Contact Center Service Skills

Stress of not knowing the answer.

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:27:00 +0000

Your job is to answer questions and make sure the caller’s request for service is fulfilled. If you are experienced and good at your job, you either know most of the answers or you know how to find the answers to the caller’s questions. Most people assume that call centers are high stress because people call in and yell at you. I believe most of the stress in call centers comes from a lack of enough information to provide the callers.

Feeling Inadequate
When you don’t know the answer to the caller’s questions it can be intensely stressful. A rep once told me that she felt like a deer in headlights when the caller asked a question she could not answer. Another said it reminded him of a teacher he had in high school who liked calling on the students who didn’t seem to be grasping the subject. She would ask a question of the student and then just wait in silence while the student either bumbled along with inadequate replies or sat in silent humiliation while the class watched.

Information is Power and Control
As soon as the call begins your world is narrowed down to you and the caller. In order to control the call and feel positive during the call, you must be the person who has the superior level of information. The saying “Information is power” has a deeper meaning when it comes to call center representatives.

Not knowing how to answer the question is stressful because:

You feel inadequate during the call. When we do not feel adequate, we feel stress. When we are not meeting expectations, our own, the callers or the company’s, we know it and we start to lose one of the most important things we own - our self esteem.
You feel out of control. Stress is highly related to how in control you feel. When you do not have control, you feel stress.
Your inability is known to another person - the caller. This humiliation leads feeling rejected. Social acceptance is a basic need for everyone. When you feel bad because a person does not think you are good enough, it is related to your need for social acceptance.
Your job security is based on your ability to answer questions. For most people, a job is associated with our most basic needs - food, shelter and clothing. Without a job, we cannot afford to obtain these items. Therefore on an unconscious level you may feel a level real danger.

What can you do?

Take control of your job with the following strategies. Don't expect your trainer or your boss to fix this. At the most basic level, you need to fix this.

Organize the information you have into easily accessible references. This means making your own cheat sheets, plastering your cube with notes, creating files, binders, whatever works for you...
Ask for more information: When you have to ask a co-worker for an answer, don't just get the answer needed. Understand the rest of the story - the background,-why,where,who, how. Write it down!
Understand the question. If you don’t know the answer, sometimes it is because you don’t really understand what they are asking. Summarize the issue, ask clarifying questions.
Always sound calm, authoritative and assured. Fake it til you make it. It works. If you sound in control, you are more likely to behave and feel in control.
Give yourself some space by asking for time. “Ok, let me get that information for you.” Placing them on hold while you look will help. "Let me check and get back to you." If you cannot find the answer or where to send the caller, further research is going to be necessary. That is normal.

The key here is that you have to do it. Don't wait for your trainer to come up with the cheat sheet. Make one. Or if you trainer has provided one, its your responsibility to keep track of it. And its also your sanity.

Actor vs Robot

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:14:00 +0000

When you allow (yes, allow) all humanity to be stripped from your day, all day, then what? - Seth Godin.

I am an advocate of being an "Actor" in your job as a customer service rep. Please do not mistake being an actor with being a robot. With removing yourself so entirely from the process that you cannot feel that there is another human being who is interacting with you.

An actor is actively and creatively playing a role.
A Robot is merely responding to input.

An actor can be empathetic, sympathetic, energetic and intuitively active.
A robot cannot display emotion, have empathy and is only active if the correct and specific input is provided.

An actor can adapt their behavior to the circumstances.
A robot can only follow the protocol that has been programmed into them.

An actor can enjoy themselves when playing the role.
A Robot has no ability to enjoy and is only numbly processing input.

Work is a huge part of your life. Do not waste it by refusing to be human during your work hours.

13 Reasons to do your job well

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Forever is composed of nows. Emily Dickinson
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard
Every job is a self‑portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence.
Everything can be taken from a man but the last of the human freedoms ‑ to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. -Victor Fankl
First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. -epiticus
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can. -Sydney Smith
I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. -Helen Keller
Laws control the lesser man. Right conduct controls the greater one. -chinese proverb
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds -Franklin D. Roosevelt
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. -Aristotle
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. -George Bernard Shaw
Dignity consists not in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them. -Aristotle

You can spend your life wishing you were somewhere else, or you can make your current job worthwhile. All it takes is a change in focus. Doing something well creates its own satisfaction.

