Customer Service over telephone

One basic strategy for successfully providing effective customer service over the telephone is to thoroughly understand all phone features and use them effectively. This may seem to be a logical and simple concept, but think about times when you called a company and someone attempted to transfer you, put you on hold, or did not communicate clearly. If the transfer was successful, you were lucky. If not, you probably could not understand what happened, got disconnected, were connected to the wrong party, or heard the original person come back on the telephone to apologize and say something like, “The call did not go through. Let me try again.” Sound familiar? If so, use the strategies in Figure 9.8 to ensure that you do not deliver similar poor service.

· Eliminate distractions. Do not eat food, chew gum, drink, talk to others, read (unless for the purpose of providing the customer with information), or handle other office tasks (e.g., filing, stapling, stamping, sealing envelopes, or using the computer) while on the phone unless you are checking information for the customer on the line and with his or her permission. Your voice quality will alert the customer to the fact that you are otherwise preoccupied.

· Answer promptly. You communicate a lot by the way you handle a phone call. One tip for success is to always answer by the third or fourth ring. This sends a nonverbal message to your customers of your availability to serve them. It also reduces the irritating ringing that you, coworkers, or other customers who are present have to hear. Check with your supervisor, employee handbook, or intranet website to learn your organization’s standard for answering.

Customer Service Success Tip Tip

Use equipment properly. Ensure that the earpiece and mouthpiece rest squarely against your ear and in front of your mouth, respectively, when speaking to customers. This allows you to accurately hear what a customer says and accurately and clearly transmit your words to the customer. Your success or failure in receiving and delivering messages often hinges on simply holding the receiver or wearing a headset properly.

· Use titles with names. Dale Carnegie once said, “There is no sweeter sound to one’s ears than the sound of his name.” However, until you are told otherwise, use a person’s title (e.g., Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Dr.) and last name. Do not assume that you can use first names. Some people regard the use of their first name as insolent or rude. This may especially be true of older customers and people from other cultures where respect and use of titles are valued. When you are speaking with customers, it is also a good idea to use their name frequently (do not overdo it, though, or you will sound mechanical). Repeat the name directly after the greeting (e.g., “Yes, Dr. Carmine, how may I help you?”), during the conversation (e.g., “One idea I have, Mr. Perrier, is to …”), and at the end of the call (e.g., “Thanks for calling, Mrs. Needham. I will get that information right out to you. Is there anything else I can do to assist you today?”).

· Ask questions. You read about the use of questions earlier in the book. Use them on the telephone to get information or clarify points made by the customer. Ask open-end questions; then, listen to the response carefully. To clarify or verify information, use closed-end questions.372

· Use speakerphones with caution. Speakerphones make sense for people who have certain disabilities and in some environments (where you need free hands or are doing something else while you are on hold or are waiting for someone to answer a phone). From a customer service standpoint, they can send a cold or impersonal message, and their use should be minimal. Many callers do not like them and even think that speakerphone users are rude. In addition, depending on the equipment used and how far you are from the telephone, the message received by your customer could be distorted, or it might seem as though you are in an echo chamber. Before using a speakerphone, ask yourself whether there is a valid reason for not using a headset or handheld phone.

When you are using a speakerphone, make sure that others will not overhear your conversation, especially if you are discussing personal, proprietary, or confidential information. Also, if someone is listening in on the customer’s conversation, make sure that you inform the customer of that fact and introduce the two people. Also, explain why he or she is listening. As you read earlier, some people are very protective of their privacy and you should respect their feelings.

· Use call waiting. A useful feature offered by many phone systems is call waiting. While you are on the phone, a signal (usually a beep) indicates that there is an incoming call. When you hear the signal, you have a couple of options: Excuse yourself from your current call by getting permission to place the person on hold, or ignore the second caller. If you have a voice mail system, the system makes the choice for you by transferring incoming calls to your message system. Both options have advantages and disadvantages.

By taking the second call, you may irritate your current caller, who might hang up. This results in potential lost business. On the other hand, by not taking the second call, you might miss an important message and/or irritate that caller.

By ignoring the signal, you might offend the second caller. Research indicates that many customers forget to or decide against placing later calls to busy numbers, especially if they have already made several attempts. Customers may feel that you are too busy to properly serve them.

So, how do you handle the dilemma? Make a judgment about how the customer to whom you are speaking might react and then act accordingly. In some instances, company policies tell you what to do, so you do not have to decide.