A tale showing the importance of a) having customer service reps who speak the same language as your customers, and b) training them before you let them loose on customers.
Our company bought two Dell computers recently. When I set up my computer I had chosen Canadian English as my language preference; this resulted in my keyboard converting to the French layout. In case you don’t know, the letters are in different places. For instance, if you type the “Q” key and your computer thinks you are typing in French, an “A” will appear on your page. Type “W” and you get a “Z”. Type “M” and you get a “?”. You get the idea, I’m sure. .
We had paid for three year’s worth of support, so I called the help desk to find out how to keep the Canadian version of English spell check having without having contend with a French keyboard layout.
I was told to change things back to US English and that would sort out the keyboard. No problem.
“Now what?”, I asked. I was told that I didn’t need to do anything because U.S. and Canadian English are the same.
I explained that there were many words that Canadians and Americans spell differently, so I wanted to use the Canadian English option. I was then told, in very broken English, that I was wrong and that the Canadian English option was only for people in Quebec who speak French. “Well, that makes no sense,” I thought to myself. Hmm. I tried another approach only to get a similar response.
Although I was now starting to become frustrated, I kept cool. Well, maybe I started to move into warmer emotional territory, but I know I was still being polite. Trying yet a different tack, I asked if he knew how to have both an English keyboard and an English option that was not American English.
I think he was trying to be kind when he patiently (and somewhat patronizingly) explained that it wasn’t necessary because American and Canadian English are identical.
One last time I tried to explain that there are many differences between the two. I was in the process of asking for a supervisor when he interrupted to say, “Madame, you need to understand about how English is working to know what I am telling to you is true.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.
Instead, I hung up in frustration. Between the hold times, the double verification procedure and the inept answers, I wasted over 20 minutes getting nowhere. I had to call back twice more before I got my answer.
If Dell had trained its reps better (i.e. gave them the correct info, or taught them to pass a customer on to a more skilled rep when facing a problem they are unable to address), the company would have saved itself over 30 minutes of customer rep time, plus nearly 60 minutes of 1-800 long distance charges.
And I would have been left with a much better impression of Dell.
According to a December 16, 2003 BBC News article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3323243.stm) Dell had started moving many of its call centre jobs back from India because of “alleged complaints over Indian accents, and problems over solving technical queries over the telephone. There have also been claims by some analysts the move is a temporary one until more overseas staff are trained.”
That was nearly 7 years ago. More recently there have been stories about the efforts Dell has taken to improve its customer service. The fact that Dell is/was aware of the problem, yet seems to have made little headway in truly resolving the matter, sends the message that customer service is not really a big priority for them. Maybe acquiring and maintaining new customers isn’t either!
This blog is intended to offer some insights into what constitutes good customer service - and what is considered to be really, really bad customer service. Hopefully you’ll find the "bad" examples amusing and the tips of use in improving the level of customer service in your own organisation. Happy Reading... and Good Customer Service!
Showing posts with label telemarketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label telemarketing. Show all posts
Friday, October 1, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
CSRs who insult customers cost you clients!
You might have already guessed from the headline that I had the “pleasure” of being insulted by a customer service rep... again. This time I brought it on myself. I called the company. The telephone company. I can already hear your groans. You know what it’s like; most of us have been subjected to that particular brand of torture. What’s really sad is that we all have such stories – no matter what carrier we use.
Even sadder: Customer Service reps who answer 1-800 lines are often the only people with whom customers interact on a regular basis, so if they don’t do a good job, companies risk losing their clients.
On three separate occasions over the past 10 days, I got off the phone appalled by how the call had been handled. I make it a point to be courteous and friendly when speaking with CSRs (or at least I start out that way) and if I had this many unfortunate experiences, I can only imagine the high numbers of clients across the nation who are being mistreated by call centre employees.
Story #1
I called a company with which I do a lot of business – in fact, my volume has now reached the point where I have been accorded VIP status. Too bad I don’t also get VIP treatment.
The rep who plucked me from the queue had “attitude” from the get go. Instead of asking for my account password, she barked: “Password”. When I replied, “Honey” (the correct answer), the woman with the big southern accent reprimanded me with a “Don’t you ‘honey’ me.” I’m sure that I was not the first person who had to endure this women’s bad mood because when the rep came on the line she was already spoiling for a fight.