Good Day - Bad Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Your reaction to a situation is a sign of how you are feeling. It shows if you are having a Good Day or a Bad Day.

The email you forwarded to the department has a virus that shuts down all the computer:
Good Day: Chaos, panic, & disorder - my work here is done.
Bad Day: Can I trade this job for what's behind door #1?

The Marketing Dept sent a letter with your phone number on it. They forgot to mention it to you.
Good Day: It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of Karma to burn off.
Bad Day: I keep hitting "escape," but I'm still here

The current management doesn't have any clue what is happening and doesn't listen to anyone who does.
Good Day: It's frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
Bad Day: Do you want me to sit in a corner and rust or just fall apart where I'm standing? - Douglas Adams

Your co-worker has made an error that caused untold amounts of work for all concerned.
Good Day: He's only somewhat useful at work, but he's irreplaceable at happy hour.
Bad Day: How do I set a laser printer to stun?

Someone asks for your help.
Good Day: I don't work here. I'm a consultant.
Bad Day:Just what part of "NO" didn't you understand...?

Someone asks if you are responsible for a certain task:
Good Day: Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
Bad Day: I'm out of bed and I made it to the keyboard. What more do you want?

You arrive at work on Monday Morning:
Good Day: What is a nice person like me doing in a place like this?
Bad Day: This isn't an office. It's Hell with fluorescent lighting.

Remember who you are

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Hugh Macloed is a cartoonist/artist and he produced the above. To a customer service rep it has some particular value. Each of us is a different person depending on the situation. At home you are a spouse or a parent. At happy hour you are friend. We have roles and that is how we adapt to our situation and make the most appropriate actions.

Too often we forget that when we are in our role as a customer service rep, we are the company. We need to remember the company's goal, the companies vision, and the companies welfare. We should make sure our words and our actions match the company's vision. When you are at work you are the representative to the company.

This is a good thing. It allows you the distance to remove some of the emotional tension that you feel when a caller is frustrated. An actor is a play is not hurt when he stabbed or insulted on stage. Neither are you when a customer is screaming in your ear. You are just the actor in a role. We don't need to take anything personally.

Avoiding the Infection of a Caller’s Anger

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Working in a contact center means occasionally dealing with angry people. Did you know the only thing that makes the call bad is your reaction to it? We have control in how we act, and we can refuse to become emotionally involved in the call. Avoiding emotion leads the caller into a constructive conversation instead of a destructive one.

Accept the situation

Fear of the “bad call” causes more bad calls than anything else. Fear causes defensive behavior by reps and calls that escalate out of control. Relax and realize that these calls exist. We can’t avoid them so our best bet is to manage them.

Be the actor in a play

Call Center reps are actors. They are not involved personally in this conflict. They are just representing a company. Just like the actors in a play, reps are not personally hurt because someone is upset or angry on the phone. Step into a role and create that space between you and the caller.

Make Choices, Don't be a Puppet

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response.” – Victor Frankl

Most people react instinctively to what people say, but we do have the option to choose. The more often a rep chooses the easier it becomes. When the caller is angry, choose to step back and move into the role. Remember that this anger is about the company. Power comes with the choice not to react but to lead the conversation.

Take your time and make a friend.

Once in the role, we are ready to handle the call. Let the caller spill out all of their anger. In fact encourage them to do so. Ask questions that lead to more explanation. The emotional reaction would be to quickly end the tirade, but this is a mistake. The caller must finish. The caller wants some confirmation that we hear and understand their emotion. Providing a sense that we understand why they are angry will convey that we care. They will calm down. Defending the company at this stage of the call is a mistake.

Lead the conversation to a solution

Once the emotion is over a solution can be found. Speak slowly and with assurance. Use words that reiterate a sense of security and trust to the caller. Make sure they feel part of the solution by asking for agreement. If we can’t give them what they want, lead up to your solution with “yes” questions that are related to the problem. Such as “Is this your address? Was it delivered on this date? Once they confirm two or three statements, suggest a solution in the form of a question.

The best customer service reps look at the angry call as a challenge. They revel in bringing the call to a positive conclusion. Realistically not every call will end up with a happy caller. But the call is successful if the caller was able to conclude their business without involving you in their emotion.

