It’s happened to every customer service rep. They answer the phone or say hello and the customer seems angry or upset right from the start. It's easy to fall into the trap of taking things personally and becoming defensive or angry. But that never helps. In the training guide, Handling Difficult Customers, the authors take readers…Continue reading
When customers become upset, they won’t always communicate clearly and calmly, so reps may have to ask them to repeat themselves. Proceed with caution! In the January issue of Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, Keith Bailey and Karen Leland, authors of Customer Service for Dummies, remind reps to make sure there…Continue reading
Speaking from prompts or scripts, or at the end of a long day, can leave customer service reps sounding mechanical and insincere. The solution, say the authors of the training guide, Sounding Great on the Phone, is to add interest to the voice by focusing on the three Ps: Pitch, Pace, and Pause. Pitch refers to…Continue reading
According to a recent survey, the telephone remains the most used customer service channel. While not all issues require the phone, 81 percent of service professionals say the phone is the preferred channel for complex issues. With that striking number in mind, Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, started the New Year…Continue reading
Every week we share practical tips and techniques from the pages of Customer Communicator — the digital newsletter for frontline reps. To wrap up the year, we’re highlighting five of our most popular posts. You may read them now along with all of the 2023 posts. And, if your team would benefit from more tips, techniques, and in-depth information…Continue reading
In the workplace, everyone faces small conflicts throughout the day — with coworkers, managers, and even customers. To solve problems quickly and professionally it’s essential to choose the right words. In the December issue of Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, author and service expert, Renée Evenson explains the power of word…Continue reading
Customer service professionals have to deal with a variety of customers day in and day out — ranging from the calm and polite to the slightly overbearing to the downright angry. It’s all part of the job, and it pays to be ready for all of the possibilities. In the December issue of Customer Communicator, the…Continue reading
Each time a customer service professional speaks to a customer, they take on a unique role. For that brief period of time, they are the company to that customer. In the training guide, Handbook of Essential Phone Skills, the authors provide over a dozen techniques that frontline reps can use to present themselves and their organizations…Continue reading
On the phone or in person, listening is the single most important service skill. And while people assume they know how to listen, the truth is that listening is a technique, which most people will practice and refine throughout their careers. In the training guide, Effective Listening, the authors provide eight techniques for "Service Listening." One…Continue reading
Customer service reps should have the same goal on difficult calls as they have on every other call — to provide the best possible service. And that includes conversations with angry or abusive callers. In the November issue of Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, communications consultant Charlotte Purvis suggests how to…Continue reading
