Uncategorized

It is not okay to be a fast talker. The more you work at pausing and breathing, the more knowledgeable and confident you will appear to the person on the other end of the line.

Do people ask you to repeat a lot? Do they tell you to slow down? If so, you are a fast talker. It might be alright to be a fast talker at home or with friends and family, but it is definitely not okay on the job, especially if your primary communication with others is over the phone as an inside sales or customer service representative.

The problems with being a fast talker are many. People may think you are trying to “pull something over on them” or to commit to something they shouldn’t. It annoys them when they don’t have time to process the information you are giving them, and thus, it may cause them to end the call abruptly. Since they probably weren’t able to take notes or compare what you have said to what others have said, they also can’t verbalize their questions or objections. Without time to understand and voice their concerns, listeners hesitate to move forward on a decision or make a purchase.

Talking fast also causes articulation to be sloppy. The person’s lips, teeth and tongue cannot get into the right position to say the word correctly. What starts to happen is four syllable words are said in two or endings are dropped. People may incorrectly think you have said something you didn’t. Additionally, lots of filler words materialize, and, thus, you will sound ill-informed and not confident. Finally, if you have an accent and your pace is quick, listeners may interrupt you often, causing you to lose your concentration. It will make listening and speaking a real chore for both parties.

If you are a fast talker, do not despair. You can slow down by pausing and taking a breath at the end of a thought or idea or where you want to highlight a point. The idea of pausing and breathing may sound simple, but it is harder than you think. At the beginning, it can feel like a lifetime to pause for even half a second.

Voicemail can be a big help. By replaying voicemails before sending them, you can monitor your speed. If you hear a number of filler words (“um,”, “ ah,” “ like,”  and “ you know”) or if words are not clearly pronounced, you aren’t pausing long enough. Another suggestion is to tape yourself reading something out loud, perhaps a business journal or product update and practice pausing and breathing between points for one to three seconds until it becomes second nature. Finally, try reading children’s stories out loud. A fairy tale or nursery rhyme requires the speaker to pause frequently in order to bring the appropriate emotion into the voice.

It is not okay to be a fast talker. The more you work at pausing and breathing, the more knowledgeable and confident you will appear to the person on the other end of the line. Consider how great it would feel if someone described you as precise and thoughtful, instead of as a fast talker.

Question: We’re interested in your reaction to this article. What works in your organization to put a smile back on people’s faces?

To add your comments click on the “Comment” link below the article title or add your comments in the “Your Comment” box below, if it is present. Any questions will be answered by Judy.

Impact Communications, Inc. consults with individuals and businesses to improve their presentation and telephone communication skills. It is not what you know but how you communicate it that makes a difference. When you have to have impact, phone (847) 438-4480 or visit our web site, www.ImpactCommunicationsInc.com.

It shouldn’t be a crapshoot to get a good rep on the phone. Basic customer service skills are more essential today than ever before. Please, please, please take the time to hire good people and train them well.

There are a lot of reasons why I hate calling Customer Support. It doesn’t matter what company. The issues remain the same. If I had a wish list, these are the things I would like to see changed- immediately!

The first thing that bugs me is long waits with a message saying, “Your call is valuable to us. The approximate wait time is 22 minutes.” If I was a valued customer, the wait time would be minimal. Worse yet is the recorded message that says, “All of our representatives are currently taking calls, please contact our website at….” There is no option to speak to a live person, apparently ever.

When I do make contact with a rep, I need to be able to understand the person. If the person speaks too quickly or if the person has an accent that makes me focus on what they just said versus what they are currently saying, I get seriously frustrated. It certainly seems to be the responsibility of the call center to insure that everyone on the phone can be understood-all the time, not just when someone is watching them. People like me take notes. We write things down. Speaking too quickly or in a manner that I can’t follow makes me hang up and redial or worse yet, just give up.

Reps who can’t answer my questions waste my time. My expectation is that the rep will know the particulars about their product or service without having to place me on hold or connect me to someone else. Answers like, “I don’t think it is possible” or “I am not really sure about that” simply are not acceptable. Could somebody please educate these people! Would it be too much for them to learn one or two new products each month? Would it be too much for supervisors to quiz their reps periodically on product knowledge?

I don’t like reps with an attitude either. Hey, sometimes I am upset, and there may be a good reason for it. Telling me, “Don’t take it out on me” or “Just calm down,” only adds to my annoyance. How about taking ownership? If a shipment was late, broken or incomplete, it may have cost me money or jeopardized my relationship with a client. A sincere apology goes a long way with me. An artificial one gets my dander up. In a recent interaction with a support center, a rep said, “Hey that is just the way it is. Take it or leave it!” You can imagine what I did.