7 Marketing Dept sillysms

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000

ACRONYM: Absurdly Contrived Representations Of Names Yielding Mass Stupefication
All you need in this department is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.
Catch a man a fish, and you can sell it to him. Teach a man to fish and you ruin a wonderful business opportunity. -Karl Marx
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. Teach a man to create an artificial shortage of fish and he will eat steak. -Jay Leno
The first law of Marketing is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague.
Why ruin a good story with the truth?
You can fool all the people all the time if the advertising is right and the budget is big enough.

10 Reasons why Customer Service is a Great Job

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:58:00 +0000

A lot of people don't have jobs that gives them so many opportunities to touch another person's life in a positive way. Customer Service does that. It doesn't matter what the industry you work in, someone is contacting you because they need help. Sometimes big help, sometimes trivial, but they need help.
You help.

Many men have been capable of doing a wise thing, more a cunning thing, but very few a generous thing. -Alexander Pope
No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.- Amelia Earhart
Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever. -Margaret Cho
The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention. -Oscar Wilde
The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving. -Albert Einstein
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. - Sir Winston Churchill
We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. - Mother Teresa
You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. -John Wooden
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. -William James
In about the same degree as you are helpful, you will be happy. - Karl Reiland

11 Ways to Control your Call

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:49:00 +0000

If a customer service rep does not control a call, the caller is far more likely to be dis-satisfied with the answers they receive. They are more likely to call back because they don't trust the person who answered the first time. Controlling the call is fairly easy. But its not the norm in our every day lives. In your personal life the person who calls is generally the controller - they had a purpose in calling and you are responding to it. You are the responder, the reactor.

In Customer Service the caller has a purpose in calling - its to give you their problem. And if you don't take control of the call they won't think you took away their problem. You cannot be a mere responder. You need to change the flow of the call to one where you are the director and they are the responder.

Its easy to do and you probably do many of these things anyway. Here are the common ways to control the call.

Ask the person to identify themselves. Name, account number etc.
Ask the person what they want. If already told you before you asked then do a #1 or #3.
Ask the person an additional question about what they just asked. Even if you already understand it. Ask anyway. People want to make sure you understand their issue.
Rephrase their question/concern.
Explain EVERY silence. Did you know that people assume the worst during a silence. While you are deeply involved in computer look ups and not talking, they think you are buffing your nails. It's true. Tell them why you aren't talking. "I'm looking up your account" "Let me find that information."
Use their name. Do NOT over-use it. Twice is generally enough in one call.
Speak with authority. Even if you are new or just asked someone the answer and its the first time you have said it. Act like you are the end all be all authority. But NEVER make up the answer. If you end up having to back track and explain away your error, you lose ground.
Learn to avoid the "uhs, uhm, yeah, errrr," stutters, hesitant pauses and any personal quirk you use when you are not sure or are nervous. Every one of those noises makes you less of an authority to the listener.
Speak lower and slower if they seem like they don't trust you or are upset.
Don't speak until you know exactly what you want to say. Sometimes we find part of an answer and feel an obligation to say we found something. Don't. Don't speak unless you have a complete and organized answer. But make sure they know why there is silence. (see #5)
Ask the person if they are satisfied with your answer. Or if they understand it, or if you can do anything else. In some way make sure they have been given an chance to ask for more help on this subject.

Practice Makes Better Reps

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:22:00 +0000

Some people say that you either have the personality and qualities of a customer service rep or you don't. And there may be some truth to that. But I think at least 70% or more of the job is a skill set you can develop and practice.

We are what we repeatedly do. - Aristotle.
Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a certain way. - Aristotle
Studies show that there are no "naturally gifted" people. In other words all the great pianists and athletes got that way by practicing longer. Doing it over and over again.
No one gets it right every time. No one is great in the beginning.
You have to want to do it. No one can make you better at this but you.
You have to choose to act, not react. You will have to choose to do those things you learned in your training, instead of feeling its not natural, or why bother since you've screwed it up the last two calls, or that's just not your style.
It's hard. But its a skill that makes every part of your world better. If you can manage all your calls well, you may be able to manage any situation anywhere.
It takes 10,000 hours of practice to be a master at anything. That equals 5 years of full time work in a call center. Don't be feeling like this isn't your gig because you still get pissed off at the idiots 2 years into the deal. Especially if you haven't been trying to improve in those two years.
#8 only applies if you actually are making the effort to implement the skills. If you are answering the phone and reacting emotionally rather than controlling the call - you are mastering the wrong skill. Sorry.
Its not your boss's fault if you don't get better. It's not your company's fault. It's not your parents' fault. Its your fault. The good news is - you can't make your boss or your company or your parents do anything, but you can make yourself do anything.

