Workforce Management Featured Article
How Your Agents Talk to Customers Matters
When it comes to how the agents staffed in your call center talk to customers there’s an important role you play as a manager in instilling good quality training that helps them to understand the role positive language plays in their interactions.
How your agents speak and the words they choose to use when responding to customers needs is directly related to the end result of the call. Upbeat action words that reflect a positive outlook can increase quality scores and even improve the likelihood that customers will recommend the company or repeat business.
How do you do this?
Here are 3 ways to start training your agents on the ways they should respond to callers queries on the phone and the type of words to use to turn all interactions into beneficial and effective ones.
Stop the Negative Talk
We hear the advice all the time in life that using negative words like, “don’t”, “can’t”, “won’t” are bad for our own confidence and work poorly for nurturing a child. The reason is that these are trigger words people get hung up on or start to question and have a negative connotation. Instead, steer clear of taking the call in that direction and train agents to turn the words into hopeful and cheerful statements. Using suggestions on how improvements or different actions can be taken.
Don’t Get Repetitive
Sometimes we find a word that works well and sounds great and then we over use it. To the point where callers pick up on the overuse of the word and it starts to become annoying. You never want a call to go in this direction either that become irritating or ingenuine. Instead create a good bank of a few power words for agents to use in response to customer questions and comments that keep things fresh and prove they’re engaging on the call.
Don’t Over Do It
Trying too hard to make scripts and rules for agents that force them use certain words and language and not others can backfire. The problem isn’t just repeating one word over and over it’s also adding a fear to their dialogues to use the wrong word and disrupting the normal flow of a conversation. Once the human connection is removed, all new problems with call quality can arise.
When you’re ready, take the time to work with agents in the call center to review their language choices on calls and find ways to improve.
