Businesses are continuously on the lookout for innovative approaches to enhance their customer outreach and engagement strategies.

However, one essential element of customer communication often goes unnoticed – outbound voice communication. This traditional yet robust channel, when implemented with contemporary strategies, has the potential to significantly elevate customer relations and fuel business growth.

Understanding Outbound Voice Communication

At its core, outbound voice communication involves proactive contact with customers or prospects through calls initiated by the business. This method is not just about sales; it’s an opportunity to provide value, gather feedback, and build lasting relationships.

Outbound voice communication serves as a powerful tool for businesses to directly connect with their customers and prospects. It allows companies to go beyond the limitations of written communication, such as emails or text messages, and engage in real-time conversations. By initiating these calls, businesses can provide personalized assistance, address inquiries, and offer valuable insights and recommendations.

In addition, outbound voice communication is not only about sales. It also allows businesses to gather feedback, refine products or services, and enhance the customer experience.

Building lasting customer relationships is a key objective of outbound voice communication. These conversations establish trust, show genuine care, and foster loyalty, demonstrating a commitment to customer satisfaction and long-term partnerships.

Setting Clear Objectives

When embarking on an outbound calling campaign, it is crucial to set clear objectives that align with your overall business goals. Defining specific objectives will not only guide your strategy but also help you measure the success of your campaign.

• Increasing Sales: One of the primary objectives for many businesses is to increase sales. Outbound voice communication can play a pivotal role in achieving this goal by proactively reaching out to potential customers and offering personalized assistance. By engaging in real-time conversations, businesses can address any concerns or objections, highlight the unique value propositions of their products or services, and ultimately drive sales.
• Gathering Market Research: Another objective for outbound calling campaigns can be to gather valuable market research insights. By directly contacting customers or prospects, businesses can gather feedback on their products or services, understand customer preferences, and identify areas for improvement. This data can inform strategic decision-making and help businesses stay ahead of market trends.
• Improving Customer Satisfaction: Outbound voice communication provides an excellent opportunity to enhance customer satisfaction. By reaching out to customers, businesses can proactively address any issues, provide personalized assistance, and offer valuable insights or recommendations. This level of proactive customer care shows a commitment to customer satisfaction and can significantly improve the overall customer experience.
• Expanding Customer Base: For businesses looking to expand their customer base, outbound voice communication can be a powerful tool. By reaching out to potential customers, businesses can introduce their products or services, establish a personal connection, and nurture leads. This approach allows businesses to go beyond written communication and build relationships that can lead to long-term partnerships.
• Measuring Success: Defining clear objectives also enables businesses to measure the success of their outbound calling campaigns. By setting specific metrics, such as the number of sales generated or customer satisfaction ratings, businesses can track their progress and make data-driven decisions to improve future strategies. Regularly analyzing campaign performance allows businesses to identify areas of improvement and optimize their outbound voice communication efforts.

Audience segmentation

Audience segmentation is a critical aspect of effective outbound voice communication. By tailoring your message to fit the specific needs and preferences of your audience segments, you can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your outreach. Utilizing customer data to segment your audience allows for more personalized and relevant communication.

Segmentation allows businesses to divide their customer base into distinct groups based on demographics, behaviors, preferences, or other relevant factors. By understanding the unique characteristics of each segment, businesses can create messaging and communication strategies that resonate with their target audience.

An outbound lead generation call center can deliver personalized experiences by treating every interaction as an opportunity to understand and meet the unique needs of each prospect. – Michael Mcguire, Contact Center Software Consultant @NobelBiz

Scripting and messaging

One key strategy for effective communication is scripting and messaging. Developing compelling scripts that are flexible enough to be personalized for different segments of your audience is key. These scripts should serve as a guide rather than a strict template to allow for genuine conversation. By customizing the message based on the specific needs and preferences of each segment, businesses can create a more personalized and engaging experience for their customers.

Adapting to changing market dynamics is crucial when executing new outbound lead generation programs. Call centers must be agile, leveraging advanced analytics and automation tools to stay ahead of competition and deliver targeted, personalized interactions. – Brad Butler, Contact Center Software Consultant @NobelBiz

Leveraging omnichannel contact center software, technology and tools

In addition to scripting and messaging, leveraging omnichannel contact center software, technology and tools can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your outbound voice communication efforts. Automated dialing systems, for example, can streamline the process of making calls, allowing your team to spend more time in conversation with potential or existing customers rather than dialing numbers.

To further elevate your outbound voice communication strategy, consider the transformative power of NobelBiz’s cloud contact center solution. This innovative platform seamlessly combines ease of use with a comprehensive suite of productivity tools, all while maintaining low IT overheads. With features like high server redundancy, built-in compliance tools, a unique proprietary Voice Carrier Network, and advanced omnichannel capabilities, NobelBiz OMNI+ sets the stage for unparalleled efficiency and effectiveness in customer outreach. Each client benefits from an individual cloud architecture, ensuring a tailored and robust solution for any contact center’s needs.

