Answer back. When you call to request information about a product or service …
A. You have all the time in the world to wait on the phone
B. You enjoy being treated poorly or with apathy
C. You like to call to find no solutions
D. None of the above
If your answer is option “D”, like most of us, then keep reading because today we will talk about the phone calls of your customers and how these can become a powerful tool to sell more.
Sadly, many companies waste this powerful resource probably because they are not clear that a customer on the phone represents the possibility of new business. Hence, they lack established policies so that one of the entry doors to their business becomes a door that generates income.
What does a call represent for your business?
As we do not know what the client on the other end of the phone wants, then we cannot dismiss that call, but on the contrary see it as an opportunity to:
- New customers
- New sales
- Opportunities to improve (even when they are complaints)
- Potential business
What is the customer waiting for on the other end of the phone?
When a person calls your business, regardless of their reason, what they expect is the following:
- Be attended to promptly
- Be kindly cared for
- Have the person give you the information you need
- That they transfer you quickly to whoever can provide you with this information
- That solutions be given
- To be listened to carefully
What does a person on the phone hate most?
Contrary to the previous points and although it seems “obvious”, when people make a call, we hate:
- Get left hanging with an automated attendant
- That they attend us mechanically and without human warmth
- Let us wait
- Let us extend the call and there are no solutions
- Let people attend us who do not know what we are talking about
So if a well-attended call is so important, what should you take particular care of within the company to get the most out of those calls and drive more sales?
Train your staff. Although it seems trivial, we should all receive a basic training for answering calls. This must clearly include a protocol that identifies your company and that allows anyone to know how to attend or where to forward the call.
Establish a culture of solving. Customers in any case always want solutions. A sale is a solution, but a claim requires one too. In fact, I can assure you that a well-attended claim can save a client and the possibility of more future sales. Train your collaborators to offer solutions, not just procedures or bureaucratically extend problems.
Establish a speed mentality. We are in the information age and we have learned to get it all fast. All it takes is one click to get any information so people today are neither ready nor willing to wait. Either you attend to them promptly or they just hang up and they will call someone else. Speed is a sales factor. So cultivate in your staff a mindset of speed that is transmitted to the customer.
Important Factors in a Call
Every time you answer a call you must be clear that since you do not have your client in person, all the communication and therefore the influence that you can achieve in this way can only be achieved by efficiently managing two factors: the tone of voice and the words correct.
- Aim for a warm and friendly tone of voice
- Make sure the speed mentality is seen in the tone of voice
- Avoid responding angrily to an angry customer
- If you do not have the solution promptly, offer to return the call so as not to make him wait
Use the correct words and phrases like the following:
- “Your call is very important, in a moment I will refer you to the right person”
- “I appreciate your wait, I’ll be helping you in a second”
- “Mr. Dobson, I’ll take your number and call you back immediately I have the answer”
- “Dear lady, I will gladly send you the requested quote within 30 minutes”
- “I’m sorry for what happened but we will try to solve it as soon as possible, I will take your number to follow up on your case”
- “I understand your annoyance and I will try to provide you with a prompt solution, I just ask you to tell me what happened so that I can better serve you”
And very important, do not offer something that you will not fulfill because then you are even worse. Finally, remember that all your collaborators must always have a customer service focused on the sale. Whenever someone calls, there is business opportunity. Do not forget.
Plus business ideas:
