Improving Inbound Call Handling - Front Office Management & Customer Service (5th Friday)

Improving Inbound Call Handling

1. Have a clear call process or model.

Some things are obvious. Callers answer the phone with some sort of greeting and an offer to help. For example,

“Thank you calling Medelivers. This is Antoine. How may I help you?” Clearly this is step 1.
Unfortunately, computers tend to take over from there. So, instead of focusing on their callers, agents tend to bully them with impersonal, but necessary questions. Once they’ve made the conversation all about their order screen, its pretty tough to re-engage a caller and start to up-sell. Way too many opportunities are lost right here. Way too many agents feel the cold breeze between themselves and the caller and fail to even try to up-sell. By giving agents a process to follow, they can set a tone more likely to create customer satisfaction and sales, concurrently.

Try this one, for example:
· Greeting – we know how this one works and what to say.
· Engagement – This is where we respond to what the customer told us when we asked, “How may I      help you?” But, we also make it clear that we are interested in providing good service and that we      are listening. It can be as simple as, “I’ll be happy to take care of that for you. You’ve come to the      right place. May I please trouble you to provide me with your account number or telephone number    so that I can access your file?”

· Need Development –Where we ask all of our questions to understand the problem that caused the       inquiry or complaint. It is also where we take the order and gather billing information. Questions         here should include how the product will be used, if the customer has the needed supplies or               peripherals and how we can best support the customer so the product is used satisfactorily for a long   time.

· Present Solutions – Where we offer recommendations for additional products or services and special
promotions. It comes after need development so that it can begin with “Based on what you told me about your situation, I’d like to recommend you try… Would you like to add that on to your order? ”

· Close – Wrap up the call by repeating back what has been accomplished. Review the order, the delivery date, the total price, and any other issues that were resolved, etc.

· Reinforcement – “Thank you for calling Medelivers” is not a very powerful end to a call with an important customer or prospect. Try saying something more compelling such as “Thank you so much for being our customer. Please let us know when we can help you again.” Or, say something that relates to the conversation, such as “I know you are going to be thrilled with your new copier and our delivery service. Please call us again if we can be of service.”

2. Use your “fancy guest” manners.

Say “please” every time you ask for a piece of information. Say “thank you” every time you get what you asked for.

Never fail to do this. It is missing from telephone sales and service conversation so often that when you do it, you will be perceived as significantly superior to every one. How easy is that?

3. Use statement/question pairs to control the conversation without interrogating the caller.

Callers know you need information in order to identify them and then address the reason they phoned. Still, responding to a long list of dry questions is uncomfortable and often annoying. Annoyed people treat you poorly and make your job harder. Then, when you get to the part where your supposed to be presenting a promotion or up-selling, some of them get their revenge and say “no”.

In order to get your questions answered and create a comfortable dialog, you must be a great conversationalist.

Great conversationalists know that they must blend telling and asking in order to stay interested and interesting.


Here’s the strategy for managing pleasant, interactive conversation while you service and sell. We call it “the statement/question pairs conversation technique”:

· When you need to ask a question, place a statement in front of it. For example, “I just need to fill out your billing information. What address do you use for billing?” Or, “My name is Lee Overby. May I please have your name?”

· When you need to tell about a product, service or promotion, describe it and then ask a question afterward to see if the customer heard you and has developed an opinion on its value, so far. For example, “This weeks product promotion takes 20% off of our most popular highlighters. They have a wide tip and come in yellow or blue and a box of 10 is only $4.42. Are these something you will use in your business?”

· When you need to create action, explain the reasons for acting now and then ask your closing question. For example, “When parents express a concern about interest rates on the loans, I usually recommend that we go ahead and complete the application right away before the information I provide changes. Can we take about 5 minutes and get this done?”

4. Take care of everyone’s name.

I grew up with the name Ronna Caras and I bet most of you reading this are pronouncing it incorrectly. Names are tough, especially in the United States where so many ethnicities are represented.

These techniques can help to make your agents more comfortable with the challenging names. They will also make the contact more inclined to cooperate.

· Pronounce the name to the best of your ability and ask for confirmation right away: “We usually speak with Ronna Caras. Am I pronouncing that correctly?”

