Interaction Tips
Tip of the month for the frontline. Stop by frequently for new tips.
Stay Focused at the Close
So often professionals take a sales call right up to the close and panic or give up. Here are a few "don'ts & tips" to see you through:
- Don't let your own discomfort get in the way. Usually when you get to the closing point in the call, your customers and prospects have given you many positive vibes. Trust them; trust yourself.
- Don't back off just when your customer needs you most. You've been like a guide in the conversation uncovering needs and posing worth in your solutions. Take the conversation to the next level and make it easy for your customer.
- Don't blame your sales model, if you haven't embraced it. In other words, don't expect much commitment if you haven't been applying the sales approach you've been taught for a reason – it works if you let it! When you go straight to the last step in your model and haven't earned the right, you're asking for pushback.
- Don't forget to prepare for that pushback. Asking great questions and believing in your solutions, doesn't mean you don't have to prepare for valid questions, concerns. Managing pushback is largely psychological and you can't ignore it or bulldog your way through it. Knowing where to take the call in the face of uncertainty, confusion or rejection is part of the prep. You need to apply a strategy in order to achieve successful results on a more regular basis.
More Tips:
Don’t Fight or Flee…Find Your Rational Self
When we’re attacked or in stress-mode during our interactions, we often react in a Fight or Flight mode.
Fight modes:
Condescending Parent – “do this or else.” Resorting
to rules at expense of a positive exchange. Don’t let the customer
see your finger wagging through the phone.
Emotional Child – “how dare you,” “you’re the
idiot for not getting it.” You can practically hear yourself beginning
the irrational “no, he did it; no, she did it” sandbox routine.
Flee modes:
Drama Club President – “aawww” (with head cocked to
one side). Here we flee our “corporate-representative self” and
hold only the customer’s hand. Beware of getting TOO involved and overly
sympathetic, which is ineffective and
prolongs the call.
Customer-Phobic – silence – “uh, huh” –
silence. Resist the urge to opt-out completely where you are too removed
to be helpful.
Anytime we’re in a stressful environment, it’s harder to call
on our best selves and much easier to revert to our comfort fight or flight
role. Seek to balance the company needs with customer needs and finally
with your own needs to help you stay engaged in a rational manner.
Try breathing (without sighing), visualizing the customer as a real person,
and remembering you’re the best person for the job. A calm, genuine
empathy statement expressed with a non-confrontational question to move
the dialogue forward usually works - even if you have to try multiple times.
“Yes. All these forms in the midst of your pain are frustrating to
complete. Would it be all right to look at line #12 together?”
Treat Your Voice Like An Instrument
Being a phone rep is actually one of the occupations most at risk for strained vocal cords. Our non-stop talking, caffeine, smoking and antihistamines are the biggest culprits for dehydrating our vocal cords. Drinking LOTS of water can keep them in working order. Water at room temperature is best so as not to either shock or overly relax the muscles. When you have laryngitis, remember that whispering puts more strain on your cords than trying to speak - it's not a myth. NY Times web site quotes Dr. Robert F. Ward, assistant professor of otolaryngology at Cornell University Medical Center in New York explaining it this way, " the swollen cords are forced nearly together without letting them meet. It is like lying down and trying to hold your feet a little way off the floor for a long time."
Gift Your Power
Often our callers' frustration is rooted in feeling uninformed. Think about
it. Representatives hold all the keys - the product expertise, the database,
the processes, the procedures. One approach that can help break down barriers
is acknowledging what our customers are feeling as quickly as possible and
sharing how you'll give them what they need: "I can appreciate how
confusing our rebate process is. I'm glad to work with you to make it easier."
Staying away from phrases like "Hold on, OR Wait a minute, OR If you'll
just, OR You must" serves to tone down the conversation making your
calls easier to manage.
Demonstrate You Care …Online
Examine Look. Listen. Be.’s definition for Electronic Customer Care and ask yourself where you can improve:
E-Care is the delicate process of interacting with customers online resulting
in customers who believe you:
- Value the online exchange
- Commit to their medium of choice
- Deliver online partnership
- Balance intimacy with confidentiality
- Honor the customer experience & your promises.
How dedicated is your company to showing you care online?
Where can you improve as a spokesperson for your company?
After reviewing your answers, take the first step. Start a brown-bag lunch
discussion, task force, or inter-office facebook conversation committing
to make a tangible difference.
Branding in the Interaction Center
Do Your Contact Center Reps Brand Their Customer Interactions?
Are Your Contact Center Conversations in Sync With Your Social Media Messages?
Read what you said about branding in the interaction center over 10 years ago. Compare where you are today with where you were. Surprisingly, the needle may not have moved very far for many of us. However, with the advent of social media and the maturation of the branding industry, marketing departments and contact centers must begin working together to close the gap between our projected brand personalities and what customers actually experience on the phone and online. Download here.
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