My final pet peeve is the rep who sounds bored and disinterested. Granted I may be the 40th caller of the day, but I like to feel that the rep on the other end of the line likes his or her job and likes people. From the initial “hello,” I want to feel that the rep cares and is interested in resolving my issue. The good reps always sound friendly.

It shouldn’t be a crapshoot to get a good rep on the phone. Basic customer service skills are more essential today than ever before. Please, please, please take the time to hire good people and train them well.

Question: Tell us how the call center in your company is improving how customer support is helping your customers. We’re interested in your reaction to this article.

To add your comments click on the “Comment” link below the article title or add your comments in the “Your Comment” box below, if it is present. Any questions will be answered by Judy.

Impact Communications, Inc. consults with individuals and businesses to improve their presentation and telephone communication skills. It is not what you know but how you communicate it that makes a difference. When you have to have impact, phone (847) 438-4480 or visit our web site, www.ImpactCommunicationsInc.com.

Collaborative business meeting

The economic situation has impacted all of us, regardless of our job or industry. Many of us have seen dramatic layoffs, leaving some of us doing several jobs at one time. The pressure to succeed and exceed expectations is unbelievable. In these down times, relationships become more and more important. People need to trust others, whether the person is an outside vendor or member of a cross-functional team. When people are under the gun, they do not have the time or energy to source new relationships, unless it is absolutely necessary. However, the danger is in taking these relationships for granted.

The question is what are you doing to nurture your current relationships?

Here are three suggestions.

1. Go above and beyond. Don’t wait for others to ask for information, anticipate their needs and provide the data. For example, run projections ahead of time. Look at trends or analyze what is different. Don’t wait for the month or quarter to end. Email or fax them information on their competitors. Keep your eye on their department or company and figure out what comes next for them. Make an impact on their business. Don’t just be visible. Individuals will be more likely to renew or adjust plans and policies if you have been very diligent and gone beyond what is expected.
2. Contact them, other than to ask for business. Relationships are often deepened over lunch or a game of golf. Take the time to get to know the people that you currently do business with. Share your interests. Tell them about yourself. Ask questions about their family, the weather, their vacation. Update them on anyone you know in common. Your warmth and friendliness will be noticed. Many of us may feel we are imposing or bothering people by our calls. The opposite is true. Moreover, people like to do business with those they feel they know on a more personal basis.
3. Be true to your word. Deliver on your commitments. Under promise and over-deliver. At all costs, avoid “stone walling if you don’t know.” Tell the truth, not just what others want to hear. Provide a consistent, attentive level of service that makes others see you in the best possible light.

2010 is certainly the year of relationships. As people hunker down, they look to those they know rather than to outsiders. Take the time to deepen your existing relationships and notice the benefits you will receive.

Impact Communications, Inc. consults with individuals and businesses to improve their presentation and telephone communication skills. It is not what you know but how you communicate it that makes a difference. When you have to have impact, phone (847) 438-4480 or visit our web site, www.ImpactCommunicationsInc.com.

How many times have you had to placate an irate or distressed customer in a day? For many of us that number is too large to calculate. Most often, we are successful in de-escalating an upset caller, but on occasion, we have a call from hell. Understanding exactly what went wrong and could have been done differently is important.

After hanging up from a bad call, write down, in as much detail as you can remember, the caller’s issue, what you said in response, what the caller said and what you suggested as a solution. If the call did escalate, it is important to identify the pivotal point in the conversation. Also, recall your feelings as you handled the call. Were you annoyed, under a lot of personal stress, concerned about other in-coming calls or worried that you were spending too much time with one caller?

Most sales centers and call centers record calls. After your written analysis, take the time to listen to the call in its entirety. Often, what people find is their responses weren’t exactly what they thought. Their tone of voice sounded defensive. They gave the customer a lot of orders or laid blame with statements such as, “What you need to do….” OR “What you should have done….” Perhaps, you responded with one of three deadly statements: “NO,” “Don’t take it out on me,” or “It’s not my fault.”

Once one knows what actually happened, you can ascertain the right direction for next time by talking it over with more senior people or your manager. Maybe in the future, you might re-adjust your language with a caller and avoid giving orders or sounding defensive. You might have to watch the tone of your voice so that it doesn’t sound unsure or timid. With knowledge, there is power.

Obviously, it takes courage to dissect a call, but the best phone people always strive to get better. They take being a professional seriously. They actively seek to learn from their mistakes. Speaking to an upset caller can be stressful, but the more you can learn from the past, the more productive your efforts in the future will be.

Impact Communications, Inc. consults with individuals and businesses to improve their presentation and telephone communication skills. It is not what you know but how you communicate it that makes a difference. When you have to have impact, phone (847) 438-4480 or visit our web site, www.ImpactCommunicationsInc.com.