· Listen closely when the contact says his/her name and say it again immediately to prove you can use the correct pronunciation.

5. Pre-write product and promotion descriptions so they are colorful and concise.

Nobody is so good that s/he can just “wing it.” It takes years of practice before a great salesperson hones in on the perfect sentence to describe or explain something. The best salespeople eventually come up with statements that are very compelling. But you probably don’t have years. Meanwhile, you’ve got salespeople at various levels of experience explaining your products, services, company, features, benefits and value with a wide range of competence and confidence. Some are very wordy and filled with “ums” and “ahs” and some are so generic the caller can’t see any value in the investment.

Support sales efforts by creating nicely composed descriptions of everything you offer. Teach agents to use the adjectives and not to edit them out in order to save time.

6. Allow for the human buying process.

There is no point in trying to create action if you have never created interest. Yet so many sales pitches try to present and ask for the order in the same breath. Callers say no to a great offer because they have been pushed to fast and when faced with a decision, can decide not to decide.
Human beings have a clear and visible process we go through to make a decision. Some people go through it more quickly than others because of their personalities and the genuine urgency they feel. Others are more cautious.

Teach your salespeople to move prospects gradually from:

· Fear – Where they say “no thanks” before they even understand the offer, unless they are moved to the next step.

· Interest – Where the mind starts to see some value and is willing to consider the offer.

· Evaluation – Where the prospect compares accepting your offer to keeping things the way they are.

· Desire – Where the prospect wants what you recommend.

· Action – Where you secure your goal

7. “Overcome” objections, don’t “Rebut” them.

Even the best sales conversations will run into some objections. Objections happen when callers are not sold yet the salesperson has asked for the order, or when callers hear something that moves them back to the “fear” step of the buy (see tip #6). Objections need not be deal breakers.
Successful salespeople must be prepared to overcome objections in the most convincing way possible. Too often, they rely upon what we call “rebuttal” which rarely succeeds. The rebuttal is an old-fashioned method which says “I understand how you feel, but… here’s why you should reconsider.”

In 2002 we know how damaging that “but” is to a relationship. Any good that was accomplished by the empathic and connecting behavior of “I understand how you feel” is completely obliterated by the “but”. You may as well have saved time and said, “I don’t care how you feel. You’re wrong and need to do it my way.”

Here are the steps to overcoming objections that will truly re-engage the contact and provide the solution needed to get the sale. Please notice the 4 steps are actually 2 statement/question pairs (see tip #3)

· Empathize – “I understand how you feel.” Or some statement that makes the caller feel listened to and understood. This disarms the prospect.

· Clarify – “What feels wrong about this?” or “Is it the cost that you are concerned about, or do you have another issue?” This question is the key to making your sale. Ask a question that helps you to understand or proves you already understand. Then, be quiet and hear what the caller tells you. That’s the information you need to get your sale.

· Present Solution – “I see. Based on what you’ve told me, here’s why this is right for you.” Use the caller’s words and tailor this solution to address the concerns you just heard. That will make it highly effective.

· Gain Agreement – “What do you think about my idea now?” or “Can you see why this makes sense for you?” These are both examples of “trial closes” that will help to move the prospect back into the buying process so you can close your sale.

8. Be a student of good diction.

In our society, the ability to speak clearly is equated with intelligence. Fair or not, people whose Ts and Ds and INGs sound crisp are treated as though their message has more value. People who use standard pronunciations for common words are perceived as more knowledgeable. Knowing this gives us an advantage.

Here are some ways to practice key sounds and words to improve the way you are treated on the telephone:

· Ts, Ds, INGs – these “dental” and “guttural” sounds may vary based on the neighborhood where you were raised but in the sales world, there are clear distinctions between right and wrong. Practice with a tape recorder to improve your clarity with the words below.

o T wouldn’t; prospect; difficult; got; minute; must; consult; software; lighten
o D sand; held; recommend; thousand; card; trend; field; build
o ING catching; meeting; hoping; trying; working; planning; thinking

· The letter R poses a challenge for many. Practice with a tape recorder to improve your clarity with the words below.

o R wear; consider; order; card; answer; prepare; secure; carton; market; corner
· STS at the end of a word is just plain tricky. Practice with a tape recorder to improve your clarity with the words below.

o STS lists; specialists; forecasts; rests; tests; assists; suggests
· These words are often (the T in “often” should be silent) mispronounced and a simple correction can result in more sales. Practice with a tape recorder and the crazy sentences below.

o Because it is preferable to the company, I basically express business strengths when asked.

o Mischievous government regulators probably escaped using personal credit cards and avoided
irreparable harm to their often-challenged reputations.

o Disoriented representatives and supervisors gave accurate descriptions of their expertise,
according to a federal government spokesperson.

o It is often either nothing, something or everything, wouldn’t you know?

