Telemarketing – Listening skills – Tips
November 16, 2009
Telemarketing is not just about talking at the other person on the other end of the line. Telephone conversations always have been 2 way events with both participants contributing. Listed below are some of the skills useful to any good telemarketer:
Re-Capping
This tells the other person you are listening to them. Saying things like “It sounds like you have already thought of this” or “From what you’ve said” show the other person that you are taking notice of what they have said.
Interrupting
Don’t interrupt the other person let them speak. Just think back to a time when you have been in a conversation and been interrupted. It is really annoying and you will find it difficult to keep them engaged.
Ask relevant questions
This shows you have an interest in what they do and also gets you valuable information but the key word here is relevant. Don’t ask them what they had for dinner for example. This again gives them time to talk and be part of the conversation and gives you another opportunity to listen.
Distractions
Don’t be distracted by other things happening in the office. These are things not to listen to. Keep focused and then you will always be on the ball if you are asked a question.
Don’t second guess the other person
Just because you are listening don’t try and preempt what the person on the other end of the line is going to say next. Give them time to finish what they are saying and then carry on the conversation.
Are your leads escaping faster than Steve McQueen in the Great Escape?
November 10, 2009
Almost all telemarketing agencies these days work off some form of database or spreadsheet when conducting campaigns. So the scenario is you have for example 1000 accounts containing contact details for your prospects. You would usually call these in some form of order. First of all you would probably call the ones that contain the most information about your prospects and so on. You would then set a time and date for your “hot leads”
The problem then for telemarketers is getting sidetracked and mismanagement of these leads. Data should always be time-scaled in order of priority with the most likely prospects first and then filter down to the less attractive ones. The quick sell is not always the best as some of these can just as easy turn into dead ends. Some of the best leads are ones you have cultivated you could find yourself talking to the prospect 2 or 3 times before closing the deal.
Keep you eyes on the ball and don’t try juggling to many at once, this way you won’t let your leads slip through you fingers.
Stress and call centres.
November 9, 2009
An article in Call Centre helper this week detailed the possible effects of stress on call centre workers and the impact it can have on their work. On the health side stress can create Symptoms can include Headaches, being forgetful, feeling helpless, loss of interest in work and appearance as well in some extreme circumstances over indulgence in food, alcohol and tobacco. This has a massive effect on work and can lead to poor performance.
Stress can be managed if staff are properly supported in not just what they do at work but basically any problems they wish to discuss with a colleague or manager. We have to remember that we spend a good majority of our lives at work so a good working environment is essential in alleviating stress. The introduction of the work life, balance to many work places goes a long way to ensuring people are properly supported at work.
Call centre feedback improves customer services and satisfaction
November 5, 2009
A leading auto centre company has reported that a customer and staff feedback programme has improved the quality, speed and efficiency of its call centre service. In the process of doing this they have found that the actual cost of providing a feedback service to its customers has halved. The original service they provided involved agents manually taking notes from customers on the phone and therefore was not reliable and subject to human error.
The new system now records the information from the customer as it is given. Same day E-mails are sent to agents reporting problems. This means they are able to reply to customer’s complaints 3 days earlier than before improving their customer experience and satisfaction.