Note to marketers:
Make sure that CSRs start their shifts in a positive frame of mind. Do periodic checks and give them enough breaks to help them stay fresh. Things I have used successfully with various call centres:
• Have CSRs and supervisors watch short humorous clips at the start of a shift and during breaks. America’s Funniest Videos and Just for Laugh Gags seem to work well.
• Encourage CSRs to post photos in their cubicle that make them happy. After a trying customer, have reps stand for a moment, shift their visual focus to one of their favourite photos and take a deep breath before taking the next call.
• After a truly annoying customer (I know, most customers can be annoying, but I’m talking about the truly trying ones), have reps read something humorous after their “stand, focus, breathe routine”. I find that 2 or 3 jokes or one of the Reader’s Digest “Life’s Like That” stories can be effective. (Sample stories can be found online at: http://www.readersdigest.ca/laugh_search.html.)
Yes, this means that there will be a 15 – 20 second lag between the calls, but the next calls will go far more smoothly and quickly as a result. (And yes, timed trials we conducted support this assertion.)
Story #2
This time, the rep was unable to resolve my problem and didn’t really understand it anyway. After multiple attempts, I quietly said something along the lines of, “I know from my own work that supervisors often have codes and access to files that other reps don’t. Could you please put me through to a supervisor.”
His answer: “No.”
Thinking he hadn’t understood (his English was not great), I tried it another way. Again, I was told no. No explanation, no apology, just a curt “no”. Then I heard a click followed by a brief silence and then a dial tone. The rep had hung up on me!
I had waited nearly 10 minutes to get to that rep and he had hung up on me!
I dialled again. And waited on hold listening to insipid music. Again. When I finally got through to the company and was able to find someone to whom I could complain, I was told that he had probably hung up on me because the company’s reps had to answer a certain number of calls an hour and I had “probably taken up too much of his time”. I was also informed that CSRs were expected to handle their own calls without having to call upon their supervisors. The implication was that my actions were the reason that the rep had been forced to hang up on me.
Needless to say, we are no longer dealing with that company.
Note to marketers:
• Train your CSRs adequately and do not let them on the lines until they thoroughly understand your product, how it works and how to deal with things that typically go wrong, and how clients should be handled.
• Although you may encourage your reps to resolve customer problems within a certain amount of time, do NOT assign your reps quotas or reward them for getting through calls in shorter and shorter periods of time. Instead, determine how to reward CSRs for how effectively they handle calls and how good a job they do of making clients feel like they have been well-treated.
• Ensure that CSRs know they must never hang up on customers, no matter what.
And now, the tale that promoted this week’s blog post in the first place:
Story #3
Once again, a company insisted it had not made a mistake despite evidence to the contrary.
What happened? The short version: My eldest asked me when her cell phone contract was up. Not realizing that she was thinking of getting her own Blackberry and taking over the payments herself (mom had been footing the bill for the past 10 years or so), my answer was a distracted, “Uh... this August”.
A few days later she came home and proudly showed me her new Blackberry. The twist: My daughter had gone with a new carrier – but had asked to keep her existing phone number. Without speaking with me – the person in whose name the phone was listed and the person who paid the bills – the carrier I had been with for 20 years let the number be ported out. The problem is that there had been 3 phones on a single shared plan.
As soon as I learned what happened I immediately called *** to see if there would be a problem. There was. Someone in “customer retention” (hah!) had taken all three numbers off the plan and had put the two remaining phones on a different, more expensive plan. All without talking to me, the person in whose name had been listed.
At first the rep suggested that my daughter had pretended to be me (which was not the thing to say if trying to ingratiate yourself to a customer). After I explained that was impossible because she had had to show her driver’s licence and another piece of ID in her own name to get her Blackberry, the rep admitted it was their fault... but added there was no way the plan could be reinstated because it no longer existed... even though this had all happened in the previous 90 minutes or so.