9. Express the right emotions at the right time

The moment we answer the phone we begin influencing a caller. We influence callers to think well of us and our company, or we influence them to think poorly. Scripting helps agents to know the right words to say to meet company standards. Teaching the proper emotions helps agents to deliver the messages in a way that has the right impact.

Just like in a movie, telephone dialog must be delivered in a convincing way, or the listeners won’t feel engaged or cared for. The proper emotions are the key. There are 4 emotions that are appropriate in an inbound sales/service business conversation. If a caller is not projecting 1 of these 4 emotions at all times, then s/he is projecting the opposite emotion, which almost always results in failure.

Here are the 4 emotions and a way to practice them:

· Enthusiasm – Perfect when beginning the call; or when describing your company and its offers; as well as when reacting to an explanation of your caller’s situation and goals. Enthusiastic delivery requires use of lots of highs and lows in the voice, variation of speed and the emphasis or “punch” of key words.

The opposite of enthusiasm is boredom. It is accomplished by keeping the voice monotone. Or, worse, the sing-songy delivery when someone is reading. There is no middle ground here. Boredom will reduce sales results and customer satisfaction.

Learners can practice the two opposite emotions with this statement, “Based on the situation you describe, I’d like to recommend you take advantage of all 3 of our offers. This will allow you to meet with an expert in your home, already have approval on the first part of the investment and see pictures of the location on the Internet.” You will see very quickly the impact that enthusiasm makes.

· Curiosity – Lets the salesperson sound “interested” instead of “intrusive”. It uses the higher range of the voice, varied pitch and a lilt at the end to indicate the question mark.

The opposite of curiosity is doubt or disdain, which comes across as sarcastic or nosy and is not an effective way to move a relationship to the next level. Learners can practice the two opposite emotions with this question, “What process do you go through when making a new investment?”

· Encouragement – When you need to gain more information or cooperation, you must be able to make the contact feel comfortable and safe enough to go deeper. We encourage people by “dragging out” our words and using the lower more soothing range of our voice.

The opposite of encouraging is, of course, discouraging.

Learners can practice the two opposite emotions with this statement, “I see.”

· Calm – When you need to disarm and diffuse. Using the lower range of the voice and a slower pace,
soothing words will be very powerful.

The opposite of calm is anger. Too often, words that are meant to gather input carry an angry sound and hurt the chances for a swift and satisfactory resolution.

Learners can practice the 2 opposite emotions with this question. “How would you like us to solve this?”

10. Don’t just listen, pay attention.

Listening is the great equalizer for salespeople. Callers talk in order to communicate with you. When people talk to you it is because they want you to know how they feel, what they believe or what they want. This information is exactly what you need to know so that you can re-position your offer to satisfy this person. The more they talk, the better chance you have of making a sale. So, getting people to talk and hearing what they say, actually makes the job of a salesperson easier. I had a great Sales Manager years ago that said, “Give them enough rope and they’ll hang themselves.”

Monitor 10 calls or monitor 1000 calls. It is obvious that many salespeople and service people do not bother to listen. While the caller is talking, many representatives are busy thinking about how they can interrupt, what they are going to say next or what task they wish they could move on to. Still other agents believe they can listen and be thinking about their next question at the same time. They could not be more wrong. Listening is only useful if you pay attention. It is only helpful if you can take the information the caller just provided and use it to decide how to respond.

Here are the ‘rules’ for listening to increase your results:

· Anytime a caller speaks, you must be prepared to write down what s/he says. By stopping to do this, you force yourself to pay attention.

