Focused Call Control

Call Control Strategies

Objectives
To improve call control tactics Lower AHTs Higher QA Scores

Call Control: Areas of Opportunities

Weak Call Control Factors Dead Air Use as opportunity to build rapport Letting the Customer Lead the Call You ask the questions and give the direction Agent Focus Used a focused approach to every call

Call Control Basics

Call Control Elements: Positive Attitude Greeting Projecting confidence Focus Stay away from Trigger Words

Call Control: Attitude

Attitude 68% of customers leave due to the negative attitude or indifference on the part of ONE employee.

Call Control: Attitude

Your POSITIVE ATTITUDE is the beginning to great call control.

A good attitude will help you remain in control of the call Good attitude builds customer loyalty and trust. Good attitudes will produce great calls, even when the customers attitude is bad. Attitude is what you say and how you say it. Attitude determines how well you serve the customer. A great attitude means you have enthusiasm and a nice tone of voice when talking to the customer.

Call Control: Greeting

Proper Greetings: Greet customer quickly and professionally
We want to make the customer feel as though we are eager to help them and sincerely care about his/her needs.

Sets the tone for the entire call

The more upbeat and positive we are from the beginning of the call, the better call will be throughout its entirety

Controls wandering customer

While demonstrating a willingness to help the customer, we also want to have control from the start.

Call Control: Greeting

Voice Quality
Pitch- avoid monotonous pitch on the phone Volume- pay particular attention to the volume of our voices and increase/decrease it accordingly. Tone- Use your tone to project confidence. No one likes to hear a negative or rude tone in someones voice. Rate- Talking too fast (or too slow) can cause you to lose customers attention, therefore causing you to lose control of the call.

Call Control: Confidence

Allows you to lead the call, not the customer Allows the opinion formed by the customer within the first 30 seconds of the call to be a positive one. Should be projected on every call regardless of the issue Note: Confidence Arrogance

Call Control: Focus

Focus Take ownership(guide the caller, ask probing questions, set expectations) Listen to the customer and take notes Use team building words Do not try to read/send email Do not chat or use instant messenger Relay confidence in yourself Think ahead but dont make assumptions

Call Control: Focus

Answer the customers specific questions. Paraphrase the issue for clarity. Do not react but respond to conflicts. Stay away from talking to others.

Call Control: Trigger Words

Trigger Words
Trigger words limit your actions and paint a negative image in the customers mind which could lead to the loss of control of the call. Stay away from these trigger words: No, Cant, They Instead, use Can do approach along with positive phrases **What we can do **I will be happy to

Call Control: Trigger Words

I cant or you cant as in I cant do anything about that or You cant do that Cant be replaced with Im unable to because.. *But as in- I agree with what youre saying but Replace with - *and or however (which is a soft but) *Ill try-as in- Ill try to speak to finance department today This is what I can do or This is what Im unable to do

Call Control Tips

Determine the customers issue Use team building words Answer the customer specific questions Know the limits of your support Set expectations- always Use empathy and enthusiasm Stay away from dead air and remain in control Know how to handle irate/difficult customer Determine and explain resolution Perfect your scripting Control your stress Summarize actions

Call Control
1. Determine the customers issue:
Listen to the customers words Listen to the customers feelings Pay attention to key words/phrases Be friendly Verbalize your willingness to assist Ask targeted probing questions Paraphrase the issue to let the customer you understand

Call Control
2. Use team building words Team words build a rapport with the customer which will allow you to be in control
Show the customer the same kind of courtesy and respect you desire Be nice, Smile.. Be optimistic Verbalize a helpful, solution oriented attitude Builds customers confidence in you and your ability.

Team Words
Team Words We Lets Us Our Magic Words May Please Thank You! Youre Welcome!

Call Control
3. Answer the Customer Specific Questions
Use open-ended questions tactfully Do not deviate or give false information Do not set improper expectations Do not punt the customer Let the customer know you are there for them. Have an attitude of service.

4. Know the limits of support

Knowing your support boundaries will keep you on track Do not go out of the scope of support Knowing your guidelines in support will produce efficient calls and prevents irrelevant troubleshooting. Do not set a precedent It is important to learn to tailor your comments appropriately to the flow of the call and the emotional needs of the customer.

Call Control
5. Setting Expectations
Always set expectations and Time Framesyou will remain in control.
What you are going to do What you are doing What you have done This area includes what actions are going to be taken and why, a timeframe, and a willingness to serve. Paraphrasing is the key to a great call control. It ensures you on the right path.

Call Control
6. Empathy and Enthusiasm
Empathy I understand I would also be upset Lets see what we can do together I apologize for the inconvenience Enthusiasm Great!!! Excellent! Id be happy to! Of course..

Call Control
7. Stay away from dead air and remain in control
Eliminating dead air will eliminate the chance of getting off track. ***Dead air allows an opportunity for the customer to gain control of the call Ways to fill dead air: Use it as an opportunity to educate Use this to build rapport Paraphrase the issue again and explain the troubleshooting steps. You can also use this time to summarize the actions taken thus far example of laziness and lack of focus

Call Control
8. Handling Irate/Difficult Callers
Remain calm Let the customer vent while listening for keywords Collect information Respond to the customer do not React Verbalize that you will do all you can to resolve the issue Use empathy and encouraging words throughout the call. Listen Respond Empathize Resolve Issue

Call Control Tips

Responding Let the customer vent Use restraint Breathe slow Manage Tone Correct Words Reacting Voice gets louder Speak faster Get defensive Retaliate Attack them back

Call Control
9. Determine and explain the resolution
Utilize your resources: Training materials Online Tools Co-workers Help Desk Team Managers

Thank you