The Importance of Controlling the Call (and How to Do It)
Call control is an extremely important skill for customer service representatives to have.
It may even be the most important skill.
When a representative finds themselves receiving a call where there doesn’t seem to be an end, finding a way to resolve the situation and move on to the next call can be a challenge. This is especially true if the representative has not been in the industry for long or they were never properly trained.
So, what exactly is call control?
Controlling a call involves getting information proficiently and quickly so that customer service representatives remain productive.
Why is it important?
Customer service representatives are the first contact for customers and clients calling into a business. Not only do they address questions and concerns but they nurture relationships. This is why you need to be sure that your customer service representatives remain professional, friendly and courteous while leading the conversation.
Here are a couple of tips you can use or give to your team to make controlling a call a little bit easier:
1. Make sure the customer’s problem and desired solution are stated as early in the call as possible.
2. Have specific questions prepared for customers or clients who have issues explaining the problem.
3. Use close-ended questions — questions that can be answered with a “yes” or “no”.
4. Always wait for a pause in the conversation in order to redirect the conversation, don’t interrupt the caller.
5. Be sure to stay on topic and have the end solution in mind. This will set the tone for the entire phone call.
6. Remember to be friendly but not a friend. Answer questions that are off topic with short responses.
7. Quickly wrap up calls in a pleasant tone.
Some simple language that you can use to set the tone:
“I’m sorry to hear this. In order to fix this today, we need to…”
“What we need to do first is…”
“I’ll talk you through the process…”
“There are several different ways that we can solve this issue. They are…”
“I have a couple of options that might help and save us time…”
“I’ll call you on Thursday afternoon to follow-up…”
“Sounds like we’ve covered everything…”
“I’ll get started on this right away…”
“I don’t want to take up any more of your time, so…”
“I have everything I need on my end…”
As you know time is valuable, especially when dealing with customers and clients. It’s important to be accommodating when on a call. It’s also important to have the capability to lead and remain in control during the phone call in order to resolve issues efficiently.
Post written by: Amy Schiller