· After a caller speaks, you must respond with some sort of empathy statement. This makes your caller believe you were listening and that you heard and that you understand. “I see what you mean” and “How interesting” are 2 examples.

· If you do not understand what someone means, try “Can you please tell me more about that?” or “Can you please help me to understand why that is important?” Nothing could be more flattering to a caller.

· Once you understand the information the caller has provided, decide what to say next to help the caller understand why you are recommending the up-sell.

· If you need to change to a different product because of what you just learned, do so. Your chances of making a sale are very high when it is based on what a caller just told you.

These 10 tips are just a few of many that we have taught to thousands of successful sales and service professionals during the last 12 years. We are happy to share them with you so that you can continue to improve your results and develop the skills of your staff. Please let us know if we can be of even greater service to you now, or in the future.

Source:
http://www.crmxchange.com

Dealing with Outbound Calls - Front Office Management & Customer Service (5th Friday)

How To Deal With Outbound Calling
by: Stella Jones

Outbound calling can be a tough job.  You need to have the ability to listen to the person at the other end, communicate to them what you need them to know, and handle their concerns and issues with professionalism.

However, outbound callers also need to be strong sales people, with the ability to deal with knock backs and irate customers who object to being cold called.

Stella Jones highlights some of the ways to develop the skills needed for outbound calling.

1. Cold calling
Callers need to plan their call and have a clear call route to follow. If they know the introduction they are going to use and how to make the reason for their call compelling to the customer, they will have more confidence making the call.  It is important to get their personality across and make their call stand out from all the other calls that person has received that day.

A good way is to pretend you are having a face-to-face meeting and talk to customers in that friendly relaxed way.

When working on a campaign we ensure that the team have practiced their opening lines and key messages thoroughly, so they are relaxed and professional.

2. Knock backs
We train our team to know that they will get knock backs, but they will be surprised at the number of people that they are able to turn around.

If a prospect says they are not interested, our team ensure they don’t ask why, as this reinforces the objection.  Repeating the objection has the same results. Instead they ask polite questions to determine why the client said no, to see what they can do to address their concerns.

It is important that your team are trained not to fall at the first hurdle and this often just comes with practice, practice, practice. However, if the person is clearly not interested, the caller also needs to learn to recognise this, deal with the rejection and try not to take things too personally when people say no. Often it can take several attempts to convince the prospect you are worth seeing.

3. Objection handling
A good way to respond when handling appointment objections is to use the objection as a reason for a sales meeting.  We recommend the FEEL, FELT, FOUND technique. In the training our callers practise acknowledging the prospect’s objection: “I understand how you feel. Many customers we have today felt that same way. However, after they looked ____ they found ____ to be the case”, and then are shown how to communicate that at the appointment the person will have time to assess their needs and address these concerns, before setting the appointment.

4. Irate customers
When dealing with irate customers, our callers are trained to talk slowly and calmly. Whilst acknowledging what the customer is saying but speaking slowly themselves, agents will often be able to slow down the customer’s speech. By listening and making notes, agents can learn to ensure they cover the points the customer is irate about and then turn it round, with positives. It doesn’t always work, but many people have been turned around in this way before and often if you can turn these people around they are often the customers that will re-sign and stay.

5. Selling
One of the most important areas of outbound training is sales training – simply put, learning to sell the benefits of the product or service, not its features.

In training, the focus should be on discovering an offer that the prospect would find it difficult to say no to and then trying to close the call. It is important to be assertive when closing and ensure that you clarify at the end of the call the appointment time and date before thanking them for their time.

6. Don’t blag it
In training we will often slip in questions that we know that the agent does not know the answer to. It is important that under pressure the agent learns not to blag it, and instead to say that they will find out and get back to the customer – or say that they are not the expert and will either come back with the answer or have the appropriate person call back.

It is better to be honest with customers and manage their expectations, than over-promise something you are not sure about and cause larger problems.

7. Always start each call as if it is your first
Taking the baggage of the previous call with you if it didn’t go well, is likely to make this call go the same way, so make sure it is a fresh start every time. This next call could be your next big customer!

