Top 10 Behaviors for Revolutionizing Call Center Effectiveness

by Joe Pici | Sep 18, 2018 | Empowered Professional

Call Center Training

Improving First Call Resolution

Increasing Collections as Much as 60%

Treating the customer as a person, not a process.

“This call may be monitored for quality assurance.” Believe it or not, all this information does go somewhere. Call center training depends upon this information to improve the staff and thereby, the customer experience. Statistics include how many times an individual has to call to solve their problem and the average handling time for each case. These reflect on the effectiveness of the customer service representatives. Undoubtedly, when analyzing this data, a few trends stand out.

How effective are your CSR’s ,(customer service representatives), at resolving problems on the first call? Even a small improvement in FCR’s,(first call resolutions), can save the average company $250,000 annually. This would create a considerable opportunity for savings in itself. There is great potential for improvements and savings with leading edge call center training.

Read on if you are looking to:

Increase Phone Sales
Increase Collections
Reduce Conflict
Lower Turnover
Enhance Customer Loyalty

Top 10 Behaviors for Revolutionizing Call Center Effectiveness:

Quality Call Center Training Should Include the Following:

1. Communication Skills: How to have a positive connection with the customer.

Positive connections begin with the desire and ability to develop rapport. This means not only treating them with respect, but also being able to see to the fundamental problem, making the solution correct and efficient. Furthermore, becoming aware and adapting to the of communication style of the customer is a powerful tool for preventing conflict.

Connect with greater ease, lower conflict, and fast track your career with effective people and communication skills. Check out Eps. 78 on the SALES EDGE PODCAST . Available on Apple, Sticher Spotify, Google

2. Listen.

Customers generally agree that a great customer experience begins with the CSR demonstrating interest and concern by listening intently. As a matter of fact, make sure you understand what they have said. Paraphrase the customer’s questions back to them. This will increase clarity and focus, making for accurate solutions.

3. Meet them where they are.

CSRs and customers can often feel like they are speaking a different language. Therefore, say things in a way or in a context that they will understand.

4. Go the extra mile.

Anticipate other problems they may be having or may encounter based on their initial question. This will reduce the need for callbacks.

5. Empathize with the customer and show it with a calm, soothing tone of voice.

Increased genuine listening will help. Showing a sincere desire to solve the problem can make all the difference.

6. Respect the customer’s time by communicating with the customer about the live hold.

None of us enjoys holding for an indefinite period of time. If possible, let them know approximately how long they will be waiting. Be efficient and accountable to your customers.

7. ‘Play it again Sam.’

Listen to one of your calls with a manager. Most importantly, be open to suggestions and drop the defensiveness. This is no place for prima donna’s. See the good and make note of what was less than effective and make changes accordingly.

8. At all costs avoid losing your patience.

The more patience exhibited, the more positive and effective the call will be. What must be remembered is there are two rules when dealing with customers. 1) The customer is always right. 2) When the customer is wrong, refer to rule number 1.

9. Give positive, supportive statements.

This will reduce the amount of negativity and make the customer feel that finding the solution to their problem was important. Additionally, this will reduce negative feedback about the company at large.

10. No more excuses.

You can make money or you can make excuses but you can’t do both. Work on yourself and set a goal to improve a little with each day. You don’t have to be perfect to succeed, but keep looking for ways to improve skills and make positive changes.

Remember, we want to hear:

“I was very satisfied with the customer service. The agent answered all my questions and was very patient and knowledgeable. This was the best service I have ever had with a customer service agent!”

A dedication to positive and effective solutions and a genuine concern and desire to see each customer succeed will only create positive changes in a call center. Respect and a positive attitude will improve both the CSR’s and the customer’s experience and lead to an overall better view of the company. Keep smiling!

“ From the moment you completed our call center training I had a number of employees rave on how much it helped them. I am constantly monitoring our success and have found that even my challenged employees seem to be more effectively communicating with the most difficult clients. Basically we’ve saved more cancels than ever before in the month of March and look forward to even better results in the coming quarter. “Sincerely, Rich DeSena CEO Progressive Debt Relief