The CSR Challenge:
Developing Customer Rapport
By David Saxby
Utilities provide service to their customers
every day, often over the phone. Customers call to buy a product or they
have a problem or a bill to pay.
And who is first in line to interact with that customer? Who has an
opportunity to solidify that customer relationship? The customer service
representative.
CSRs need to know that feelings conveyed and developed during
customer-contact situations are important when it comes to creating the
right impression with customers and even for making a sale.
For example, people buy a service or product – surge protection, hot water
heater or Internet and long-distance telephone service – or use a service
such as online payments or bank drafts when they feel comfortable, when they
feel they can trust you, when the process feels natural and reassuring, and
when they come to the conclusion that buying will make them feel good. All
of this happens with the relationship your staff has with your customers.
Statistics support this concept. Consumer surveys show that, in most cases,
20 percent of the decision to make a purchase is logical and 80 percent is
emotional. I would go so far as to say the same is true when customers form
an opinion about your company.
CSRs must have the ability to develop rapport and create a relationship in
which your customers feel comfortable and understood.
Here are some basic components of that process.
Building Rapport. It’s corny but it’s true. You don’t get a second
chance to make a first impression with a customer. How many companies have
you personally called in the last 72 hours and how many times were you
greeted by a warm and friendly person who was not only enthusiastic, but
also demonstrated a desire to make sure that your questions were answered
and your needs were met?
Here’s an interesting fact gleaned from research of telephone conversations.
Eighty-seven percent of our communication is a result of our voice quality
while only 13 percent is from content.
During face-to-face interactions, we can use our body language to support
our communication. That’s a definite advantage. We lose that advantage when
communicating over the telephone. Our voice, tonality and pitch are the
biggest part of this communication.
Voice inflection is a vital part of the CSR’s communication on the phone. Do
your CSRs come across with a robotic greeting that tells you they’ve said it
a thousand times before or do they leave the impression they’re ready to do
anything they can to assist your customers?
Active Listening. There’s one element of a CSR’s job that’s downright
boring: they are asked the same questions every day. There are ways to mask
this boredom during customer interactions.
Practice active listening. CSRs need to ask questions to confirm they
clearly understood what the customer said. Words and phrases like “okay,”
“right” and “I see” sprinkled throughout a conversation tell the customer
the CSR is listening. Confirming what the customer said also shows the CSR
is listening and it clears up any opportunities for miscommunication.
Understanding Customer Need. If a customer calls inquiring about a
product or service, they’re revealing an indication that they may buy.
Before they can make that buying decision, though, they probably have some
questions.
People shop for a product based on price but they buy based on the benefit
they believe they will receive from ownership of that product. When a
customer buys one of your surge protection products, or any other product
you offer, they’re buying because the perceived benefit will fill an
emotional need.
CSRs should strive to create a dialogue with your customers to determine
their motivation for buying Then they can explain the benefits based on the
customer’s need. Don’t let your CSRs simply quote the price and then expect
the customer to make a decision based solely on that information. They need
to engage the customer in conversation to get a clear picture of the
customer’s need.
So how do they create a dialogue to determine a customer’s need? The key is
to have rapport with the customer and ask a variety of open-ended questions
to create a conversation.
Some examples of open-ended questions are:
-
What prompted you to inquire about our surge
protection service?
-
What do you know about our rebate program?
-
How will you be using the Internet service?
Open-ended questions help your CSRs understand
the buyer’s knowledge level about the product as well as their emotional
need for the product.
Asking for the Business. Unfortunately, most CSRs either don’t know
how to ask for the order or they don’t like asking for it. Most customers
expect to be asked to buy and don’t object if the request is not made in a
pushy or condescending manner. Remember, you cannot force your customers to
buy. They do so on their own. The CSR’s role is to help them make a
decision.
Asking the customer to buy should be a stress-free conclusion to the sales
presentation. If they have qualified the customer’s needs, presented the
features, advantages and benefits of your products and created value in the
mind of the customer, CSRs should be able to comfortably ask for the
business. Often the customer will actually close the sale themselves if they
have heard a professional presentation.
Your customers call your utility every day. Are you making the right
impression with them? Are you giving them the help and assistance they need?
Are your front-line employees up to the challenge?
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David Saxby is president of Measure-X, a Phoenix,
Ariz.-based measurement, training and recognition company that specializes in
customer service and sales skill training for utility companies. He can be
reached at 888-644-5499 or via e-mail at
david@measure-x.com. Visit the Measure-X Web site at
www.measure-x.com.