Cross-Selling, Up-Selling and Creating Loyal Customer - Front Office Management and Customer Service (5th Friday)

CROSS AND UP-SELLING

Cross-Selling

Cross-selling generally occurs when the sales representative has more than one type of product to offer consumers that might be beneficial to them. Some fields in which cross-selling is most evident include those of the banking and financial services industries. Banking customers may go into the bank and sign up for a checking account and later be sold various investment vehicles such as bonds or CDs as part of a retirement plan. Investment firms do much of the same, starting off clients within a specific investment product that they need and then later identifying additional needs that their company can meet on behalf of the client.

Up-Selling

Up-selling differs somewhat from cross-selling in that the salesperson is not so much concerned with selling an additional product to generate additional commissions, but rather with selling a higher-end version of the product the customer originally came to buy. The automobile salesman often engages in up-selling by showing the customer multiple versions of the same product. Each version may differ in quality, starting with a base model and progressing through more luxurious models with additional features.

Approaches

One of the main differences between up-selling and cross-selling is in the approach that the salesperson takes when engaging in either method. When cross-selling, the salesperson identifies a definite need that the customer has and fulfills that need by recommending an additional product. Up-selling is somewhat less need-based in its orientation and typically involves the salesperson building value in the product being offered. In other words, a car customer may not need the top-of-the-line SUV with leather seating and a full entertainment center, but the up-selling salesperson can help that customer see the value in having it by painting a picture of how much more comfortable the family vacation will be with these additional features.

Similarities

In many ways, cross-selling and up-selling are similar in that they each offer customers additional value than what they would have otherwise received had they only bought what they were initially looking for. Some salespeople make the mistake of cataloging features of these additional products, rather than building value, or showing customers how they will benefit from these additional or higher-quality products. A successful cross-selling and up-selling salesperson will be able to paint a picture of the value that the customer will receive so that the customer will be able to visualize the benefits of making the purchase. Up-selling benefits the customer by providing higher quality, while cross-selling adds benefit by providing additional quality.

Source:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com

CREATING LOYAL CUSTOMERS

by: www.helpscout.net

1. Let customers know what you are doing for them. This can be in the form of a newsletter mailed to existing customers, or it can be more informal, such as a phone call. Whatever method you use, the key is to dramatically point out to customers what excellent service you are giving them. If you never mention all the things you’re doing for them, customers may not notice. You are not being cocky when you talk to customers about all the work you have done to please them. Just make a phone call and let them know they don’t have to worry because you handled the paperwork, called the attorney or double-checked the shipment -- one less thing they have to do.

2. Write long-time customers personal, handwritten notes frequently. "I was just sitting at my desk, and your name popped into my head. Are you still having a great time flying all over the country? Let me know if you need another set of luggage. I can stop by with our latest models anytime." Or, if you run into an old customer at an event, follow up with a note: "It was great seeing you at the CDC Christmas party. I will call you early in the new year to schedule a lunch."

3. Keep it personal. Voice mail and email make it easy to communicate, but the personal touch is lost. Don't count these as a legitimate follow-up. If you're having trouble getting through, leave a voice-mail message that you want to talk to the person directly or will stop by his or her office at a designated time.

4. Remember special occasions. Send regular customers birthday cards, anniversary cards, holiday cards -- you name it. Gifts are excellent follow-up tools, too. You don't have to spend a fortune to show you care. Use your creativity to come up with interesting gift ideas that tie into your business, the customer's business or his or her recent purchase.

5. Pass on information. If you read an article, see a new book, or hear about an organization that a customer might be interested in, drop a note or make a quick call to let them know.

6. Consider follow-up calls business development calls. When you talk to or visit established clients or customers, you'll often find they have referrals to give you, which can lead to new business.

ONE-DEFINING RULE TO CREATING LOYAL CUSTOMERS

Revealed: The Social Construct that Holds Society Together

The #1 thing that creates loyalty in anybody (that includes your customers) is the social construct of Reciprocity.

Reciprocity is a social norm that's been evaluated and debated since the days of Aristotle, and it has been said by many scholars to be one of the single defining aspects of social interaction that keeps society whole.

Why is it so important?

Additionally, how can it help us create loyal customers?

Why Reciprocation is ingrained in Our Brains

Behavioral psychologists and historians have uncovered a lot of evidence that the process of giving and taking "fairly" seems to be a part of a massive majority of normally functioning people.

