The Phone Call and Customer Service

Who are customers? A short, informal Webster definition is a person with whom one must deal. A
phone caller is certainly someone to be dealt with: thus, a customer.
There are many dealings occurring during the workday outside of your sphere of influence. However,
how people react to you, perceive you and thus the organization you represent are all within your
control. If you are a cheerful, responsive problem solver, people will react positively to you. You can
confidently influence your effectiveness with a caller and ultimately the reputation of your department,
with a strong customer service orientation. A famous restaurant trains their greeters to ask when you
leave about your experience at their restaurant. They ask because they know if you had a bad
experience you are likely to tell 7-9 people. Those people will tell others and quickly the customer
base erodes because of one bad experience. Without customers, the business fails and employees
are out of work.

Telephone Courtesy
1. Clear your mind of all but the task at hand responding to the caller.
2. Prepare your phone voice
3. Answer by the 3rd ring
4. Offer your standardized greeting.
5. Be prepared before you respond.
6. Treat the caller with respect; be efficient, effective, empathetic and responsive.

BE PRESENT WITH YOUR CALLER

Being present requires FOCUS. Your center of interest should be on the caller and their conversation.
Allowing distractions can result in important information being overlooked or worse, the caller
identifies you as a poor provider of customer service and tells others.
Hints:

Turn away from your computer and desk when you answer the phone
Put down your reading material.
Focus your attention on the caller
Take the gum out of your mouth
No drinking or eating during the conversation

PREPARE YOUR PHONE VOICE

Pay attention to:
What you want to say.
How you want to say it.

Your voice is very important to your career and your personal life. When you are talking 87% of the
listeners opinion of you is based on how you say it according to Robertson. That means that only
13% remains to make a positive impression about what we are saying. Project a tone that conveys
enthusiasm, confidence, friendliness and attentiveness.

Did you know, when you smile while you are talking it comes across in your voice? Let your
personality shine through on the phone.
Hints:

Take a deep breath before you pick up the phone

Smile before you speak
Assume your speaking voice, controlling speed, tone and volume
Speak clearly,

PREPARE TO OFFER YOUR STANDARD GREETING

YO, Hey, Whazzzzup may be the normal greetings you would expect to hear in the academic setting
if you are calling the dorms but they are not generally accepted telephone etiquette for University
offices. Remember the 87% rule? Make a good first impression with an effective, efficient greeting.
Identify your department, then, identify yourself. Name your department (Music Department), your
name (Glenn Campbell); thats it, 4 words! Its crisp, clean and gives all the information the caller can
handle at this point in the call. Adding phrases such as good morning, how may I help you are ok
so long as you sound like you mean it. Elaborate, drawn out greetings are distracting and time
consuming. You can lose your caller before the conversation begins.

BE PREPARED BEFORE YOU RESPOND

Use all of your listening skills, focus your attention on the caller, speak calmly and choose your words.
Be careful to avoid jargon or acronyms not universally familiar.
Hints:
Listen not only to what the speaker is saying but to their unspoken thoughts as well. What is it this
person isnt saying that is important to the conversation?
Be sure to get clarification. If I understand you correctly, So you are saying that This is what I
understand you are telling me

TREAT THE CALLER WITH RESPECT; BE EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE,

EMPATHETIC AND RESPONSIVE
5 Forbidden Phrases
1. I Dont Know
2. I/We Cant Do That
3. You Have To
4. Just a Second
5. No
Be positive, a problem solver, honest and helpful.

Problem Callers
Problem callers dont usually start out that way. Something happens to make them go ballistic.
Customers have an expectation of how they ought to be treated and if you fail to meet that
expectation, they become agitated. When you get a caller on the phone who is getting agitated:
Listen. Allow them to vent. Stay calm and be sincere. Remember the 87% rule if you arent sincere
the caller will know immediately. Dont jump in, even if you have heard the same thing 10 times. The
caller will be offended. A sincere voice will have a calming effect on the caller. If you become upset or
defensive you will make a bad situation worse.
Hints:
Dont over-react to trigger words. Callers will often try to push your buttons.
Listen completely to the complaint, allow the caller to vent. Only when they are finished should
you comment.
If the call is long-distance you might offer to call them back to avoid phone charges. This can
have an immediate positive impact.

Empathize. Acknowledge their feelings. I can hear that you are upset by this or I can tell this
situation is upsetting you.
Hints:
To help with this process, keep family pictures in your work area. Pretend you are talking to someone
you know and like while you are working with your caller.
Force yourself to focus on solving the problem rather than internalizing the callers attacks.
Dont blame anyone for the problem, no matter who is at fault. Its counter productive to resolving the
issue.

Apologize. It doesnt matter whos at fault. Anyone who has been inconvenienced wants an
apology. You dont have to agree with the caller, but should express regret that there is a problem.
Empathize with the persons feelings and apologize, sincerely Im really sorry this happened. This
makes the caller feel that you have aligned with them. Its hard to be upset with someone
who is sympathetic and trying to help.
Hints:
Use the persons name a lot and apologize frequently.
Solve the problem. Suggest agreeable solutions. Ask how you can help and if
its reasonable, do it; if not, find a compromise. Make sure something is done.
Take it upon yourself to ensure the customer gets some satisfaction.

Hints:
Handling difficult customers isnt easy. Remembering the Golden Rule,
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and putting it into action with difficult
customers, will help increase your job satisfaction.
Paraphrase the problem and repeat it to the caller get clarification before offering solutions.
Work with your managers to streamline office/departmental procedures so
people who answer the phone are empowered to solve the customers problem.
Picture how good it feels to solve a problem and send someone away
satisfied. It makes your whole day better.

TRANSFERRING CALLS
When the caller needs to be transferred, be polite and ask if they would like to be transferred. Ask the
caller for their number in case you lose them during the transfer. Give the caller the name of the
person to whom you are transferring them along with their number in case the call does not go
through or in case they would like to call later. If at all possible, stay on the line until the transfer is
complete.
If you have a frustrated caller who has been transferred several times already, do not transfer
them again. Take ownership of their situation. Call the appropriate party; ensure they have a
solution to the situation, only then should you transfer the caller. If you dont know how to fix the
situation, take the callers name and number, find the appropriate person and have them return the
call.
Check back to make sure the callers situation has been resolved. The caller will always remember
your kindness and will tell others about your terrific customer service skills.
Hints:

Treat the caller as you would want to be treated

Look at those pictures in your work area; help the caller as if they were
family
Make it your goal to call them back within 4 hours if you have to do
research to help them with their situation