If you’re just starting out as a telephone sales or support rep, these call center tips will get you off to the races in no time!
Working in a call center isn’t as easy as it may look. Whether you’re supporting customers or making sales, there are many call center tips and tricks that may seem insignificant, but can have a big impact on your success.
New agents can especially benefit from these call center tips because it’s likely that you don’t know what you don’t know. Implementing this guidance may take some time and practice, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll not only feel much more comfortable on your calls, but you’ll also hopefully be more productive and tally up more wins for yourself and your team.
This list of call center tips certainly is not exhaustive, but we think it’s a great starting point to help get you situated in your new career!
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14 Call center tips you can start using right now to improve your results
1. Exude confidence
Confidence is important for any job, but especially for call center jobs. Customers or potential customers are more likely to respond favorably if you sound sure of yourself—even if you’re not at first. It’s perfectly normal to be nervous when you get started with your calls, but do what you can to hide that. Fake it until you make it, as they say. (Don’t worry, you won’t always have to fake it. Eventually, the confidence will come naturally!)
2. Be perseverant
One of the most helpful call center tips is to remember not to give up. Not every customer will be satisfied. Not every call will result in a sale. Some days may feel quite dismal if you keep hitting dead ends. Dust yourself off and move on to the next call. Most unsuccessful calls probably won’t be your fault, and they certainly won’t be personal affronts.
3. Remove distractions
When you’re on the phone all day, it can be easy to let your mind wander, whether that be falling into an internet rabbit-hole or even fidgeting with something at your desk. Do your best to remove all distractions so you can focus your full attention on the call at hand. If you find yourself getting antsy, make time between calls to take a break.
4. Practice active listening
In the same vein, make sure you’re listening to your customers carefully. Don’t formulate a response until they’ve finished speaking. This will help you understand their needs better and develop solutions most likely to appeal to them. Instead of leading straight in with a pitch or cookie-cutter response, ask questions, then tailor your answers to address those specific needs.
5. Take detailed notes
While you’re actively listening to your customers, jot down important take-aways that will help you to serve them better. CRM software like Call Logic is beneficial here, as it allows you to add notes to a specific client profile while you’re on the phone with them. From there, you can start to see the narrative of each unique client and find the best solutions.
6. Solve, don’t sell
For those of you in phone sales, one of the most useful call center tips to keep in mind is to solve a customer’s problem instead of selling them a product or service. If you focus on solutions, you’ll naturally come across as less “sales-y” and more as an advocate and resource who can be trusted to help.
7. Use customer’s name
It’s a little thing that can go a long way. Addressing someone by name helps to build a foundation for a relationship. We suggest practicing difficult names beforehand as mispronouncing someone’s name can have the opposite effect. If you’re not sure, ask them as soon as you get on the call to show respect.
8. Build relationships
The stronger your relationship with a customer, the better you’ll be able to serve them. Take some time to learn about them if you can, or at least make the extra effort of not making them feel like just another number.
9. Schedule breaks
It’s easy to get caught up in going from one call to the next. Schedule time for short breaks so you don’t burn yourself out and stick to it as best you can. Taking reasonable time for yourself will help you succeed, even though at first you may feel like you should be making more calls.
10. Be aware of your body language and tone
Just because you’re on the phone doesn’t mean that your body language doesn’t matter. Sitting up straight or standing will improve the tone of your voice and help you stay alert. Most of all, smile! It may seem silly, but smiling will also brighten your tone, making you more accessible to customers.
11. Speak slowly and clearly
Most of us don’t realize how fast we talk when we’re nervous or presenting something to strangers. Listen to yourself and slow down if you’re going too fast. Enunciate clearly and in layman’s terms to give yourself the best likelihood of success.
12. Be an expert
Another of our critical call center tips is to know what you’re talking about. Whether you’re selling or providing customer service, learn as much about your product or service as possible before making your first call. If you don’t know something, be honest about it, and then find an answer. The more you know, the more likely a customer will trust you and come to rely on you.
13. Follow up quickly
When a customer support request or lead comes in, don’t wait to follow up! Call center employees tend to be more successful when they can take care of a customer inquiry quickly. As they say, strike while the iron is hot.
14. Look for opportunities
Even if you’re not a salesperson, you can keep your ears open for up- and cross-selling opportunities. That’s not to say you should push something on someone who has no use for it, but if a customer brings up an issue or problem that your business can provide a solution for, engage them in dialogue and see where it leads.
Some of these might seem out of your control, or like they don’t really matter. The fact is, they work. And they certainly won’t hurt.
Use Call Logic to build better customer relationships, stay on task, increase your productivity, and more! Take a peek at our full offering by signing up for a free demo today.