In Prof. Robert Cialdini's »now infamous Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, he notes that:

The impressive aspect of reciprocation with its accompanying sense of obligation is its pervasiveness in human culture.

It is so widespread that, after intensive study, Alvin Gouldner (1960), along with other sociologists, reported that all human societies subscribe to the rule.

Within each society it seems pervasive also; it permeates exchanges of every kind.”

The point: Reciprocity is likely something that has evolved in the human brain in order to keep a majority of transactions "fair".

We often feel obligated to return favors, even if they are unasked for.

This is the ultimate reason why great customer service has such a fantastic ROI (return on investment).

Human beings are wired to follow the rule of reciprocity, and now that you understand its importance, we can discuss how to use it to create incredibly loyal customers.

How to Use Reciprocity to Create Loyal Customers

The first thing you need to know is that reciprocity comes in 3 different forms:

1.            One-to-one

2.            One-to-many (or many-to-one)

3.            General reciprocity

One-to-one form is highlighted because that's the one you need to master: interaction with customers is typically a very isolated experience, that is, you tend to deal with them individually, even if they have similar issues.

Winning customers over starts with winning their thanks on individual terms.

Although technology allows you to scale the process, the fact is this: people remember acts of kindness more readily when it feels personal.

The second thing you need to know is that reciprocity can be handled in two different ways:

1.            Through subtle gestures (aka surprise reciprocity)

2.            Through obvious gestures (aka trumpeted reciprocity)

1. How to Utilize Surprise Reciprocity

Have you ever ordered an item that you really wanted online, and as soon as you hit the buy button, you got that (positive) anxious feeling of, "I can't wait until it gets here!"

What if that item showed up on your doorstep the next day?

You'd be pretty overjoyed, right?

Of course!

Zappos recognizes that feeling, and it's done everything it can to give it to each and every Zappos customer.

How?

Did you know that while regular Zappos shipping states the item will be delivered in "3-4 days", Zappos

If the upgraded shipping was mentioned on the sales page, it would've become the norm; that feeling of placing your first order on Zappos and having it surprisingly end up at your house the next day wouldn't exist: people would just expect it.

As a company known for it's legendary customer service, it shouldn't be any surprise that Zappos doesn't mind the incurred cost of this extra perk.

The process of reciprocity begins here for most new Zappos customers, and there's nothing quite like getting "WOWed" on your very first order, after all, first impressions mean a lot.

The research points to this being a universal truth in social interaction and reciprocity: small surprises that feel like they were "just for you" can spawn some incredibly strong goodwill from the receiver.

I discussed this very process of the "secrets of personalization" when I addressed the psychological study that examined how waiters were able to increase their tips by 23%... simply by coming back a second time with more mints!

Talk about some incredible customer service ROI!

Key takeaway: Sometimes the best way to approach reciprocity and to build goodwill with your customers is to surprise them; chest-thumping about every single good aspect of your business makes people blind to the benefits you may truly offer.

2. How to Use Trumpeted Reciprocity

Surprises are great, but sometimes it does pay to let customers know just how far you will go to make them happy.

I could go on and on about what this process looks like, or I can just give you what I believe is a fantastic example of going "above and beyond" for the sheer purpose of telling an amazing customer service story.

If you've never heard of this tale before, allow me to be the first to introduce you to the adventures of Joshie the Giraffe (story previously featured on the Huffington post). 

Click the Link for the story of Joshie the Giraffe:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-hurn/stuffed-giraffe-shows-wha_b_1524038.html

What does the tale of Joshie teach us about "trumpeted" reciprocity?

Here's the thing: the Ritz staff didn't help Mr. Hurns out in the hopes of getting some free press, the main goal was to provide the level of service that they are known for (and what allows Ritz Carlton Hotels to charge such high prices).

Despite that, the Ritz staff didn't hold back on their support.

Nothing about this tale is "subtle", while Mr. Hurns may have been surprised at the results, this isn't the same as adding "surprise" to an order like Zappos does with it's shipping.

What actually happened was that the Ritz was able to "show off" their amazing customer support by story telling.

