LL - What makes a great phone call?

When customers call into a customer service department, they aren’t typically very happy. Something had gone wrong - whether that’s with placing an order, not finding the answers to their product questions, or needing to cancel an order or get a refund. 

Beyond the things that we look and listen for when reviewing your calls, how can you help ensure that when they call us, we give them service that makes them say, WOW!?

1. CONFIDENCE
   1. You either know enough about the products or at least know where to go to get the information you are needing to relay to the customer. - Be confident in that knowledge so the customer feels confident when you say, “Sure! I’d be more than happy to help you with your questions about this product!”
   2. You know that you are empowered to take the time you need to fully assist each and every customer - whether that takes 2 minutes or 45. - Customers want to be assisted as quickly as possible but they also know that sometimes, their requests are not easy. Don’t feel pressured or rushed to end a call. Great customer service beats speed every time.
   3. You know that even if an answer to a customer request is “no”, there’s always a way to provide that no while also providing an alternate solution. 
   4. You also know that when you need help, there are people standing by to assist you. - Don’t be shy to ask when you need help. I certainly don’t always know the answer to everything but if I ask someone who is more knowledgeable about that topic I can more effectively help the customer and be prepared for the next time it comes up. 
2. ACTIVE LISTENING
   1. Listening is the most important skill you can demonstrate. Customers hate nothing more than talking to a customer service representative and feeling like they weren’t heard.
   2. Listen to what they have to say without pushing your own agenda. Don’t assume that you know what your customer is going to say.
   3. Active listening is essential for effective communication. It allows for a better understanding of the customers’ needs and shows a willingness to help. Allow the customer to talk without interruption, reflect back their main question or concern and ask clarifying questions when necessary.
   4. Active listening also means you are mindful of your customer’s unique personality and current emotional state so you can tailor your response to fit the situation. Customer service is not one-size-fits-all.
3. PATIENCE
   1. Is a virtue: keep your cool. Customers reach out to get support when they are confused and frustrated. It is your job to assess and calm the situation, and in the end, provide assistance to the customer. The best customer service reps know that they can’t let a heated customer force them to lose their cool; in fact, it is their job to try to be the “rock” for a customer who thinks the world is falling due to their current problem.
4. PERSONALIZATION & RAPPORT BUILDING
   1. Ask the customer their name and pronounce it correctly. This communicates respect for the customer and lets them know that they are important.
   2. Treat them like they are the center of your world - because they are.
   3. Customers want to interact with a person - not a company. This is why we shy away from giving you scripts to use. Be human with our customers. It’s possible to be both professional and casual when speaking to people over the phone. Let your unique and caring personalities shine!
      1. Can you make them laugh? 
      2. Find ways to interject some small talk while you are waiting for a search to load - How is their day going - other than needing to call us?/Do they have any plans for the upcoming holiday?/Did they have a nice weekend?
      3. Be polite and have respect for your customers. Always use “please” and “thank you” and create an inviting environment for our customers
5. PROBLEM-SOLVING & CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS
   1. Going the extra mile is one of the most important things you can do to deliver great customer service. This is when you have ticked all the boxes, yet you still want to do more.

Sometimes being helpful means anticipating our customers’ needs before they even have to articulate them. In fact, sometimes customers may ask for one thing without realizing that they really need another. It’s your job to anticipate their needs and provide for them.

Examples: 

A health brand-customer wants to cancel their refills because they have too many bottles on hand. Rather than immediately cancel and let us know when you’re ready to restart, find out just how many bottles they have and offer to change the date of their next refill so they don’t have to worry about calling us back in 3-6 months. 

Or, a new customer has stated that their order arrived much later than expected and when she finally received her bottle, it was damaged. Not only are we going to replace that order at no cost to the customer, but you can also ask that we add an additional bottle to that shipment as our gift to them.  

A TSM member wants a refund for his program because he doesn’t have enough time right now. Rather than immediately refund, we ensure they do not have an active subscription, and that they understand that it’s lifetime access and that it would be ready for them whenever they are ready to dive in - And letting them know about the digital box downloads for offline learning so they could at least get started like they would an audiobook or podcast. 

Or maybe they feel that GFAS would be good for them, they still struggle with confidence and they feel it’s not the right time. Rather than just throw them an exchange offer, suggest specific courses they could go through first. Unlocking something like Unbreakable or Say Hello as your gift to them for sticking around and giving their members a chance can - and does - go a long way towards turning them around. 

When customers feel like you value them - like they’re truly special to you - they’ll keep coming back. This may be linked with the phenomenon of reciprocity in social psychology: If you do something nice for your customers, they will want to do something in return - like buy our products!

1. Zappos is known for its legendary customer service. They once sent a “best man” free shoes the night before the wedding after his order was sent to the wrong location due to a mistake by the delivery company. 

Southwest Airlines once held a flight back so someone could make it in time to go to a funeral. 

The Grand Opry Hotel in Nashville once had a customer who asked if she could buy the alarm clock that was in their room because she really loved it - She received one as a parting gift at checkout.

A group of children near Lagos Nigeria recreate films and music videos using rudimentary props and have been gaining popularity online. After their recreation of a trailer for a new show on Netflix, Netflix sent them computers and thousands of dollars of movie-making equipment so they could continue their passion with quality gear.

How do we know? Because these companies won a customer for life or did something so wonderfully unthinkable, and gave them a story that they couldn’t wait to share with the world.

Do stories like these make you want to consider doing business with them in the future? It does me. 

Don’t be afraid to wow our customers as you seek to problem-solve for them. You could just fix the issue and be on your way, but by creatively meeting their needs in ways that go above and beyond, you’ll create customers that are committed to you and our product.

1. USE POSITIVE LANGUAGE
   1. The way we say things can go a long way in creating happy customers. Language is a vital part of persuasion, and people (especially customers) create perceptions about you and us as a company based on the language that you use. Responding to questions that employ “positive language” can significantly affect how the customer hears your response.
      1. An example: Let’s say a customer contacts you with interest in a particular product, but that product happens to be back-ordered until next month.

Without positive language: “I can’t get you that product until next month; it is back-ordered and unavailable at this time.”

With positive language: “That product will be available next month. I can place the order for you right now and make sure that it is sent to you as soon as it reaches our warehouse.”

It’s not that the first example is wrong, it’s just that by using positive language we seem to be more inclined to go out of our way to solving the customer’s problem.

1. SMILE AND HAVE FUN!
   1. A good mood is contagious. Even though most skills needed are in lines of conflict solving, not all customers are frustrated and need this kind of approach. Treat every customer with kindness and a smile on your face. That smile might be dropped the moment you hang up, but they can hear it in your voice. By remaining positive, you help the customer feel reassured that this is a problem that is easily solved. 
2. HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
   1. Did we - the company - make a mistake? Be honest and as transparent as possible. While you aren’t responsible for that error most likely, to the customer - you are the face of that company and it’s your job to receive the fallout and find empathetic solutions. 
   2. Don’t make promises until you know that you can keep them, and don’t offer answers if you aren’t sure what you are saying is accurate.
   3. Keep the promises you do make! Did you decide to tell that customer that you would be calling them when we have the product they are waiting for in stock? Did you tell the customer that you would be calling them back in 2 hours' time? Take ownership of that promise and make it happen. 

Each and every one of you is vital to the success of our company. Great customer support is crucial and you are all here because we believe you are the best person to help our customers. If you’ve done everything you can to WOW them, then you can rest easy knowing that at the end of the day - you did what was needed which was to make every customer’s interactions with us the best experience possible.