After agreeing to move my youngest’s phone to a student plan that was almost (but not quite) as good as the original one, I was told I would have to send them proof of university enrolment and ID. I faxed the papers the following day. 10 days later, I called to make a payment and found that I had been charged over $250: $100 for my eldest daughter cancelling the 1st cell phone 3 days before the contact end date (even though I was told this would be waived because it had only been a few days and because *** had not checked with me) and the rest was “over-minute use” because of the type of phone plan the retention rep had put us on.
When I explained that I had indeed faxed the papers, I got transferred. 7 minutes and 27 seconds later (according to my phone’s timer) I got to explain the whole story again to someone in the hopes of getting the charges reversed. The response, in a supercilious tone: “Well, if you had sent the papers in, then we would have them, wouldn’t we?”
Despite seeing red, and purple and a hazy green colour, I kept my cool and said that I could send a fax confirmation sheet to prove what I was saying. When the rep’s reply suggested that I was making it up, I hung up and tried again.
It took over two hours, but thanks to wonderful rep named Robin – who was the very first person to apologize – it will be resolved at the beginning of next week. (Though I did have to fax the original papers, a new note and the original confirmation notice twice more in the interim.)
Note to marketers:
• Let your CSRs know that it is never, ever, ever, okay to speak in a patronizing tone to customers or to be rude to them.
• Make sure your database can flag customers who repeatedly call in looking for rebates or giving you reasons why bills are not being paid, etc.
Then, when a client calls in, if there are no flags, make sure the CSR takes the customer’s side and tries to help – especially when the client has a long-term relationship with your company.
Even if there is a flag in place, CSRs need to treat the customers with respect (provided the client is not unreasonably rude) and listen objectively to what is being said. When uncertain about how to proceed, CSRs must know to involve their supervisors.
A few other suggestions to help keep the mood right
• Place mirrors next to the reps’ cubicles and encourage them to smile at themselves at the beginning of each call – but not during the call as it tends to distract CSRs.
• Don’t allow your CSRs to work double shifts as their ability to handle calls “nicely” and effectively diminishes the longer they answer calls.
• Provide CSRs with a quiet, phone-free place where they can take their breaks for people who want “silence” and an area where people can watch funny flicks if they prefer.
• Discourage reps from complaining about their callers during their breaks or they will return to their headsets more stressed than before the break. Again, this is supported by blood pressure experiments we conducted in multiple call centres.
• Provide free tea, coffee, pop, water and light snacks in the rest areas. When people return to their stations refreshed, rehydrated and reenergized, their ability to deliver excellent customer service increases significantly.
As mentioned at the outset, the Customer Service Reps who handle your inbound calls are often the only people with whom your customers speak on a regular basis. If these CSRs don’t do a good job, you risk losing customers. On the other hand, if they provide excellent service, you will likely enjoy a corresponding increase in customer loyalty. So... it makes sense pay CSRs well and treat them even better.
If you would like more on info on this topic, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com or 416-424-6644.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
Even sadder: Customer Service reps who answer 1-800 lines are often the only people with whom customers interact on a regular basis, so if they don’t do a good job, companies risk losing their clients.
On three separate occasions over the past 10 days, I got off the phone appalled by how the call had been handled. I make it a point to be courteous and friendly when speaking with CSRs (or at least I start out that way) and if I had this many unfortunate experiences, I can only imagine the high numbers of clients across the nation who are being mistreated by call centre employees.
Story #1
I called a company with which I do a lot of business – in fact, my volume has now reached the point where I have been accorded VIP status. Too bad I don’t also get VIP treatment.
The rep who plucked me from the queue had “attitude” from the get go. Instead of asking for my account password, she barked: “Password”. When I replied, “Honey” (the correct answer), the woman with the big southern accent reprimanded me with a “Don’t you ‘honey’ me.” I’m sure that I was not the first person who had to endure this women’s bad mood because when the rep came on the line she was already spoiling for a fight.
Note to marketers:
Make sure that CSRs start their shifts in a positive frame of mind. Do periodic checks and give them enough breaks to help them stay fresh. Things I have used successfully with various call centres:
• Have CSRs and supervisors watch short humorous clips at the start of a shift and during breaks. America’s Funniest Videos and Just for Laugh Gags seem to work well.