Training and Empowering Teams

Training and empowering your teams are crucial for the success of outbound voice communication. Providing comprehensive training and continuous support empowers your team members to perform at their best. Communication skills training can enhance the effectiveness of conversations and result in positive customer experiences. Ensuring that your team has in-depth knowledge of your products or services enables them to provide valuable information and answer questions confidently.

Regulatory Compliance and Ethics

Regulatory compliance and ethical communication practices are essential for building trust with your audience. Adhering to privacy laws and regulations is crucial to protect your customers’ information and your business’s reputation. Promoting ethical communication within your team helps to ensure that all interactions are respectful, transparent, and considerate of the customer’s preferences.

By incorporating these strategies for effective communication, businesses can optimize their outbound voice communication efforts and create meaningful connections that drive business growth. Tailoring messages to specific audience segments, leveraging technology and tools, and providing training and support to teams can enhance the effectiveness of outbound voice communication and ultimately improve customer relationships.

Conclusion

Incorporating effective strategies for outbound voice communication can significantly enhance your customer outreach efforts. By understanding your audience, leveraging technology, and empowering your team, you can create meaningful connections that drive business.

Business managers and CEOs understand the importance of good customer satisfaction. Without proper customer relationship management, a company can attract lots of negative customer reviews. This guide covers some ways of improving customer relationship management with phone calls.

Using Interactive Voice Response Systems

Interactive voice systems or IVRs are automated telephone systems that allow customers to interact with a company without being connected to an operator. This technology uses voice or touch-tone dialing and only supports basic interactions. It helps companies route calls to the appropriate agents using a series of prompts and menus. You can purchase high-quality IVR systems from companies like Aircall.

Benefits of IVRs

The main benefit of using IVRs is that the customers will end up getting connected to the right agents. That will save time for both the customer and company agents. Some issues can even be resolved without the help of human agents. For example, simple queries like order status and payment due dates can be answered by the IVR system. This can ease pressure on the organization, especially during times of disaster recovery.

Personalizing Customer Support

Personalizing customer support helps to meet consumer expectations and boost repeat sales. It helps to build brand loyalty and trust. You can use CRM systems to understand what your customers prefer. For example, you can evaluate the products they have purchased before. This will make it easier for your customer support agents to determine their preferences. You can also use intelligent call routing to automatically direct callers to the last agent they spoke to. For this system to work effectively, you will have to link your CRM to yourIVR phone system technology.

Improving the On-Hold Experience

Even with IVRs, you may still have to put some customers on hold. To improve the customer experience and minimize dropped calls, you can enrich their on-hold experience. One way of doing this is by announcing the wait times occasionally, and these should be accurate. If a customer knows that the next agent will be available in 15 minutes, they can grab a coffee and check their emails in the meantime. You should also use the same soundtracks featured in the physical stores. This helps with branding and gives the customer a sense of consistency. Managers should also call the company to understand the experience. They should evaluate the on-hold experience and take note of anything that can be improved.

Measuring Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction scores are essential for companies. You can conduct them effectively using IVR systems. Most organizations use a score of between 1 and 10, with one being completely unsatisfied and ten being highly satisfied. To get the average score, you can add up all the responses given and divide the sum by the number of respondents. You should note that customers will be more likely to give honest feedback when speaking with machines than with humans. The scores can help an organization plan its training or rewards programs.

Conclusion

Telephone support is an essential part of customer relationship management. Unlike email support, phone calls are quick and provide room for instant clarification. You can streamline your telephone support with the help of interactive voice systems or IVRs. These systems can direct customers to the right agents and can even answer basic questions. It is also essential to personalize customer support and enhance the on-hold experience. Measuring customer satisfaction regularly will give you an idea of what you need to improve.

Acquiring new customers takes a lot of time, money, and effort. So, you can imagine how devastating it is when a phone call causes you to lose business.

Unfortunately, it happens more often than it should. Many businesses fail to realize that a customer’s experience will always trump your products’ quality, affordability, and convenience. If someone reaches out to a customer service rep and isn’t treated correctly, they won’t hesitate to sever ties. With hundreds and even thousands of competitors, this is a risk you can’t afford to take.

Did you know that 96% of consumers leave a business due to poor customer service? Although customer expectations vary, companies that wish to succeed must find efficient ways to improve call center experiences. Not sure how or where to start? Continue reading for advice.

Use Personas To Further Understand Every Customer

 Knowing someone’s name, address, email, and phone number isn’t enough to provide quality customer service. You must understand your customers on a personal level. Customer personas can help you personalize experiences during phone calls. These are fictional representations of your company’s target customers, backed by facts and data.

How do you create a persona? You use existing data, previous conversations, social media, surveys, trend reports, and analytical tools to your advantage. What do you already know about your customers? Are there things they said during previous conversations that you can use to connect with them? What products or services do they purchase frequently? What cool facts can you learn from their social media accounts? What do the trends say about your customer’s preferences, pain points, expectations, and behaviors?

