In our digital world, the telephone is one of the best connection devices out there. Over the telephone you can get three to five minutes (or more) of your customer’s undivided attention. If you use the right approach, you can create a memorable experience, generate positive word-of-mouth advertising, and build customer loyalty. In this article, I present nine specific ways you can establish rapport and connect with people over the phone. These techniques work together to help you deliver the best possible customer experience:
 

1.    Smile. You can actually “hear” a smile through the telephone. When you smile, you sound friendly, interested, and helpful. You make the customer feel that your sole intent is to be of service. People really can tell the difference. So smile!

2.    Tell the caller your name. Giving the caller your name demonstrates accountability and communicates a sincere desire to help. It also gives the customer a reference should he or she need to call your organization back.

3.    Ask questions. You should ask questions to:
       a.    gain information
       b.    focus the conversation
       c.    gain consensus when necessary
       d.    begin the call closure process

4.    Paraphrase the caller’s message. Paraphrasing is simply restating, in your own words, what the customer said. You paraphrase to ensure you understand the customer’s request/problem. The customer will clarify if you don’t have all of the details.

5.    Repeat the caller’s name. Repeating a caller’s name during a conversation helps you remember the name. Remembering – and using -names shows you are genuinely interested in your customers. It may make future dialogue or problem solving easier because of the rapport that has been created.

6.    Always tell the caller what you’re going to do. We’ve all felt that helpless feeling when we’ve been put on hold indefinitely or transferred to three departments and still not be able to get through to the right person. When we do this to callers, we are telling them they have no choice and certainly no control over the situation. These feelings produce frustration and a negative impression of you and your organization. One way to avoid this is to tell callers what you are going to do before you do it.

When transferring a caller to another person, give the customer the name of the person you are connecting him or her with. If you need to place a caller on hold, let the caller know and ask if that’s acceptable. If you have to research the problem or speak with your manager, tell the caller exactly what you need to do.

7.    Return calls promptly. Doing this helps you (and the organization) quickly gain a reputation for being responsive and professional.

8.    Give every caller your best. The caller on your phone is your most important priority, more important than calls in queue, more important than your to-do list, next meeting or anticipated break. Focus on the call and never make the customer feel that you are hurried or not interested.

9.    Let the caller hang up first. It’s polite to let your caller hang up first and in most cases, your caller will hang up within two to four seconds of the last spoken word. If we rush to disconnect, we may cut off a customer who had one more question, or we give the impression that we are in a hurry (which is interpreted as “we don’t really care”).

When you do these very simple things, you will create a great impression for your organization; and you’ll find that handling difficult callers and high call volumes will be MUCH easier because your customers feel taken care of every step of the way.



Myra Golden helps companies completely restore customer confidence in their brands after service failures. Considered one of the leading experts in customer recovery, she has helped hundreds of organizations rethink and redesign their complaint response processes so they are positioned to retain more customers, improve customer satisfaction, and increase profits. Myra has designed customer recovery programs for such companies as Verizon Business, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, National Car Rental, Michelin Tires and Frito Lay. She is co-author of Beyond WOW! The Service Leadership Approach to Exceptional Customer Service.