediator. It is...
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...
Take a Breath!
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....
The Scoop to Building Relationships on the Phone
A lot of us speak quickly when we are on the phone with our customers or clients. Sometimes it is because we have so many calls in cue or because we feel pressured to get on to the next call. Whatever the case, it is a habit that can cost us business. Why? When we...
So What If I Speak Fast
A lot of us speak quickly when we are on the phone with our customers or clients. Sometimes it is because we have so many calls in cue or because we feel pressured to get on to the next call. Whatever the case, it is a habit that can cost us business. Why? When we...
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....
Gaining Trust with a Global Team
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...
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...
Facilitating Workplace Disagreements
It would be nice if we could wave a magic wand and have all workplace disagreements disappear. In the close confines of a call center or an inside sales organization, a conflict will happen. As the manager, you may be asked to assume the role of a mediator. It is...
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...
Globe Smarts = Effective Virtual Presentations
Communicating with any team via teleconference or web session is challenging. When the team is spread across the globe, your task as a presenter requires real ‘globe smarts.’ Do not overlook the importance of adapting your message and slides to the audience...
Who Do You Trust? Your Tone of Voice
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...
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...
Shut Up and Listen!
The number one complaint customers express about any call center representative is reps don’t listen. When asked what reps should do differently, responders say “Shut up and listen!” Listening is a critical skill for anyone in the service industry. Yet, most people...
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...
How to Host Productive Meetings
As business professionals, we attend meetings constantly. Sometimes, many of the meetings we attend are a waste of time. Often, they are counterproductive. If you are chairing a meeting, there are a few tips to remember. Preparation Preparing ahead is important. It...
How to Avoid Voicemail Hell!
Most of us are forced to leave voicemail messages constantly. In today’s business world, it is almost a rarity to speak to a live person. When we go to the trouble of leaving a voice message, our expectation is that we will receive a “call back.” The vexing part is...
Calisthenics for Cold Calls
Is there anyone that likes to make cold calls? Most of us hate them. Since they are unsolicited, often recipients find them annoying and do not respond to them. While challenging, you can increase your odds of success with strong preparation At all costs, avoid making...
- Hey, Let’s Move This Along
To end your call, start using the listener’s name and start speaking in the past tense. “John, I am so happy we were successful in troubleshooting your problem. Is there anything else I can help you with today because I know you want to get back to work?” Before you terminate the call, be sure to go over any action items for the customer.
- 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 the way we listen. There are three levels of listening: passive, judgmental and active. The one that takes the most work is active listening, and, often, it is least used. Consider the following levels of listening and assess which modality you routinely use and whether it gets the results you want. - Why I Simply Can’t Trust You
The aim of any presenter is to be trusted. Yet, time after time, listeners aren’t sold. Many even comment, “You know, there is something about that guy that I just can’t trust.” What you say and how you say it is critical to establishing trust. Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus at UCLA, identified that tone of […]
- Key Lessons for Success with a Remote Workforce
Thirty to fifty percent of our labor force works remotely today. That’s an increase of about 300 percent in the past twenty years. With a remote workforce, companies feel they can attract smarter people, increase productivity and reduce their carbon footprint. What we are now learning is that different techniques and tools are necessary than […]
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