LL - Other Call Taking Considerations

• When speaking to customers or potential customers on the phone, remember that you are the voice of that company. This might be their first or tenth interaction with us, and we want them to know that no matter what, our team is here and happy to help.
• You should always thank them for calling the company they've called into and your caller id will indicate which company that is (The Social Man, Vitalifi, etc.), introduce yourself to them by providing your first name, and ask how you can help.
•     When speaking to people, you should ensure that you are in a quiet location, free from background noise or distraction. You should be polite, and utilize your please and thank you’s accordingly.
•     Seek permission to place people on hold, and acknowledge your return when you are ready to continue the call. If you feel like placing that person on hold is not the right move, but there’s a chance for a lull in the conversation, utilize some small talk to build a “personal” relationship.
•     When gathering account or billing-related details, it’s often most convenient to start with asking for their Order ID or the last 4 digits of the debit or credit card they used to place their order. Then ask for their name and email address to locate them in Sticky.io. 
• If in Sticky you note that their phone number is incorrect (i.e. 555-555-5555-, 0000, 436), update the phone number in their Help Scout record only to match to what appears on the Caller ID. You do not need to change the phone number in Sticky. 
•     Unless it is a bank calling, never give account details to anyone other than the customer. 
• Non-customers with shared bank account billing questions for TSM are told that we offer assistance with gaining confidence, better communication skills, and how to build and maintain better working and personal relationships - which is all true. 
• In either scenario, you should always email the customer in question after that call to let them know the question was raised, explain anything that needs to be explained such as a recent subscription billing, and ask if they need any further help with anything - leave that case open as Pending, and attempt at least one follow up a phone call before eventually closing that ticket.
•     Abusive callers are terrible and no fun for anyone involved but also going to happen from time to time. There is a limit to what you are expected to take from people who are upset. 
• You are allowed to tell them that you are trying and willing to help them, but you will not accept their abuse or cursing. 
• You are allowed to tell them that you will be ending the call if they cannot lower their voice/stop using that language/whatever the case may be. 
• You are also allowed to end that call if they do not alter their method of communicating with you. 
• If you feel like the call would be better handled by a supervisor, let them know that one will be reaching out to them soon for further assistance. Then send your Team Lead a message in Slack to let them know what's going on, and what you’ve been able to do to help so far. If you have started a new case or have one that was already open for them, assign it to that supervisor so a follow-up email can be sent.
• Always send a follow-up email when possible. This is not true in all cases, sometimes people may call just to ensure we are legit before they order or do not have an email address to provide. Those can be logged in HelpScout as a phone case that does not send an email. All follow-up emails or phone case logs should contain details about that call. What was their concern, and what steps did you take to resolve that issue.