For instance, maybe your target audience is women between the ages of 25-45. Trend reports show that women within this age group are more likely to have children. Social media interactions might show that your target customers prefer live calls to robots. A previous conversation could reveal that a customer has children. Ultimately, you would record this data in their profiles so customer service representatives can provide a more personalized experience.

Record Calls To Pinpoint Areas Of Weakness

There’s always room for improvement. No matter how well your customer service calls rank, you should consistently look for ways to do better. One way to pinpoint areas of weakness is to record your customer service calls. Representatives can review the calls to evaluate where they may have gone wrong. Did they forget to call the customer by name? Were the hold times too long? Did the representative speak professionally and politely? How effectively did they answer the customer’s question or concern? More importantly, what was the customer’s demeanor at the end of the phone call?

Businesses can use call recording software for sales teams to help train staff, resolve issues, and improve customer experiences.

Be Mindful Of Hold Times

There are going to be instances where you must place a customer on hold to resolve their issue, enter data, or process orders. However, being on hold for too long is frustrating. Therefore, businesses must find practical ways to keep wait times to a minimum. Below are a few suggestions to consider.

• Determine whether you have enough customer service representatives to handle inbound call volume. Analyze call volume at different times of day to determine when you need more reps. You can hire in-house or outsource your customer service needs to a call center.

• Develop a knowledge base that provides quick solutions to common problems and regularly update as new problems and solutions arise.

• Offer alternative methods of communication like your website, email, chat, or social media.
• Suggest providing a callback instead of waiting.

Finally, if you do have to place a customer on hold for longer than usual, check back regularly to inform them that you value their time and are doing the best you can to resolve the matter. You should also ensure that you acknowledge the inconvenience with an apology. This step ensures the customer doesn’t feel ignored or forgotten, eases their frustrations, and reduces the likelihood of a severed relationship.

One call can be the determining factor in whether you retain or lose a customer. While it’s impossible to please every customer all the time, you must be committed to doing your best to continue improving to meet their expectations. As much as it took to acquire a customer, the last thing you want to do is lose them, especially when it’s something that could have been avoided. Use the advice above to strengthen your customer service calls and increase customer retention rates.

There are a lot of things that go into making a successful call center. One of the most important, but often overlooked, aspects of a call center is the use of the phonetic alphabet.

The phonetic alphabet is a system of representing the sounds of speech using written symbols. The alphabet is used by linguists, speech-language pathologists, and other professionals who work with language. It is also used by customer support teams in the contact center industry.

The phonetic alphabet can be used to represent the sounds of any language. Each sound is represented by a separate symbol. The symbols in the phonetic alphabet are written in square brackets [ ] to distinguish them from the letters of the regular alphabet.

In addition to the 26 letters of the regular alphabet, the phonetic alphabet includes additional symbols for nasal sounds, liquids, and glides. The alphabet is a powerful tool for understanding how language works.

By representing the sounds of speech with symbols, we can see patterns and relationships that are not apparent when we simply listen to spoken language. The phonetic alphabet can also be used to transcribe spoken language so that it can be studied more carefully.

NATO phonetic alphabet

The NATO phonetic alphabet is a standardized system for assigning code words to letters of the alphabet. The intent is to ensure that each letter is pronounced in a consistent manner, making it easier to understand regardless of the native language of the speakers. Originally developed for use by military and other government officials, the phonetic alphabet has also been adopted by other organizations such as call centers.

There are 26 code words in the NATO phonetic alphabet, one for each letter of the English alphabet. Each code word is intended to be spoken distinctly and accurately, so that it can be easily understood regardless of background noise or other interference. The most commonly used code word for each letter is shown below:

A – Alpha

B – Bravo

C – Charlie

D – Delta

E – Echo

F – Foxtrot

G – Golf

H – Hotel

I – India

J – Juliett

K – Kilo

L – Lima

M – Mike

N – November

O- Oscar

P – Papa

Q- Quebec

R- Romeo

S- Sierra

T- Tango

U- Uniform

V- Victor

W- Whiskey

X- Xray

Y- Yankee

Z- Zulu

How to use the phonetic alphabet in a call center

In a call center, it is important to be able to communicate clearly and concisely. One way to do this is to use the phonetic alphabet.

Each word of the phonetic alphabet is chosen so that it is unlikely to be confused with any other word. For example, the word for “B” is “Bravo,” and the word for “D” is “Delta.” Using the phonetic alphabet can help to ensure that each letter in a word is pronounced correctly, which can make it easier for customers to understand what you are saying. In addition, using the phonetic alphabet can help to prevent miscommunications between agents and customers.

To use the phonetic alphabet, simply pronounce each letter of the alphabet according to its corresponding word. For example, if you wanted to say the word “cat,” you would say “Charlie-Alpha-Tango.” Using the phonetic alphabet can help to make your communications more clear and efficient.