• Encourage CSRs to post photos in their cubicle that make them happy. After a trying customer, have reps stand for a moment, shift their visual focus to one of their favourite photos and take a deep breath before taking the next call.
• After a truly annoying customer (I know, most customers can be annoying, but I’m talking about the truly trying ones), have reps read something humorous after their “stand, focus, breathe routine”. I find that 2 or 3 jokes or one of the Reader’s Digest “Life’s Like That” stories can be effective. (Sample stories can be found online at: http://www.readersdigest.ca/laugh_search.html.)
Yes, this means that there will be a 15 – 20 second lag between the calls, but the next calls will go far more smoothly and quickly as a result. (And yes, timed trials we conducted support this assertion.)
Story #2
This time, the rep was unable to resolve my problem and didn’t really understand it anyway. After multiple attempts, I quietly said something along the lines of, “I know from my own work that supervisors often have codes and access to files that other reps don’t. Could you please put me through to a supervisor.”
His answer: “No.”
Thinking he hadn’t understood (his English was not great), I tried it another way. Again, I was told no. No explanation, no apology, just a curt “no”. Then I heard a click followed by a brief silence and then a dial tone. The rep had hung up on me!
I had waited nearly 10 minutes to get to that rep and he had hung up on me!
I dialled again. And waited on hold listening to insipid music. Again. When I finally got through to the company and was able to find someone to whom I could complain, I was told that he had probably hung up on me because the company’s reps had to answer a certain number of calls an hour and I had “probably taken up too much of his time”. I was also informed that CSRs were expected to handle their own calls without having to call upon their supervisors. The implication was that my actions were the reason that the rep had been forced to hang up on me.
Needless to say, we are no longer dealing with that company.
Note to marketers:
• Train your CSRs adequately and do not let them on the lines until they thoroughly understand your product, how it works and how to deal with things that typically go wrong, and how clients should be handled.
• Although you may encourage your reps to resolve customer problems within a certain amount of time, do NOT assign your reps quotas or reward them for getting through calls in shorter and shorter periods of time. Instead, determine how to reward CSRs for how effectively they handle calls and how good a job they do of making clients feel like they have been well-treated.
• Ensure that CSRs know they must never hang up on customers, no matter what.
And now, the tale that promoted this week’s blog post in the first place:
Story #3
Once again, a company insisted it had not made a mistake despite evidence to the contrary.
What happened? The short version: My eldest asked me when her cell phone contract was up. Not realizing that she was thinking of getting her own Blackberry and taking over the payments herself (mom had been footing the bill for the past 10 years or so), my answer was a distracted, “Uh... this August”.
A few days later she came home and proudly showed me her new Blackberry. The twist: My daughter had gone with a new carrier – but had asked to keep her existing phone number. Without speaking with me – the person in whose name the phone was listed and the person who paid the bills – the carrier I had been with for 20 years let the number be ported out. The problem is that there had been 3 phones on a single shared plan.
As soon as I learned what happened I immediately called *** to see if there would be a problem. There was. Someone in “customer retention” (hah!) had taken all three numbers off the plan and had put the two remaining phones on a different, more expensive plan. All without talking to me, the person in whose name had been listed.
At first the rep suggested that my daughter had pretended to be me (which was not the thing to say if trying to ingratiate yourself to a customer). After I explained that was impossible because she had had to show her driver’s licence and another piece of ID in her own name to get her Blackberry, the rep admitted it was their fault... but added there was no way the plan could be reinstated because it no longer existed... even though this had all happened in the previous 90 minutes or so.
After agreeing to move my youngest’s phone to a student plan that was almost (but not quite) as good as the original one, I was told I would have to send them proof of university enrolment and ID. I faxed the papers the following day. 10 days later, I called to make a payment and found that I had been charged over $250: $100 for my eldest daughter cancelling the 1st cell phone 3 days before the contact end date (even though I was told this would be waived because it had only been a few days and because *** had not checked with me) and the rest was “over-minute use” because of the type of phone plan the retention rep had put us on.
When I explained that I had indeed faxed the papers, I got transferred. 7 minutes and 27 seconds later (according to my phone’s timer) I got to explain the whole story again to someone in the hopes of getting the charges reversed. The response, in a supercilious tone: “Well, if you had sent the papers in, then we would have them, wouldn’t we?”
