What are Inbound Customer Service Calls?
Inbound calls are phone calls made to a business service team and are initiated by the customer. Responding to inbound calls is an important part of any business looking to retain customers.
One of the most important aspects of delivering excellent customer service is a quick response to their problems. An unhappy customer is not a good advertisement. In fact, they can poison your business by telling many people about their dissatisfaction. With social media, they can literally tell the world.
It's important to be responsive, NOT reactive!
Should you have a script when starting an inbound customer service conversation?
Script or No Script for inbound customer service representatives?
The difference between a good movie and a bad movie is the script. – William Shatner
The late, Steve Jobs would always mentally rehearse what he was going to say if he was speaking to six or 600 people. By mentally rehearsing responses to what he thought would be questions asked he was always prepared. He prepared to succeed and succeed he did!
Keyword what you want to say like working off a teleprompter. Have the bullet points to keep you on track. The worst thing is to put down the phone and realise you forgot to ask an important question. By asking a question you are showing interest. This strokes the listener’s ego, especially with inbound customer service calls.
Roleplay or not to roleplay prior to doing your inbound customer service calls?
Better to look like a fool in front of a colleague than to perform badly in front of an already sometimes agitated customer. Preparation is the key to your success. Ask colleagues to challenge you with questions so you can fully prepare. Remember whilst practising it’s like a child in a sandpit. You will stretch your capability but the great thing is if you fall no one gets hurt. You are in a sandpit, a safe environment.
Role-playing helps you discover your lapses in knowledge and builds self-confidence.
Choice of words
Be an economist with your words. People are on information overload, their ability to process what you are saying is limited.
Above all, make every word count, speak in a simple, clear and concise manner.
Punctuate your speech, pausing to allow the listener to keep up with you. By pausing you will also be drawing attention to important elements of the conversation.
Good conversation is about using the right amount of heart and head in perfect balance. This is done by choosing words that evoke emotions that feel good to the listener. Always give something of value through knowledge transfer. If you do that you will build stronger relationships.
Therefore, ask questions to get the conversation rolling. Mirror what you hear, see and feel to encourage the person to open up to you. You are making the conversation feel safe. For example, “You are upset because …” This shows you are listening and care. This alone calms the person down. Helps you to see what you should do and understand what you shouldn’t do.
Paraphrase by putting some of the conversations in your own words as you don’t want to appear like a parrot.
However, by saying things like, “I understand you may wish to think about this in more detail, I’ll get back to you by close of business tomorrow.” You remove any feeling of heavy-handed pressured sales tactics.
The more clarity you can get around a subject it will help you fill in the gaps. Words like, “Since this is such an important issue, I’m going to speak to my manager about this and get back to you within the hour with a clear response to this concern."
The fortune is in the follow-up!
Therefore, if following up makes you nervous, feel stressed, or uncomfortable get over it. Good customer service relies upon it. Get out of your own way. If you really want something you are going to have to work for it. Nothing comes on a silver platter. If you don’t follow up you are not only letting your customer down you will ultimately be diminishing the reputation of the company you represent.
Inbound and Outbound Customer Service Online Training
Quick Questions:
Do you have the confidence to speak with customers on the phone?
Are you confident to know how to start the conversation?
Can you get the next step? May that be an appointment, request for more information or better still take an order?
If you said NO to any of the above questions click Kickstarting Client Conversations Online Program www.courses.odilefaludi.com and get immediate results!
Alternatively, invite Odile to present to your team in house as your guest speaker
Therefore, Download Online Program - Learn MORE at www.courses.odilefaludi.com Bonus OFFER one-hour free consultation valued at $220 upon downloading the program.
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More clients include:
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Many Small to Medium-sized Businesses from all around Australia.
Check out testimonials HERE
This blog 16 tips for better telephone techniques is certainly worth looking at https://www.odilefaludi.com.au/16-tips-for-better-telephone-technique/
About Odile Faludi
I am a Communications Specialist.
I provide practical tools for the occasions when you find yourself stuck. There’s a crucial conversation you’re either not holding or not holding well. Having worked in the not-for-profit, real estate, and the management consultancy space for the last 15 years. Enjoyed a proven track record of opening doors of top-level executives in the ASX 200 list of companies in Australia.
Workshops
Busily running workshops in-person and online teaching Business Development Managers, Start-up Entrepreneurs, and sales teams’ how to communicate more effectively. The program covers mindset, strategies and techniques to progress the conversation and scripts including smart conversation starters.
In Conclusion
Happy to say, I am particularly well trained in teaching professionals how to successfully navigate any conversation so that it provides a place for a mutual purpose and a win/win outcome. My program reminds us that if you don’t talk it out, you’ll act it out and that is exceptionally dangerous in the workplace.
