How to Improve Offering Customer Service On the Telephone

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By ShirleyLee
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Customers not only want excellent service, they often expect it. Customers will not do business with a company that has bad customer service. Often customers who feel treated respectfully and are given good service by a company will return to it in the future when a similar need arises. Which of these companies are you? How well your customers are treated depends on the attitude and training of your customer service representatives. Train yourself and representatives in not only the proper use of equipment, but customer treatment as well in order to improve your customer service skills and attitudes.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Smile before picking up the phone. Smiling makes your feel more positive and it can be heard in your voice.
Step 2

When you answer the phone, greet customers by saying hello and asking them how you can help. Be sure to give them your name in case they need to call back they can ask for the person they have already been working with.
Step 3

Ask the customer for their name and phone number. Having their phone allows you to call them back if you become disconnected or need to do research. Allows Call them by their name while you are talking with them. This makes it seem like a friendly conversation rather than just a complaint issue.
Step 4

Remember if the customer is angry or determined to complain, don’t take their criticism personally. Stay calm and ask questions that help you get to the root of the problem or issue. Whenever possible, be empathetic and let the customer know you understand their feelings.
Step 5

If you do not have an immediate answer for the customer, do not lie or make something up as this will only cause problems in the future. You should find someone who can give you the correct answer for the customer.
Step 6

When you need to put a customer on hold or if your computers are down, let them know how long the hold or downtime might be. If it will be more than a couple of minutes, you should give the customer the option of holding or having you call them back when you have completed your research or when the computers come back up. The customer may choose to call you back, but never tell them that is what they must do. Be sure to call them back in the stated timeframe even if it is only to say you still do not have an answer. Lack of communication is often more frustrating for a customer than having to wait a little longer for results.
Step 7

Always try to find the best way to resolve the problem and satisfy your customer’s needs without having to go through multiple levels of approval or breaking any rules. If you must get an approval, before resolving an issue let the customer know the process and how long it may take. Give them a date and time when they could expect a result from the process.
Step 8

After you have met the customer’s needs, ask if you can be of any help with anything else before hanging up. Be sure to thank the customer before saying goodbye.

Comments

raldjq said

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on 2/12/2009 I hope all customer service can read this. Some employee forget how important good customer service for a business. Or maybe they don't care.