Despite seeing red, and purple and a hazy green colour, I kept my cool and said that I could send a fax confirmation sheet to prove what I was saying. When the rep’s reply suggested that I was making it up, I hung up and tried again.
It took over two hours, but thanks to wonderful rep named Robin – who was the very first person to apologize – it will be resolved at the beginning of next week. (Though I did have to fax the original papers, a new note and the original confirmation notice twice more in the interim.)
Note to marketers:
• Let your CSRs know that it is never, ever, ever, okay to speak in a patronizing tone to customers or to be rude to them.
• Make sure your database can flag customers who repeatedly call in looking for rebates or giving you reasons why bills are not being paid, etc.
Then, when a client calls in, if there are no flags, make sure the CSR takes the customer’s side and tries to help – especially when the client has a long-term relationship with your company.
Even if there is a flag in place, CSRs need to treat the customers with respect (provided the client is not unreasonably rude) and listen objectively to what is being said. When uncertain about how to proceed, CSRs must know to involve their supervisors.
A few other suggestions to help keep the mood right
• Place mirrors next to the reps’ cubicles and encourage them to smile at themselves at the beginning of each call – but not during the call as it tends to distract CSRs.
• Don’t allow your CSRs to work double shifts as their ability to handle calls “nicely” and effectively diminishes the longer they answer calls.
• Provide CSRs with a quiet, phone-free place where they can take their breaks for people who want “silence” and an area where people can watch funny flicks if they prefer.
• Discourage reps from complaining about their callers during their breaks or they will return to their headsets more stressed than before the break. Again, this is supported by blood pressure experiments we conducted in multiple call centres.
• Provide free tea, coffee, pop, water and light snacks in the rest areas. When people return to their stations refreshed, rehydrated and reenergized, their ability to deliver excellent customer service increases significantly.
As mentioned at the outset, the Customer Service Reps who handle your inbound calls are often the only people with whom your customers speak on a regular basis. If these CSRs don’t do a good job, you risk losing customers. On the other hand, if they provide excellent service, you will likely enjoy a corresponding increase in customer loyalty. So... it makes sense pay CSRs well and treat them even better.
If you would like more on info on this topic, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com or 416-424-6644.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
12 Tips for Improving Call Centre Customer Service
How many times have you found yourself seeing red because of a rude sales clerk? Or hung up in frustration because a company’s auto-attendant refused to understand your replies? Or been pestered by a pushy telemarketer who interrupted your meal (one of the few you actually get to have with your family in this day and age of jam-packed schedules) or sleep in the most unpleasant manner?
It was one such call that prompted me to start this blog. If you are in business, you know that your customers are your most important asset (next to your employees). You also know that customer service needs to be excellent in these days of social networking if you want to maintain and grow your business. Yet so often companies that should know better, have people on their front lines who act as if the customer is a pain in the butt.
This blog is intended to give people who value their customers some ideas for improving the service they provide (and yes, there are actual tips at the end of this rather lengthy first post).
Okay, back to me having been awakened this morning with “Hi this is a courtesy customer service call from...”
You just know that the moment you hear that phrase that you are about to be harassed by the person on the other end of the phone. In most cases it’s someone whose command of English is less than stellar – which probably explains why he or she cannot understand the words, ‘No thank you’.
In the early 1980s we recommended that clients call customers to thank them for large ticket purchases... and in those days, it was unheard of and customers responded well to the calls.
Then AT&T coined the phrase ‘telemarketing’ when the long distance market exploded. Since then the industry has grown exponentially in volume and bad practices... and all the negative things now associated with the word ‘telemarketing’ represent the reasons why your home number can likely be found on the ‘Do Not Call’ list.
Yet companies continue to use telemarketing because it works. Last year 32% of people in North America (more in the US than in Canada and 34% men vs. 30% women) purchased something as a result of a telemarketing call, with an average cost of $136 USD per transaction. And this does not include all the successful donation solicitations.