8 Corporate Ironies

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:55:00 +0000

Meetings... The practical alternative to work.
Multi Tasking: Screwing up several things at once.
The more things change, the more they remain... insane. -Michael Fry and T. Lewis
The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That is where we come in, were computer professionals. We cause accidents. - Nathaniel Borenstein
To err is human, to forgive is Not Company Policy
You can name your own salary here. I call mine Fred.
Internal consistency is valued more highly than efficiency.
Microsoft: You've got questions. They've got dancing paperclips.

8 Ways to re-energize your focus

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:02:00 +0000

Stand up. Sitting too long makes your brain fart and then get constipated.
Stretch. If you have the courage, do a series of bend overs, moving the arms stretches.
Decide to make the next person you speak to happy. Not happy that you did a good job, or happy with the call. Happy. They hang up in a better mood. Usually all it takes is a focus of happy energy on your part. Smile, put energy in your voice. The energy you use when you are in a good mood and you want someone else to be. If you do this, you will win back your focus and your mood will improve tremendously.
Organize a corner of your workspace. When your mind stops working, doing a physically organizing task will bring the brain back from the blank or the chaos. (This also works after a bad call - if you are feeling emotional.)
Walk away from your desk. If you are allowed the option, go to the rest room, fill your water cup, make a copy, - any activity that will walk you away from your desk for 2 or 3 minutes.
Reboot. Don't wait for the computer to freeze up, do it when your brain does. I know, I know - can you think of anything more annoying??? No. But when it's done don't you feel an overwhelming urge to get on with your job, catch up, make up for all of the time you just wasted? And think how very happy you are making those Help Desk folks.
Tell a friend about a GOOD call. Not the bad call. We always turn to the person next to us when the call was bad, or weird. But mention to the person that you found out something new, you figured out how to answer this question, or who does this, or that the computer does that. Find an expression for your small successes and you will feel more energy for doing your job right now.
Close your eyes, and count each part of your body. Weird right? Yeah, but it works. You don't have to close your eyes, but it helps. When I say parts, be pretty narrow. Count each toe, count the arch of your foot, the heel, the ankle... It will probably take 2 to 3 minutes to go through your body. When you are done, take a big deep breath and focus on your next task. (also good for after a bad, call.)

These work, but there are lots of others. If you know one, please share it here!

10 Things to Remember when you are Angry

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:57:00 +0000

He who angers you conquers you. -Elizabeth Kenny
I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him. -Booker T Washington
When you blame others, you give up your power to change.
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. -Ghandi
Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. -Benjamin Franklin
Power means not having to respond.
One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered.
If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size? -Sydney J. Harris
You don't have to attend every argument you're invited to.
Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom. -Victor Frankl

10 Things to AVOID saying to the customer

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:44:00 +0000

Did you eat an extra bowl of stupid this morning?
I'm ready to listen. . . are you ready to think?
Shhhh. . .that's the sound of nobody caring what you think.
Well aren't you just the most adorable black hole of need.
Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
Disappointed? Too bad!
Do they ever shut up on your planet?
Everyone is entitled to be stupid; but you are abusing the privilege.
I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.
I’ve stopped listening. Why haven’t you stopped talking?

Call Centers and Contact Centers

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:17:00 +0000

It used to be just call centers, now with all the new communication tools, we are "Contact Centers". No matter how many new ways we have to communicate, we still have a hard job. Communicating a positive message on a topic we don't control to an audience that may be angry, happy, confused or sad. It is a never ending, and ever intriguing challenge.

This blog is about how to manage the contact. Getting the skills right. Tips for keeping sane, Funny thoughts, and Daily Ideas.

Please feel free to comment. A thoughtful conversation is always welcome.