Myra's Customer Service Articles

In my Telephone Techniques workshop I start off by calling out a series of six numbers and I instruct the participants to listen, but not write the numbers down. Next, I ask "What was the first number I gave you - - what was the last - what was third number, and so on.

I've done this simple exercise in workshops for nearly ten years and the results are always the same: Between 98 - 100% of the people can recall the first number I called out; more than 80% can remember the last number, and usually less than 30% can recall the second, third, fourth and fifth numbers I shared.

This exercise demonstrates that people remember the first thing and the last thing in a series of events disproportionate to anything else. As it relates to phone calls with customers, the first few seconds and the way you end a call are critical and they count for far more than the "body" of the call.

In this article, I am going to share with you 5 ways to make the most of the first few seconds of your call and 3 ways to make the most of the last few seconds.

2. Listen without interrupting. It can be tempting to interrupt a rambler or storyteller, but try not to do so within the first few seconds. Listen patiently and let the customer tell you what is on her mind. Of course, you can't let a long-winded caller get out of hand. For a free 3 minute video segment on getting ramblers and storytellers to cut to the chase, see the bottom of this article.

3. Respond with appropriate emotions. Be natural with your customers. When they are happy and the situation calls for more energy, express this energy. If the situation calls for empathy, don't sit there like a stone, express empathy. When I was in car rental and a customer would complain about a breakdown in one of our rental cars, I'd quickly make an expression of empathy like: "I realize how frustrating this whole thing must be for you."

4. Make the customer feel smart/good. Yesterday I conducted a mystery shopper call for a client and one of the customer service representatives did an outstanding job of making the caller feel good. The "mystery shopper" was told to ask several redundant and "dumb" questions and she did that very well. At one point the customer service representative said, "You obviously care about your health or you wouldn't have called today." That went over very well---instead of making the caller feel like an idiot, she made her feel like a star!

5. Never come across annoyed, "interrupted", or irritated. Your job is to help and serve. And in your job you are going to hear a lot of the same thing over and over. Some customers will annoy you and some of the comments you hear will be just outrageous. But don't let it show. Give every caller your best and sound patient, interested, friendly and helpful every time.

Master these five points at the beginning of the call and your impression will be friendly, helpful, and memorable. Read on to discover ways to end the call on positive note.

Make the most of the last few seconds of the call--

1. Ask if there is anything else you can do. Don't rush to end the call. Make sure you've answered all of the customer's questions by simply asking, "Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

2. Express sincere appreciation for the call. One of my clients does a phenomenal job of this. Anytime and every time a customer calls Accuvue Vision, they will get a warm and sincere thank you for the call. Every representative will make the caller feel great about calling with sincere phrases like: "I'm really glad you called us today." "Your feedback is definitely appreciated and I'm so glad you chose to share it with us today." "Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to call and tell us this."

Always end the call on a positive, upbeat note.

3. Let your caller hang up first. It's simply polite to let your caller hang up first. In most cases, callers will hang up with 2-4 seconds of the last spoken word.

Never forget that your callers remember the first and the last thing in a series of events disproportionate to anything else. Make the most of these critical touch points by adopting these steps.

As a special gift to you, my subscriber, I am giving you free access to an online short video module entitled: Polite and Effective Ways to Long-Winded Callers to Cut to the Chase.

Watch your free video right here. »

About the Author

Myra Golden is one of the service industry's most prominent trainers and a highly regarded business growth strategist. Companies hire Myra and her team to help them build, recover, and strengthen customer relationships. She can be reached at 866-873-8419 or by email at myra@myragolden.com. She also has a website: www.myragolden.com.