Problems with Phonetics

The phonetic alphabet is an important tool for clear communication, especially in emergency situations. However, the NATO phonetic alphabet is not without problems. First, several of the words in the alphabet (such as ” Bravo” and ” Hotel”) are difficult to pronounced correctly, which can lead to confusion in a high-pressure situation. Second, the NATO phonetic alphabet is based on English, which can be problematic for international communications. Finally, the alphabet is constantly being updated, which can make it difficult for users to keep track of the latest versions of the words. Despite these problems, the phonetic alphabet remains an important tool for clear communication.

There are many different ways to use the phonetic alphabet, but the most important thing is to be consistent in how you use it.

Tips for using phonetics

Here are some simple tips to keep in mind when using phonetics in a call center:

• Use a common phonetic alphabet. There are many different phonetic alphabets out there, so it’s important to choose one that everyone in the call center can use. A popular choice is the NATO phonetic alphabet.

• Be clear and concise. When using the phonetic alphabet, make sure you are speaking clearly and concisely. This will help to avoid confusion and miscommunication.

• Practice beforehand. If you’re not used to using the phonetic alphabet, it’s important to practice beforehand so that you don’t make any mistakes when using it in a call center. You can practice by yourself or with someone else who is also familiar with the phonetic alphabet.

According to a recent survey by GoDaddy, 78 percent of customers say that competent customer service reps are critical in creating a satisfactory interaction.

Whether you’re operating a call center or are an entrepreneur with a small start-up, what are the strategies you can use to generate the maximum benefit from your phone inquiries?

1. Use a script

It’s not enough for your team to have the technical expertise or product knowledge to respond effectively to customers. And it’s not enough to simply hand them a script and expect them to follow it robotically. They’ll need training in listening skills, perhaps in taking notes, clarifying that they’ve correctly understood what the caller wants from your business, and explaining how they can help.

2. Look after your team

The bottom line – whoever picks up the call and speaks to a customer IS your company as far as the caller is concerned. So it will pay you in many ways to consider, not only the customer’s experience, but also how the person taking the call feels. Are you providing all the tools they need to do the best job? Are they clear about your priorities? Do they have positive working relationships with their supervisors?  In this age of AI and automation, keeping the human touch can make all the difference between outstanding and indifferent service.

3. Track your calls

Incoming calls provide a wealth of data that will help you better understand the needs of your customers. Whether you use a cutting-edge call tracking system, with speech analytics that can pick up keywords, or a more basic call-recording and playback system, you should be considering how to use incoming calls to know who your customers are, and what’s on their minds. These insights can be invaluable in helping you to target your marketing efforts.

4. Leverage your CRM system

One of the biggest frustrations we have when calling a business, whether to enquire about their product or to resolve an issue, is the need to repeat the same, often basic information to different agents over and over again.

Ensure you’re using your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools to keep track of all leads, inform agents about the history of interactions with the customer, keep all customer information visible, and provide valuable analytics whenever possible.

5. Resolve customer issues seamlessly

No one enjoys spending time on phone calls trying to get through to the right person who can resolve their issues – it’s one of the biggest time-stealing frustrations of modern life. Poor handling of phone calls is a major incentive for customers to give up and take their business to one of your competitors.

So in addition to equipping your call handlers with the skills and knowledge they need to understand customer problems, empower them to make decisions and resolve issues without the need for callers to be put on hold for extended periods, or passed from person to person.  While not every issue can be resolved easily, surprising the customer with a genuine ‘can do’ response and removing the need to go ‘up the line’ can create a powerful and positive impression.

Customer service expert Jeff Mowatt has created a list of Top 10 telephone turnoffs to avoid – or risk alienating your colleagues and clients.

Like you, there are times in my work when emails and texts aren’t efficient and I actually need to phone someone and have a real conversation. I’ve made literally thousands of calls over the years and – since I pay particular attention to customer communication – I’ve created a list of Top 10 Telephone Turnoffs.

See if you can relate to them, which I’ve rated from least annoying to worst. More importantly, read the accompanying tips to ensure you and your team members aren’t committing the same offenses.

10. “Good afternoon, thank you for calling ABC company, Ralf speaking. How can I help you?”  Long greetings waste the caller’s time. Instead, just open with, “Thank you for calling ABC company, this is Ralf.” It’s concise and finishes with the employee’s name rather than the word speaking. People remember the word spoken last and the most important word is your name. While you’re at it, avoid asking, “How can I help you?” The caller will tell you this, and adding that statement essentially steps all over your name by following it with more words that make it even less memorable.

9. “Hello.” While, turnoff #10 was too long, this greeting doesn’t offer enough information. If a call is transferred to you from a switchboard, just say, “Good morning (or afternoon) this is Jeff.” In this case, by saying good morning you let the caller know they’ve reached you live; not your voice mail.

8. “How are you?” Asking this question to someone you’ve never met has two unintended consequences: 1) sounds insincere 2) wastes the person’s time. Not a great start, especially when the most important thing you’re trying to establish is trust. Instead of asking, “How are you?” simply introduce yourself, then explain, “We’ve never met. The reason I’m calling is…”

7. “Please hold.” Putting a caller on hold without asking permission is rude. Instead, ask permission and thank them: “May I put you on hold for a moment? Thank you.”

