When your customer is ranting, explaining, venting, and you're at a loss for how to take the reins from them and move the call forward, try the 3-step Snatch & Flip approach.

1. Listen to grasp the problem the customer is explaining.
2. Try to identify the thing that is most upsetting to your custo...

No matter how much we wish we could, we can only sometimes resolve every customer's problem. We might not have the answers. Sometimes, we have trouble understanding what the customer wants. Communication can be a barrier. The great news is that we can significantly impact how our customers perceive ...

When customers are over-explaining and emotional, they're in the right brain. You need to get them out of the "emotional" right brain so that they can calm down and you can take over. Asking three closed-ended questions back to back will move customers out of their right brain and into their left br...

I sat down with author, consultant, and trainer Jeff Toister to discuss a familiar problem customer service professionals grapple with in contact centers – conversation control.

Jeff recorded our discussion, and you can view it here to discover a surprising reason why your calls are taking so long....

Customer service calls can sometimes get out of control. Upset and overtalkative callers take time and energy away from other customers and tasks. This is where practical call-control strategies come into play. In this course, I explain why customer calls get out of hand and i...

Yesterday I held a live Q&A on YouTube, which was engaging, educational, and energizing! Questions came in from Idaho, Germany, North Carolina, Georgia, the UK, and Denver. 

Watch the replay to hear my answers to the following:

4:04: Can you an...

As someone who has designed training call centers for 22 years, I've learned that efficiency is key to success. One of the most important metrics in this industry is Average Handle Time (AHT), which measures the average duration of a call from start to finish. Reducing AHT is essential for meeting c...

To politely control calls, ask your caller three closed-ended questions, back-to-back. I learned this tactic from a former trainer of law enforcement. The Trainer helped police officers assert their authority and maintain control by having them ask people three questions during traffic stops.

Watch...

When managing phone calls, signposting can make all the difference between a smooth and efficient conversation and a frustrating and confusing one. Signposting is the art of guiding the conversation using clear and concise language to let the caller know what to expect next. It's a crucial skill ...