Click the Link below to know the Importance of Story Telling in Creating Loyal Customer

http://www.sparringmind.com/story-psychology/

Resolving Customer Complaint - Front Office Management & Customer Service (4th Friday)

Key Factors to resolving Complaints

1. Look past the fury for friction

It’s a fallacy to assume that just because someone is behaving wildly, his or her argument has no merit. Complaints, even angry ones, can contain insight—it’s your job to seek out the friction.

Evernote CEO Phil Libin offers up one of my favorite truisms on listening to feedback: “Feedback is great for telling you what you did wrong. It's terrible at telling you what you should do next.”

Socratic questioning, whether to the customer or to yourself, can help get to the source of the issue. Okay, the customer’s angry—is this because we weren’t clear with our copy? Is our user experience setting the customer up for failure? Did we drop the ball with our communication?

It is tempting to dismiss complainers as cranky or overly sensitive, but do that too often and you’ll ending up dismissing genuine feedback.

2. Record and organize meaningful complaints

Free customers always ask for more free stuff. Feature requests often turn into product demands. While helping customers is always right, haphazardly following their demands is always wrong.

Multiple messages from multiple customers with recurring concerns is the beginning of a narrative. The volume of a certain complaint only raises the red flag, though; you’ll have to carefully decide what to do next.

You’ll need a simple way to organize this sort of feedback, and here’s an overview of some options.

The key is to make it easy, and make it browse-able. “Hard to do” leads to never being done. Give your team a meaningful way to make note of meaningful complaints, and you can rest easy, because you will hear about them.

3. Identify who you are talking to

This study on customer complaints presents a strong case for evaluating messages through a selection of common archetypes. Here are a few notable personas that will make their way into your inbox:

The Meek Customer. Generally averse to talking to you. He doesn’t want to be a burden, or he doesn’t think you’ll care—either way, it’s your responsibility to inquire deeper to get to the heart of exactly what is wrong.

The Aggressive Customer. Outspoken and not shy about letting you know what’s on her mind. Avoid mirroring this confrontational behavior, and instead react with firm politeness that is pleasant but not submissive—your team needs to be treated with respect, too.

The High Roller. Perhaps your “enterprise” customer, who likely pays well and demands premium support for it. While no customer is fond of excuses, this customer disdains hearing them. Setting up a VIP Folder with Workflows is a simple way to cater to the high roller’s needs.

The Chronic Complainer. This customer will contact you a lot, but that doesn’t mean that his issues should be dismissed. Patience is required here, but once satisfied, this customer will have no qualms about singing your praises to others.

The Barnacle. Although the research identifies this as the “rip-off” customer, the barnacle label to be more accurate. This person is never happy. She is not looking for a satisfactory response; she is trying to get something she doesn’t deserve. Nothing is good enough unless she’s getting a handout. Maintain composure and respond as objectively as possible.

These are generally the ends of the spectrum. Most people are reasonable, and most conversations are uneventful. Should you come across one of the above, however, put those tried-and-true support skills to work.

4. Don’t be passive-aggressive

“We’re sorry that you are having this problem” is an infuriating phrase for a customer to hear. It is nothing more than the deferment of blame.

Far too many use this sort of language by accident. The attempt to apologize comes off as dismissive, all thanks to a misuse of tone.

Just say you’re sorry. Even when the customer is being unreasonable, apologize outright and ask how you might help resolve the issue. If you come across a lost cause, keep it friendly, keep it professional, and keep it moving.

5. Transfer quickly, but explain why

“Please hold while I transfer you. Your call is very important to us.”

Terrible. While this problem isn’t nearly as bad over email, introductions or handing someone off should be handled with care. Never miss an opportunity to briefly explain to a customer why this movement will be to their benefit. It’s nearly impossible to get anyone excited about being transferred, but consider the two choices you have:

1.            I’ll have to transfer you for that. *click*

2.            I’m going to set you up with our specialist who will get that squared away for you right                        away. “That’ll work!”

Without this brief but relevant insertion, customers won’t know that you are actually doing the best thing, and second only to doing the best thing is letting people know you are.

6. Use supportive questioning

There is a fine line between following up and inadvertently swaying a customer to dwell upon his bad mood.

Let’s look at these two responses:

•             “Is there anything else wrong?”