6. “I’m either on the phone or away from my desk…” Callers understand that they’ve reached your voice mail. They don’t need an explanation about why. If you’re out of the office for several days mention that. Otherwise, just state, “You’ve reached the voice mail of Jeff Mowatt. Please leave a message. ‘Nuff said. (Please don’t tell me to have a great day – just stop talking so I can leave a message).

5. “Your call is important to us.” This is the default recorded message you often hear when reaching a call centre. Again, the most important thing to establish with customers is trust. It doesn’t help when the record message tells a lie. If our call was really that important to the organization, they’d have a live person taking our call. This statement insults our intelligence. Instead, opt for, “Your call will be answered in approximately x minutes. Thank you for your patience.”

4. “You need to call department x.” (When customers have a complaint). The last thing customers want when expressing a concern is the runaround. If a customer is unhappy, rather than foisting them on another department, ask permission to put the caller on hold. Then you call the department to brief them about the customer’s concern and their state of mind. That leads us to turnoff #3…

3. ABC department? (When picking up a transferred call after you’ve been briefed about their complaint). Forcing unhappy customers to repeat themselves simply elevates their frustration. Instead, answer the call by introducing yourself with your first and last name, explaining that your colleague briefed you, and paraphrasing your understanding of the situation. Then, rather than starting back at square one, the customer can simply correct or confirm the details.

2. Peeking at your smart phone screen while in face-to-face conversation. When you check your phone in front of others you demonstrate a focus on yourself that undermines trust.

1. Talking on a cell phone around others. No one wants to hear a half of a phone conversation from a bystander. Anywhere. Anytime. We’d rather listen to jets taking off than be subjected to someone’s stream of consciousness. If you must make a phone call while others are within earshot, keep it short or go elsewhere to make the call.

The good news about these telephone turnoffs is they are easy to avoid. As I teach in my seminars – ask yourself if everything you say and do enhances or diminishes trust. When you demonstrate your respect for your customers’ time and intelligence, chances are you will be rewarded – literally – with their loyalty.

About the Author

Jeff Mowatt is a customer service strategist, Hall of Fame speaker, and bestselling author. This article is based on Jeff’s bestselling book, Influence with Ease. You can obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team at www.jeffmowatt.com.

Without a doubt one of the most important skills in business is the ability to communicate with customers by telephone.

Part of the reason the telephone continues to be a preferred communication channel is that it gives customers a quick way to make contact. For companies, it is an opportunity to express empathy and strengthen customer relationships.

According to Harvard Business Review it can cost anywhere from 5 to 25 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. This means it pays to invest in training your customer service employees or outsourcing to a professional call answering service.

Here are 12 ways to provide better telephone customer service.

Answer Calls Promptly

Make it a rule in your organization that all phone calls should be answered by the third ring whenever possible, and no customer should be asked to sit on hold indefinitely until someone is available to take the call. The longer a customer has to wait to talk to a person, the harder it will be to satisfy them once their request is finally made.

Create a Good First Impression

It’s important to get off to a positive start and you can do this by adopting an attentive tone. This will set the direction of the call and help achieve an agreeable outcome for both you and your client. Your manner should be professional but at the same time friendly. Start by greeting the customer according to the time of the day. For example, “Good afternoon, this is John from United Widgets, how may I help you?”

Acknowledge Your Customer

After introducing yourself and your company you can ask the customer for their details. Acknowledge the customer throughout the call by addressing them by name as well as repeating back any important points or comments for clarification. Express your gratitude that they took the time to contact you and assure them their issue is being taken seriously.

Always Be Polite

In today’s high-tech world of automation, chatbots and AI, contact with a live person is more important than ever. Be sure to represent your organization to the highest standard by being polite always. Speak clearly and at a pace that the customer can follow. Be careful with the words you use in case they convey unintended meanings. If you need to transfer your client to another department, always ask permission first. The same applies if you need to put the customer on hold.

Make Yourself Clear

As mentioned previously, to ensure the call goes smoothly always speak clearly. Take the time to pronounce your words correctly and avoid using jargon that only you and your colleagues understand. And It goes without saying that you should never, ever chew gum or eat lunch while on a call!

Monitor Phone Calls

You’ve probably heard the phrase “Your call may be recorded for quality purposes”. This method of monitoring customer service is widely used and can be extremely effective in helping employees develop better customer service techniques. When agents hear how they sound on a call, they can use that knowledge to make corrections to their calls in the future.

Stand Up!

One thing you might like to try from time to time is standing up when you are on the phone. By taking to your feet and walking around you’ll get your blood flowing and increase oxygen to your brain. This physical act alone can have a positive effect on your mood, your ability to concentrate and ultimately the quality of the call.

