KateNasser.com

Great contact center reps and agents spend most of their time saying yes and delivering resolutions to customers. However, sometimes they must say no. There is a secret set of steps for doing that well.

Great Call Center Reps: The Secret to Saying No. Image by Frederic Gombert via Flickr Creative Commons License.

Image by Frederic Gombert via Flickr Creative Commons License.

Great Contact Center Reps Know How to Say No

Most of us as customers have had some wonderful service from great contact center reps and agents. We’ve also experienced the maddening frustration of poor service from reps and agents who need far better skills. The difference between those two groups comes down to a secret formula that the great contact center reps and agents have learned. If you are a contact center rep or agent and want to deliver great service even when you must say no, here is the formula.

The Secret Formula

1. Caring. Speak like you care about your job and the customer. If you sound like you are reading from a script, you and the customers lose.

2. Clear. Use everyday words instead of your company’s jargon. Restate the customer’s request using their words and say clearly what you can and cannot do. This exudes confidence. Reading from a script doesn’t. Example: If the customer wants an extension on the payment due date for this payment cycle, explain if it’s possible and how. If it is not possible for this cycle, tell them what else can be done and when.

3. Simple. Everyone’s lives are complex nowadays. People want simplicity. You can make a great contribution to their day with simple explanations and steps that lift the burden off them.

Great Contact Center Reps Don’t Sidestep or Dance Around

4. Straightforward. Customers are more likely to ask to speak with a supervisor when you confuse them or torture them by restating policies over and over. In fact, many customers stop listening when you are not straightforward. NOTE: This doesn’t mean it’s OK to blunt and rude. It isn’t. It simply means to respond to the customer’s question directly. Stay focused on their problem. Show commitment to getting things done for them.

Turn Dissatisfaction into Enlightened Decisions

5. Positive forward-focused. Turn their dissatisfaction into enlightened decisions. Example: A customer on the phone claims they were promised a higher promotional credit for upgrading their service. Yet, your company has two promotional credit levels. You can see on the customer’s account that they have the lower level of upgraded service. With a caring, clear, simple, and straightforward approach, explain everything they will get if they upgrade to the higher level. Tell them what it will cost them per month AND explain that is why the promotional credit back to them is higher. Close with asking them if they would like to upgrade to get the higher service level’s perks and higher credit. Now the customer can make an enlightened decision.

And Finally …

Great call center reps and agents make each call sound as if it’s their first call of their shift. Remember, also to speak at a reasonable pace. If you speak too fast, you will sound like a robot that doesn’t care about the job or the customers. The customers will then tune you out. Show them you care and they will even accept an alternative to their original request or even a “no” when necessary.

From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™

Related Posts:
Easy Customer Service: 24 Things Customers Will Love!
Potent Communication: 9 Easy People Skills to Use Immediately

©2024 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. I appreciate your sharing the link to this post on your social streams. However, if you want to re-post or republish the content of this post, please email info@katenasser.com for permission and guidelines. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.

Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™, delivers coaching, consulting, training, and keynotes on leading change, employee engagement, teamwork, and delivering the ultimate customer service. She turns interaction obstacles into interpersonal success. See this site for workshop outlines, keynote footage, and customer results.

Tags: call center, call centre, communication, connection, contact center, contact centre, Customer Service, difficult customers, interpersonal skills, metrics, people skills