Improve Call-Handling Performance With These 6 Techniques That Truly Work

We all know that customer service is one of the most important parts of running a business. The ability to answer questions, solve problems, and make customers happy can be the difference between success and failure. Every business owner would want to see their business succeed right?

Then, they have to think about ways by which they can improve that aspect of their enterprise. What are some techniques that really work?

The following six techniques discussed below can be used by any company looking for better call handling:

Listen More Than You Talk

One of the best ways to avoid misunderstandings with customers, whether they are clients or investors, is by listening more than you talk. Don’t just think about what you’re going to say next while someone else is talking; instead, pay close attention and focus on what they have to say.

This is where hiring a professional telephone answering service would be beneficial if you’re short-staffed or want to improve your services.

You can also ask them open-ended questions to let them continue talking about whatever they want. The more you listen, the less chance there is of misunderstandings.

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Use IVR to Segment Customers

An Interactive Voice Response system (IVR) can be a powerful CRM tool for any business with a large volume of customers. Using an IVR, you can quickly and effectively divide your clients into groups based on their place of residence, interests, or purchasing habits.

This allows you to answer their questions as efficiently as possible depending on which group they are part of. By calling each group with specific questions, you can ensure that they don’t feel neglected by your company.

As well as using an IVR to answer calls better, have you considered using an Auto Attendant? This is essentially the same thing as the IVR, but it’s automatically triggered as soon as a call goes through.

The client is then guided by the available options and can be transferred to whichever department they need to go to – i.e. customer service, billing, technical support – depending on their query. This can save your company a lot of time and money compared to hiring several different customer service personnel for each specific department.

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Eliminate Avoidable Calls

In order to do this, you need to identify the most common questions and queries that your clients ask so you can have a set of frequently asked questions ready for them.

You can then include all of these on your website so that customers don’t feel the need to call you – which not only saves them money but also ensures they are clear on anything they might need to know about your company.

Of course, not every caller is the same. However, you should make sure that your callers are given the best service possible by designing a system for this purpose.

Identify all the calls you receive and establish how long it takes for them to be answered, then fix any problems you identify with the process. Use this data to work out whether some callers need faster service than others, and how your company can improve on its average response time.

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Implement Continuous Training

One of the best ways to improve customer service levels is through continuous training. Not only does this help reduce misunderstandings between you and your clients, but it can also increase your employees’ performance.

When they are given clear guidelines on how to handle calls, they will feel more comfortable with their jobs and will be able to use their skills more productively.

Be sure to set a time at which your employees can meet and discuss tips on how to improve their performance. Even one training session per week will be beneficial in the long run, but you can do more if you like.

Empower Your Agents With The Best Technology

Today, it’s possible for any company to equip its call center staff with the best technology available. There are a number of phone systems and services out there that offer features such as interactive voice response and predictive dialers – which can save you countless hours over the course of the year.

This allows your employees to handle calls more efficiently and spend less time transferring calls, leaving them free to answer more queries.

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Reward Successful Operators  With Bonuses and Benefits

When your employees do a great job, make sure you let them know. If somebody’s performance improves dramatically throughout the course of their time working for your company, be sure to reward them as soon as possible. You could give them a bonus or raise, or even offer other benefits such as more time off

This will ensure that your employees feel more valued, which in turn makes them more likely to put in the extra effort each day.

These simple steps will help your employees communicate more effectively with customers on calls so they’ll feel heard and understood at every stage of the conversation—and come away feeling like they’ve had a positive experience.