Express Empathy

By being sincere and showing empathy you will develop the trust of your client. The best customer service agents are compassionate and caring and, above all, genuine. You never know what problems the caller may be facing when they pick up the phone to speak with you. You have a unique opportunity to not only help solve the customer’s problem, but to make their day a better one. Emotional intelligence is a skill, and like any other it needs to be worked on.

Take the Blame

Part of being empathetic is taking responsibility when things go wrong. Don’t be afraid to say, “It’s our fault,” or “I’m sorry for the mistake,” to customers when the situation warrants. Sometimes these simple phrases are enough to completely take the anger out of a frustrated customer.

Get Answers

“I don’t know” should be three words never heard on a call unless they are quickly followed by, “But I’ll find out for you” Your telephone answering team may not have all the answers but they should know where to get them. If you need to take time to investigate further, give your customer a time frame for the call-back, and keep your word at all costs.

End on a Positive Note

Regardless of how the call goes, endeavour to end it in a positive way. Reconfirm your plan of action and what you will do for the customer in terms of resolution. The final words of your conversation are what will be remembered most, so keep it friendly and proactive at the end.

Close the Loop

Your relationship with the customer does not end the moment you hang up the call. Always follow up with them to make sure their questions have been answered fully and all issues have been resolved. This can of course be done by email, but a personal call is a powerful thing. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to gain feedback and offer new products and services they might be interested in.

Technology is an important element in today’s increasingly digital world but by maintaining the human touch on the telephone, companies will feel the effect of better customer service on their bottom line.

Bryan Horn examines the state of customer service today and provides three ways to reduce customer frustration and promote positive outcomes.

I saw a cartoon in a business publication that accurately sums up the sad modern state of customer service. A woman is speaking into a phone recorder while two men stand behind her. The men are speaking to the woman as she records her voice into the voicemail. The cartoon caption reads, “Next time you say ‘your call is very important to us’, try not to laugh!”

As I have said over and over, many companies adopt a “to big to fail” mentality with negative customer practices to match. In short, companies know they can get away with treating their valued customers like garbage and suffer little to no repercussions. How often have you called a large bank, cable company or other megacorporation only to be handed off from one department to the other?

Every agent then refuses to take accountability for the problem their company created and passes you from one person to another. Frustrated, your anger grows as you explain the situation multiple times. And then, if you’re lucky, the company might take responsibility and fix the issue. More often than not, they will use that dreaded word “unfortunately” coupled with a series of excuses as to why you’re plain out of luck.

Nothing is more frustrating for a customer than having to rehash their problem over and over again to multiple agents. The following example is a true interaction one of my clients had with a large cable provider (name has been changed).

“Thank you for calling ABC Cable Company. How may I help you?”

“Yes, this is Steve. The cable box you sent me arrived defective. I would like a replacement please.”

“Unfortunately, you have reached the sales department. I will need to transfer you to refunds. I will make sure you are transferred to the correct department. Please hold.”

Several minutes of annoying hold music follows until the phone picks up again.

“Thank you for calling ABC Cable Company. How can I help you?”

“Yes, this is Steve. I purchased an item from you and it arrived defective. I need a replacement please.”

“Unfortunately, you have reached technical support. I will need to transfer you to the correct department.”

“But the previous agent said you were the correct department!”

“I cannot be held responsible for the previous agent’s comments. Unfortunately, I am not able to assist. I will make sure you are transferred to the right department this time.”

By now, the blood is beginning to boil as the hold music continues. Another several minutes passes.

“Thank you for calling ABC Cable Company. So I can understand your situation, can you please inform me what is going on?”

“This is Steve. As I have explained twice already, the cable box you sent me is defective. I need a replacement.”

“I understand your frustration. However, we are unable to send you a free replacement. You will need to purchase a new box.”

“But the box is defective. Are you telling me I need to purchase a new box that I already paid for and was defective upon arrival?”

“Yes, that is our company policy.”

Interactions like these are sadly far too common and demonstrate how many organizations have adopted company centric practices versus customer centric ones. In my previous book, I shared a story while senior director of finance within the auto industry. I was calling a large automotive bank to obtain a payoff for a vehicle held in the name of a business.

Normally, this process takes around thirty seconds to perform. But this particular financial institution has enacted practices to make it difficult and frustrating to obtain this information. In this case, it took seventeen long and grueling minutes to obtain information that should have taken less than a minute. I was transferred to seven different departments and placed on hold for a mind-numbing amount of time. Every agent used the “not my department” verbiage and cold transferred me to someone else. The agents would assure me that I would be transferred to the right department this time around. Sure enough, no such luck. When I would reach another agent, I had to explain the problem again. Upon obtaining the information, the customer left and took his business elsewhere. The customer left angry, I was left without a sale, and the financial institution couldn’t have cared less.

It should not be this way, yet is the new normal. Companies have forgotten who keeps them in business. Companies fail to remember their primary mission is to provide products and services combined with amazing experiences for customers. Everything a company does must have one goal in mind: Create moments of “wow” for customers.

