If you are a new call center phone agent, or you have been a call center phone agent for a while, it can be helpful to go over some of the best tips to help you be a great agent. How you treat your phone customers can make you feel miserable and unhappy or fulfilled and happy. A recent study conducted by Michael Steger, a psychologist at the University of Louisville in Kentucky found that when people help others, they feel happier and their lives feel more purposeful. Here are three tips to make you a better call center phone agent by treating your customers the best, which will make your job more fulfilling and make you a happier person.
Use the Golden Rule in Customer Service
The best tip to remember when dealing with customers over the phone is to treat them the way you want to be treated as a customer. Think about how you want to be helped, spoken to, and valued as a customer, then do the same to each customer you talk to on the phone. It can be difficult to keep up this mindset while you are taking call after call for your entire shift, but it is the best way to truly help your customers and feel good about your job.
Your customers do not want to be transferred several times, without getting the help they need. Determine what they need help with by listening to what they have to say, and find the right department to help them. Then, don't dump the customer's call through to the other department's phone line. Wait for a representative to get on the line, give them the customer's information and explain to the agent what the customer needs before you transfer them.
Let Them Vent
When you have an angry customer on the phone, give them time to calm down. Let them tell you how they feel about their problem and give them a chance to be heard. This may take several minutes, but don't interrupt them while they vent their feelings as this can make them more angry. Interrupting them can make them feel like their feelings aren't valid and you don't care about helping them. After they have finished venting, they will usually be more calm and you will have a good idea how you can help them.
After the customer has finished explaining their problem and you have listened to the details to help them out, validate their feelings. Show them sympathy with their situation and tell them you are going to help them. This will let the customer know you are on their side. During this entire process, don't ever become defensive and don't take it personally. This would be the fastest way to escalate the call even further.
Show the Customer Courtesy
Always treat each customer with respect and show them courtesy. Use "please' and "thank you" in your conversation with them. If you don't know the answer to a question, tell them you will find out. Then, if you need to put their call on hold to check on some information or to transfer them, ask them if it is okay you put them on hold. If they have been on hold for several minutes and you are not finished checking information or calling another department, get back on the line with them and explain that it will be a couple more minutes.
At the end of the phone call, always ask them if there is anything else you can answer or help them with. Sometimes, a customer will forget they have a second question, then remember later after they have hung up with you.
There is no better feeling than to have a customer who was previously yelling and screaming at you over the phone to sincerely thank you for your great help. And, knowing your customers get the best treatment from you can help you to feel more fulfilled, happy, and can give your life more purpose. You can read more here about call centers and call center jobs.
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