•             “How else can I help you today?”

Asking a customer a leading, negative question such as #1 is asking for a negative outcome. Conversely, inquiring how you may be able to further assist shows that you are ready and willing to address anything else the customer needs.

7. Time is of the essence

Inbox zero often causes us to envisage an assembly line environment of productivity. The truth is that catching up to the queue grants you time for the most meaningful conversations. A quick reply will never go out of style.

In the case of an unhappy customer, a speedy response goes from nice to necessary—complaints are a different beast that benefit from being resolved as soon as possible.

A customer leaving a feature request won’t sweat the fact that it took you a day to respond. Customers who are in a “pulling my hair out” situation want a resolution yesterday. Make responding to them a priority.

It can be useful to set up a Folder separate from the main support queue where you can filter less-than-ecstatic messages. Here, the team can see immediately which emails are from customers who need help right away.

Get the answer right the first time, but know that if there is ever a situation where speed takes a priority, it’s in turning the metaphorical frown upside-down.

8. Verify the resolution

Have you ever submitted something through an online form, and after you hit submit there wasn’t a single confirmation on whether or not anything had happened?

It’s incredibly frustrating. You don’t have a clue where your issue—and any hope of resolving it—stands.

The same principle applies when communicating with customers. You want to be absolutely sure that the customer is clear on the resolution that occurred and that it met his or her needs. If you’re not ending your responses with an inviting question, you may be creating unnecessary trouble.

"Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you—I'm happy to help!"

That’s a good place to start. Even a simple, "Are you all set?" will do.

9. Treat customers with genuine respect

Customers want to be treated with respect. The day you stop talking to them like regular people is the day you lose touch and relevance. After that, you start losing customers.

So don’t talk to them like a corporate stiff—this is a conversation, not “correspondence.” However, also avoid the flipside, which is pandering through pleasantry. It’s disingenuous to act like you can force your good mood down an unhappy customer’s throat. Worse yet, it’s downright creepy.

Please — spare me your insincerity.

Providing great support means finding a demeanor comfortable to the people you are serving, no matter the situation. Justin, our support lead, describes it as such:

•             We do not offer up platitudes. We are not obnoxiously bubbly, cheery, or “zestful.”

•             We don’t wage a campaign of aggressive happiness. We do not offer foot massages or roll                     out the red carpet for people who treat our team members poorly (it’s a two-way street).

•             Help Scout is fond of the Ritz-Carlton principle, to be “Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies                and gentlemen.” We hold doors, offer a strong handshake, and will pass on the last piece of                  pie—unless it’s pumpkin.

We care about the customer experience, top to bottom, but that doesn't mean we behave like a caricature. It means being consistently helpful and unquestionably genuine.

10. Don’t drag out a lost cause

If a customer wants to cancel his account, do it right away. Nothing makes for a bitter departure quite like running your customers through the gauntlet as they try to leave.

Winning customers back with exceptional service is fundamental, but when people already have one foot out the door, you’re better off letting the parting be as frictionless as possible. Learn what you can, see if there is a way to resolve the issue, and accept the outcome if there isn’t.

Customers aren’t necessarily gone for good just because they cancel their accounts once. Hassling upon exit, however, will assure they never return.

11. CARP Diem to resolve complaints

A really useful method for consistently handling upset customers can be found in Robert Bacal’s book, If It Wasn’t for the Customers I’d Really Like this Job. Bacal’s practices are known as the CARP method, which consists of:

•             Control

•             Acknowledge

•             Refocus

•             Problem solve

In other words, take control of the situation with language that shows you are ready to handle concerns and don’t intend to play games. Acknowledge that you completely understand your customer’s concerns and won’t be brushing them off.

Next, refocus away from the customer’s emotions to the solution at hand, outlining how you’ll take care of it. Finally, solve the problem, confirming that everything has been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Take your customer complaints seriously

You deserve no more respect than you are willing to give others…except in customer support, you’re the professional. You do have to learn to be the rock for your team. In turn, your team needs to look out for you.

Sometimes support needs support, and sometimes you just need to remember that not every customer can be made happy. Stay positive; the next pleasant conversations is just around the corner.

Source:

//www.helpscout.net/