Zappos has created a system that empowers employees to handle all issues at one point of contact. Agents are empowered to issue return labels, refunds, upgrade shipping options and send promotional coupons when issues arise. They have broken traditional molds and proven that agents can take care of all customer needs at one touchpoint rather than playing department-to-department musical chairs. This customer centric philosophy is what contributes to Zappo’s success as a company. According to Zappo’s, “we want to distinguish the service experience for every customer, on each and every phone call.”

However, if you must transfer customers to another department, I suggest implementing the following practices to reduce customer frustration and promote positive outcomes:

Speak to the appropriate agent directly. When a customer has reached the wrong department, don’t cold transfer them to another agent and leave them to chance. Place the customer on hold and explain to the next agent the situation that has arisen. Emphasize the customer is frustrated and has been transferred to the wrong department, further adding to their negative experience thus far. By doing this, the new agent is brought up to speed and does not have to ask the customer to restate the problem.

Apologize for the problem. This should seem obvious, but this simple act has been lost in today’s company centric cultures. Apologize to the customer for the incorrect transfer and the problem they are facing.

Resolve the issue and compensate for the mistake. When the customer has reached the correct agent, use reaffirming language that tells your customer you are going to be their hero. In the example from before, had the company been customer centric, the conversation would have been much different. “Hi Steve, this is Linda. The previous agent has informed me of the situation, and I will take care of it. I am sending you a new box via overnight mail, and it should arrive by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow. I am also issuing you $25 credit for the inconvenience experienced today!

Micah Solomon says it best,

Any time someone tells you that “wow” customer service is too expensive, ask them how much they paid on their marketing and sales efforts last year. Creating an emotional connection with your customers is the most direct route to getting your customers to doing your marketing for you.

 When you forget that customers are the most crucial part of your business, then it will suffer. I can’t say it any more plain than that. You have the ability to create experiences that will knock the socks off of your customer’s feet. Enact them, enforce them, and improve on them. Think like your customers and put yourself in their shoes. Standards must be consistent across every department, and everyone must be accountable to the customer. When you provide genuine and emotional connections for your customers, you’re not just generating revenue. You are changing the world for the better, one human being at a time.

In the logo for my consulting firm, I use two Japanese characters that spell the word kaizen. It means “good change”, but is also the embodiment of a way of life. Kaizen means to continually look for opportunities to better one’s self and surroundings. What a great concept for customer experience! Even the most customer centric organizations will tell you that they can always do better. That is why we are here, and that is why you are reading this article.

You are presented daily with an abundance of chances to be a hero in your customer’s lives. Put on your cape and make it happen for them!

About the Author

Bryan Horn is a customer experience trainer and corporate culture development expert. He has 16 years of experience as a financial services manager. He has been homeless, jobless, and everywhere in between. He brings real-world applications and stories that relate to every culture and industry.

He is the author of the internationally successful book The Customer Service Revolution: 8 Principles That Will Change the Way Companies Think About the Customer Experience and the Employees Who Work for Them. He is currently publishing his second book, Get Your Stuff and Get Out! Why Customer Service Sucks and How We Can Make It Great Again!

Bryan is the founder of CX Solutions, a customer experience training consulting firm. He resides in Salt Lake City, UT.

For more information, please visit www.thecsrevolution.com.

What’s driving your call centre demand? Most callers look to clarify something.

Maybe they just received a notice around revised terms for an insurance policy. Questions typically relate to these three things: payments, charges or queries around a specific product or service. For all these categories, clarity of communications is key. And conversely, complex communications drive increased calls, and increased costs.

Here are some levers you can use to tackle contact centre demand:

• reduce talk time
• implement live chat to spread demand
• hire more staff
• invest in training
• shave off inefficiencies

While these are effective tactics, most represent additional spending. And many ignore the root problem, why did the person have to call in the first place?

There is another way

Communicating in plain language results in less customer confusion. This leads to fewer questions, and a reduced workload for your call centre. As a bonus, your customer experience (CX) becomes stronger.

Let’s take a banking example. A bank sends out information on loan restructuring.

The customer is busy with deadlines, school drop-offs, meetings and more. She doesn’t have time to learn banking jargon. The letter references lots of jargon (APR, APY) and seems legalistic. She picks up the phone to your support term to clarify the offer.

And, she’s also not the only one. The same letter went to thousands of customers. Many looking for similar clarifications.

Imagine now that the bank had sent the same letter in plain English with no banking jargon.

A clear case for plain language

This isn’t just theory; we’ve seen this happen time and time again in the companies we work with.

Insurance provider Sun Life used VisibleThread technology to improve the clarity of 11 of their membership letters. The result was a 19% drop in call centre volume. And this equated to an annual saving of $325k. Technology played a part by supporting non-writers from operations, support and product teams. While dashboards showed clarity across all teams and channels.

Jack Nelson, former Executive Vice President of Operations for CVS Caremark says fixing upstream issues results in a  10-30%  drop in call centre demand. One of these is clear customer communication (more on this here).

It’s time to discover the savings you could be making.

