Fast, efficient service is very important at a call center, but you must also be polite and attentive.
A lot of people who contact call centers want to get straight to the point and continue with their day. However, there are always a few that can be quite chatty, which keeps other customers on hold for a longer period of time. The main focus of an answering service is to adhere to the customer’s needs, but you want to do so as quickly as possible, while still remaining efficient and professional. You cannot be rude to customers when they start to ramble, but you can guide the conversation. Here are some ways to control a conversation while still providing great customer service.
Close-Ended Questions
Some people view open ended questions as an opportunity to talk about whatever it is they are interested in. To prevent this, ask close ended questions to clients that seem to enjoy rambling. A close ended question is one that generally requires either a yes/no answer or gives them one of two options. For example, you could ask “Is your inquiry about a product or a service?”, and that gives the customer only two ways to answer. This is both professional and keeps the customer from being able to get off topic.
Keep Answers Short
A lot of times, people who tend to ramble drift off to topics that are unrelated to the original one. In this case, they may also try to engage you in the conversation. You must remember that great customer service is always a priority at an answering service, so you do not want to blatantly cut the person off or change the subject. A good way to get the conversation back on track is to keep answers to any off-topic questions short and sweet. You want to give responses that are polite, but hard for them to respond to, and immediately try to follow up with a business-related question such as “Was there anything else I could help you with today?”. You should always be careful with tone of voice because you don’t want to come off as rude or uninterested.
Use The Customer’s Name
This is an easy way to grab someone’s attention and distract them from what they were talking about. When you call a person’s name, they typically stop what they are doing and see what it is you called them for. Now, of course, you shouldn’t cut them off in the middle of their sentence and call their name. It is better to wait until they are finished and say something like “Oh, Mr. Johnson, that reminds me…”. This gives you control of the conversation and allows you to get it back on topic while still being polite and engaged.
Call Center Services From TeleRep
TeleRep knows how important customer feedback is to your business. We are well known for our professionalism and excellent customer service when dealing with your valued customers. Let your customers know you care, right now, with an answering service. To learn how TeleRep can help set your business apart, contact us online or give us a call at 1-800-638-2000. To see more examples of what we’ve done, follow us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.