In particular, people were persuaded to purchase long distance plans (12.6%), magazine or newspaper subscriptions (11.5%), cable and satellite service (9%) along with lawn care, insurance, cleaning and repair service and others.
Indeed, telemarketing. response rates are over 3%, which may explain why over $900 billion worth of products were sold through teleselling.
Hundreds of thousands of Canadian businesses use telemarketing every year, according to Wally Hill, vice-president of public affairs and communications of the Canadian Marketing Association. He also says that "Telemarketing is far and away the leading source of calls and complaints about marketing that we receive at our organization."
The picture is the same in the US, where the number of companies using telemarketing as a marketing tool numbers in the millions (it’s no wonder consumers are complaining!).
It’s not just violations of the Do Not Call registries that generate the complaints, but scams and rude people on the other end of the line.
If you are one of the companies using telemarketing, here are a few tips to help you be more successful – and to not alienate potential customers in the process. Note: As you read these suggestions, remember that i) they are borne from complaints heard over and over in research and ii) that many complaints are associated with companies who think their call centres behave better.
1) Never start a call by lying to customers with the customer service courtesy call line.
2) Don’t call before 9:00 a.m. At that time people are either asleep (it’s a weekend, they’re home sick, or they’ve just come in from shift work and may be getting ready for bed) or they are rushing out the door to work or school. Either way, the last thing they want is a sales call.
3) Don’t expect your prospective customer to wait to talk to your rep; that’s highly disrespectful. It also prompts respondents to hang up when they hear the silence, and makes the people who don’t hang up 40% less likely to purchase.
Even worse: An outbound telemarketing call recording that asks respondents to wait while their call is transferred to the next available agent. Yes, some companies actually do this!
Instead, program your autodialer so that the call is transferred to a sales person as soon as the ringing starts. Yes, it costs more to do it this way, but the higher closing rates more than make up for it.
4) Make sure your reps speak English (or Spanish, or French, or whatever language your customer speak) well without heavy accents. Many companies outsource their telemarketing to India – yet over 70% of North Americans HATE dealing with customer service reps from India, and even more object to telemarketing calls from people who can barely speak English.
If your customer asks to someone who speaks English, the rep needs to transfer the call immediately to a North American call centre, instead of getting angry and insisting that they do speak English.
5) Train your call centre reps well so that they never cross the line from persuading into high pressure bullying. If you are using an out of country, outbound call centre the reps must be trained in the cultural norms and expectations of the inhabitants in the country they are calling – preferably by someone from that country. What is considered acceptable in some countries is considered to be overly aggressive and downright rude in others.
6) When the respondent says ‘no thank you’, the caller needs to end the conversation immediately and politely. It leaves a very sour taste in people’s mouths when a telemarketer hangs up on them.
7) Make sure the rep knows enough to answer questions without reading from a script, and that they are aware of all promotions being offered by the company.
8) Make sure your outbound telemarketing campaigns dovetail with the rest of your marketing initiatives.
Also, it you are combining telemarketing and direct mail or e-mail, then everyone at the call centre needs to receive copies of the printed pieces or e-mail message at least two shifts before the campaign is launched. The reps need to be briefed and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Their call screens also need to be updates accordingly.
We have found that this simple step makes for better customer/ rep conversations and higher close rates.
9) Train your reps to use the script as a guide and to talk to customers in a normal, friendly conversational tone. This one thing can increase close rates three fold.
10) Use online media as a way of making the initial connection so that your phone contacts are not complete cold calls.
11) Wherever possible use landlines, not cell phones. Over 80% of people surveyed indicate that they view telemarketing calls on a cell phone much more of an invasion of privacy, than they do similar land line calls. Yes, we expect this to change as more and more consumers move towards only having one number... but we’re not there yet.
12) Get your call centre reps to take good notes when they talk with prospects – even the ones who say ‘no’. This will let you better tailor your calls for other campaigns.
Hopefully these tips will help your reps deliver better customer service and speak with prospective customers in a way that makes them want to become clients.
If you would like more info on any of the above suggestions, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
It was one such call that prompted me to start this blog. If you are in business, you know that your customers are your most important asset (next to your employees). You also know that customer service needs to be excellent in these days of social networking if you want to maintain and grow your business. Yet so often companies that should know better, have people on their front lines who act as if the customer is a pain in the butt.