The hidden benefits of plain language

If you create clear communications with your customer in mind, they won’t need to contact you as much. This has a positive impact on your call traffic, CX, and your bottom line.

But let’s not forget our secret weapon. Our people. In a tight labour market, it’s never been more important to hold on to your talented employees. And plain language can help there, too. A lower volume of calls means more time for your employees to focus on delivering exceptional service.

There’s a huge opportunity for call centres to focus on the most important calls, from customers with complex issues. The result is more satisfied staff, as well as delighted customers. The CX holy grail.

About the Author:

Fergal McGovern is CEO of  VisibleThread. He  and  the  VisibleThread team are  on a mission to get the world communicating clearly. Global organisations like  Sun Life, Boeing, and the Australian Government use VisibleThread to score written content for complexity and consistency.

Find out if your telephone customer service is winning or losing customers by making a “mystery call”.

If your customers aren’t impressed by you or your co-workers on the telephone, they can switch businesses by merely hanging-up and dialing the competition. So, your telephone skills can have a significant impact on your business and your career.

To find out how you and your co-workers are perceived, take this telephone test. While you’re at it, have a friend make a “mystery call” to see how your fellow employees measure up.

1. How long does it take you and/or your switchboard operator to answer the phone?

a) 5 rings or less
b) 3 rings or less
c) under three rings

After two rings, callers are wondering what’s going on. Your phone should be answered in-person by the second ring or by your voice-mail system by the fourth ring.

2. Do you answer your phone with any of the following?

a) “Hello.”
b) “(Company name only)”
c) “(last name only)”
d) “Good afternoon, this is (your full name), how can I help you?”

All of these greetings have flaws. A, B, and C are too abrupt and don’t provide enough information. D is too wordy and dissuades callers from identifying themselves because it encourages them to get to the point rather than saying their name. Plus it forces you to check the clock to see if it’s before or after noon. A better greeting is, “Thank you for calling ABC Company. This is John.” If you are taking a call that’s transferred to you, then always identify yourself as you wished to be addressed. Whether you choose to identify the department is optional.

3. Have you ever said, “Please hold” to a caller?

a) yes
b) no

Never put a caller on-hold without asking for their permission, and then waiting for their response. Putting customers on hold without their consent is a sure-fire formula to lose customers.

4. How long does it take a person on hold to become annoyed?

a) 2 minutes
b) 30 seconds
c) 1 minute
d) 17 seconds

Studies show that after only 17 seconds, callers on hold become annoyed. The exception is when the greeter explains why the caller is being asked to hold and provides the estimated time required. Knowing beforehand how long they can expect to wait reduces the chance of annoyance, particularly among long distance and cellular phone callers. Another option to prevent frustration is to offer the caller the option of either holding or hanging up and having their call returned within a brief, specific time period.

5. When you’re talking on the phone while a visitor walks in, who gets priority?

a) the visitor
b) the caller

The person who made the effort to show up in-person gets priority. That means you need to interrupt the caller. The quickest way to get that caller’s attention is to call their name. “George, I have someone who just walked in, can I ask you to hold for a moment?” Wait for their agreement. Then acknowledged the visitor, tell them you’ll be a moment, and wrap-up your telephone conversation.

If you’re talking to customer in person when the phone rings, then get someone else to answer the phone, or use voice mail. Abandoning customers to answer the phone is downright rude and is a guaranteed way to lose customers. As obvious as this seems, it’s one of the most common blunders in customer service.

6. When receiving a call for a co-worker, how are you most likely to respond?

a) “Susan’s not in right now, so I’ll have to take a message.”
b) “Susan’s still at lunch. Can I take a message?”
c) “Susan’s should be back soon. Could you call back in about 15 minutes?”

All of these statements have flaws that make the greeter sound unhelpful and unprofessional. Consider each response.

Response a) The statement, “I’ll have to take a message,” makes it sound like an inconvenient chore. Instead, change two words: “I’ll be happy to take a message.” The bonus is that you don’t work any harder but you convey the impression of someone with a terrific customer service attitude.

Response b) It’s completely irrelevant that the co-worker is at lunch. The caller might be thinking, “That’s a long time to be at lunch!” It’s also irrelevant whether your coworker is “in a meeting” or “with a customer” or “busy”. The only relevant information is they’re not coming to the phone. Therefore, “Susan is not available right now” is the most appropriate response, followed by, “I’d be happy to take a message.”

Response c) Asking a caller to phone back later gives the impression that you’re too lazy or disorganized to take a message. This gives a potential customer a terrific excuse to call your competitor. ‘Nuff said.

The training solution

If you’re like most managers and business owners, you’ll probably find that when you assess the phone practices within your organization, there’s room for improvement. The good news is that with just a little training, it’s easy to develop the skills that ensure that your customers keep coming back.

About the Author

Jeff Mowatt is a customer service strategist, Hall of Fame speaker, and bestselling author. This article is based on Jeff’s bestselling book, Influence with Ease. You can obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team at www.jeffmowatt.com.