Utility CSRs Have Only
Seconds to Make Good Impression
By David Saxby
Research shows that
customers form first impressions about their interaction with a customer
service representative in as little seven seconds. The first impression the
CSR creates with the customer will set the tone for the rest of the
conversation.
Those initial few moments are important because they are “make or break” –
they determine whether the customer has a positive or negative feeling about
the utility. Following are some tips on how to make sure those first seven
seconds create a great first impression of your company.
Voice, not words, makes the first impression. For many CSRs, customer
interaction is primarily over the phone, and how they sound to the customer
is critical. With telephone interactions, 80 percent of the first impression
is based on the CSR’s voice inflection. Some of the key elements of voice
inflection are tone, pitch and speed.
When your CSRs pick up the phone and greet the customer, does the tone and
pitch of their voice communicate that they are glad the customer called? Do
they greet the customer like they would a good friend? Or do they sound like
they have already talked with 25 other people that day? The enthusiasm and
energy in the CSR’s voice are critical to a first impression. If you want to
improve the first impression, record CSR conversations with customers and
play them back. Let CSRs listen to their own voice and grade their voice
inflection on a scale of 1 to 4 with 4 signifying they came across as
enthusiastic and friendly. You may find it takes listening to a few calls
before they give themselves a top grade.
When was the last time a business used your name? My answer would be it’s
been so long I can’t remember. Using a customer’s name at least twice in a
service interaction will build rapport and strengthen the utility’s
relationship with that person. Many customers will offer their name at the
beginning of the conversation. If CSRs are really listening, it will help
them correctly pronounce difficult names. So what happens when a customer
doesn’t provide their name? All you have to do is ask! Most people will
respond when the CSR says, “May I ask with whom I am speaking?”
Have all your CSRs use customers’ names during their interactions for the
next 30 days and see if it doesn’t improve the conversations. However, there
are two things to consider when using a customer’s name. First, if the CSR
isn’t using excellent voice inflection when they call the customer by name,
the customer will perceive that they don’t really care. Second, if the
customer’s name is used numerous times, the customer will think the CSR is
reading from a script and that he or she is not sincere in attempts to build
a relationship.
Are you always listening to the customer? CSRs have a challenging daily task
of listening to problems that customers call about and then creating a
solution. But they listen to similar problems day after day, week after
week, month after month. Many utilities use mystery shopping to measure
service skills demonstrated by their CSRs. My company has been involved in
mystery shops, and I have found that CSRs often fail to practice active
listening to confirm they are tuned into the customer’s needs. When a CSR
asks a customer to repeat a comment or asks a question about something the
customer has already explained, that will be the death of a good first
impression. Training on how to listen actively and confirm critical elements
of the customer’s call will help CSRs communicate that they really are
listening to the customer’s needs.
First impressions will make or break a customer’s perception of your
utility. Does every customer who calls or walks into your company always
finish their interaction with an excellent first impression? It only takes a
few seconds for them to make up their mind.
