OK, so you are on the phone with Company X and have to ask about some type of thing regarding one of their widgets. What happens when you need to know something AND you are feeling rather surly and inconvenienced and they have a script? Now when you read this, it may immediately sound like I am leading down a particular path. One which may imply I didn’t get what I wanted and was feeling resentful and therefore believe that call centers just “do not get it.” I am not venting! Ok, maybe a little.
I have called many different companies on many occasions about some thing or need or issue. Mostly for travel and all types of things surrounding travel like airlines, credit cards, membership programs and hotels. My wife says I am pretty good at this. I am noticing as time presses on, I am getting “too good” and “less patient” at it. There are lessons here.
What direction do I take this post? Maybe by exploring the call center thing, it may open the door for some retail manager type to explore how two groups of people, who may not like, respect or understand one another might come to some kind of affinity or common ground.
Start with the calling customer. There are a variety of reasons they call in. Some are starting a thing, some are in the middle of a thing and others are finished with a need afterwards. There are also a variety of personalities. There are pros, chatty ones, “know-it alls”, laid back folk, loud talkers, “don’t you know who am-ers” and people who are impatient with…well, let’s say accents (leave it at that). In some ways, I believe many who call in already have a fixed belief of “this call will suck, be complicated, take way too long and the other person won’t get me or what I need.”
Next, take the call center person on the other side of the phone. They showed up to work just as you do, live and breathe oxygen, probably didn’t wake up deliberately wanting to fail, hurt anyone’s feelings or create chaos in your life. And yet, they do. I am certain they did not mean it. The process does that. And I am sure the incredible number of calls they get does not help; especially when the unexpected happens. This might be policy change, system failure, weather (seasonality may be the better word) or, I don’t know…mergers.
What next?
Any relationship requires empathy and respect. I am talking both parties. Being overly emotional off does not help the process at all. Assertiveness does work in the right context. Just not being so aggressive or mad, you cannot even think straight. Be aware of the perspectives of both parties. This relates to things like need, circumstances or even a cost. If someone is mad, there may be a very good reason; ask about what that may be.
Think process and what it creates. Is your process complicated? Call centers have had to migrate from people to “please press one” to voice activation to, yes, even offshoring. They have had to. What have you had to do and what ultimate risk? Saving money and time? Really? I was on hold last night for 40 minutes. I had to have an answer and also had to hang up. Your real challenge is what happens when customers need to wait.
Train properly. It ardently feels as though call centers are trained on things the company is and does and then given the script to follow. A script may easy, safe and efficient. But it eliminates creative thinking, improvisation and true problem solving. What does your customer need in communication? The process or the relationship?
Lastly, be genuine. If I hear, “I understand how that may feel” in an incredibly disingenuous, completely un-authentic way one more time, I will lose it. And I have.
Cheers