The structure of an effectual customer service telephone call
Consistency they say is king. One of the most effective ways to create consistency is to implement a framework that can be applied to your team and across all types of customer service points.
Let’s examine how it works when answering a telephone call
The beginning when answering the call
It is now not uncommon that most hotel telephone operators’ answer almost instantly (within a set number of 4-5 rings), with a warm, professional greeting and introduce themselves by name and role, including the company’s name. This confirms that the caller has rung the correct number and has reached the right team, whilst underlining professionalism.
If you are required to ask who is calling or what the nature of the call is, be aware of your tone of voice. Screening calls is always a delicate situation, so it is critical not to offend or put your caller on the defensive with your voice tone. People no longer believe those commonly used excuses such as “He’s in conference” or “She’s in a meeting,” are greatly overused. If the person asked for is unavailable; say so, but for plausibility, it is crucial to indicate when the person will be available.
In brief, put in place a training element that highlights the importance of swiftly answering the phone with a standardized greeting, ensuring consistency across all customer interactions. This may include a defined opening that includes phone answering by other departments.
Foot Note: Whilst SOPs are there to provide structure for business operations, they are meant to be built with some leeway, and therefore flexibility, should change need to be accommodated to please a customer in a manner that results in a ‘win-win’ situation for all. When an SOP is rigid, the tendency is to fall back on that all too familiar “Sorry, but that is our policy” response which is pretty annoying. This is something that all businesses should bear in mind when creating standard operating procedures in their organisation. Hence, encourage language flexibility that is certified within formal and acceptable business-related conversations.
Understanding the raison d'être for the call
Carefully listen to the caller without interrupting them, concentrating fully on understanding the nature of the call – are they seeking information, wanting to make a purchase, seeking assistance or voicing displeasure over something that involves the business.
This ensures that the agent grasps the customer’s issue in its entirety, which is crucial for providing an accurate response or resolution while also showing the consumer that they are valid.
Staff should use active listening techniques, such as nodding in agreement (if on video calls) and using verbal affirmation, followed by paraphrasing the customer’s concerns for clarity and confirmation.
Foot Note: Whilst listening is essential to capturing the essence of their concern, it is equally important to employ short occasional verbal acknowledgements. Nothing is more irritating to a caller than to be explaining something to someone at the other end of the phone who remains totally silent. It should not beg the question “are you there?”
Obtaining additional details
When you ask a question, you must know what you want for an answer. Once you know what kind of information you need, you have to ask your questions in a way that gets the best possible information in response. Use open-ended questions to probe into the caller’s concern, gathering more contexts relating to their individual needs. The power of open-ended questions lies in the insights they unlock.
This helps clarify the situation further, providing the agent with additional and personalized details that are essential for addressing the caller’s expectations.
Let’s use a regular hotel check-in process as an example. The usual everyday question such as asking about the weather or the trip to the hotel is all well and good, but it does not help every employee in the hotel to be a lead generator. The more leads the hotel gets, the more sales opportunities. Apart from the ‘loyalty factor’ finding new customers from existing customers can be unearthed as well. A simple question, as “What brings you to town?” opens all sorts of different doors for the hotel. But one has to follow-up with a chain of questions, such as “Are you in town for a project or meeting? Are there others in town for this as well? Is this a regular happening in our town? Questions such as this can be asked without making the guests uncomfortable.
Foot Note: Develop a handbook of open-ended questions relevant to common frequently asked questions within your service scope. Train agents to seamlessly integrate these questions into their conversation to enrich their understanding of each call at hand.
Concluding the call
Conclude the call by confirming that the customer is satisfied with the provided information / solution, offering further assistance if needed. This ensures that the caller exits the interaction, happy or satisfied with the response he or she received and the overall outcome of their service experience. It is also an opportunity to address any other lingering doubts.
Foot Note:One should never let a call end without assuring your caller that you are proactively taking steps to help them resolve their issue. Use follow-up calls and emails to help gauge customer satisfaction. Such follow-up isn't necessary in a successfully resolved first call, but it is helpful from an analytics perspective.
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry
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