Effective listening is an important technique that increases the chances of a customer being satisfied and developing a sense of loyalty towards the call centre agent. It makes the customer feel acknowledged, will promote cooperation and reduce misunderstandings. The most important thing is to present a positive image of your company and by making your customer feel they are being listened to properly, it will make them view the company in a dramatically better light. It may take some practice, but once effective listening has been perfected it will make a call agent sound much more professional and engaged with the listener.
How can you achieve this?
In order to do this there are various methods to try out. Letting the caller know that they have been understood, accepted and acknowledged is key. Making them comfortable enough in your telephone manner to be open with you is ideal too. This will promote cooperation and build a stronger relationship between you and them. This in turn will lead to the calling agent learning the customer’s opinion and needs and reducing any confusion or misunderstandings.
In order for a call agent to properly utilise effective listening it is important for a team leader to provide proper training, monitoring and feedback and to aid them in improving their telephone manner to ensure exceptional quality.
Invest in the correct software
Call centre software may be a useful tool to invest in. This will allow a customer to give any feedback which can be used to adapt and improve work practices. Software can also be used to teach call staff how to properly engage with customers in a pleasant way.
A great customer support agent will be attentive to the needs of the caller, make them feel that they are being listened to and understood. A good way of showing this is by asking the caller for extra information and details over the course of the conversation.
Understanding your customer
Being able to summarise what the customer has just said and recognising any additional information that might be needed is important. As to is being able to offer any information to the queries being asked by the customer.
If you would like support with your call handling or contact centre needs, contact the team at Frontline today.