This blog is intended to give people who value their customers some ideas for improving the service they provide (and yes, there are actual tips at the end of this rather lengthy first post).
Okay, back to me having been awakened this morning with “Hi this is a courtesy customer service call from...”
You just know that the moment you hear that phrase that you are about to be harassed by the person on the other end of the phone. In most cases it’s someone whose command of English is less than stellar – which probably explains why he or she cannot understand the words, ‘No thank you’.
In the early 1980s we recommended that clients call customers to thank them for large ticket purchases... and in those days, it was unheard of and customers responded well to the calls.
Then AT&T coined the phrase ‘telemarketing’ when the long distance market exploded. Since then the industry has grown exponentially in volume and bad practices... and all the negative things now associated with the word ‘telemarketing’ represent the reasons why your home number can likely be found on the ‘Do Not Call’ list.
Yet companies continue to use telemarketing because it works. Last year 32% of people in North America (more in the US than in Canada and 34% men vs. 30% women) purchased something as a result of a telemarketing call, with an average cost of $136 USD per transaction. And this does not include all the successful donation solicitations.
In particular, people were persuaded to purchase long distance plans (12.6%), magazine or newspaper subscriptions (11.5%), cable and satellite service (9%) along with lawn care, insurance, cleaning and repair service and others.
Indeed, telemarketing. response rates are over 3%, which may explain why over $900 billion worth of products were sold through teleselling.
Hundreds of thousands of Canadian businesses use telemarketing every year, according to Wally Hill, vice-president of public affairs and communications of the Canadian Marketing Association. He also says that "Telemarketing is far and away the leading source of calls and complaints about marketing that we receive at our organization."
The picture is the same in the US, where the number of companies using telemarketing as a marketing tool numbers in the millions (it’s no wonder consumers are complaining!).
It’s not just violations of the Do Not Call registries that generate the complaints, but scams and rude people on the other end of the line.
If you are one of the companies using telemarketing, here are a few tips to help you be more successful – and to not alienate potential customers in the process. Note: As you read these suggestions, remember that i) they are borne from complaints heard over and over in research and ii) that many complaints are associated with companies who think their call centres behave better.
1) Never start a call by lying to customers with the customer service courtesy call line.
2) Don’t call before 9:00 a.m. At that time people are either asleep (it’s a weekend, they’re home sick, or they’ve just come in from shift work and may be getting ready for bed) or they are rushing out the door to work or school. Either way, the last thing they want is a sales call.
3) Don’t expect your prospective customer to wait to talk to your rep; that’s highly disrespectful. It also prompts respondents to hang up when they hear the silence, and makes the people who don’t hang up 40% less likely to purchase.
Even worse: An outbound telemarketing call recording that asks respondents to wait while their call is transferred to the next available agent. Yes, some companies actually do this!
Instead, program your autodialer so that the call is transferred to a sales person as soon as the ringing starts. Yes, it costs more to do it this way, but the higher closing rates more than make up for it.
4) Make sure your reps speak English (or Spanish, or French, or whatever language your customer speak) well without heavy accents. Many companies outsource their telemarketing to India – yet over 70% of North Americans HATE dealing with customer service reps from India, and even more object to telemarketing calls from people who can barely speak English.
If your customer asks to someone who speaks English, the rep needs to transfer the call immediately to a North American call centre, instead of getting angry and insisting that they do speak English.
5) Train your call centre reps well so that they never cross the line from persuading into high pressure bullying. If you are using an out of country, outbound call centre the reps must be trained in the cultural norms and expectations of the inhabitants in the country they are calling – preferably by someone from that country. What is considered acceptable in some countries is considered to be overly aggressive and downright rude in others.
6) When the respondent says ‘no thank you’, the caller needs to end the conversation immediately and politely. It leaves a very sour taste in people’s mouths when a telemarketer hangs up on them.
7) Make sure the rep knows enough to answer questions without reading from a script, and that they are aware of all promotions being offered by the company.
8) Make sure your outbound telemarketing campaigns dovetail with the rest of your marketing initiatives.
Also, it you are combining telemarketing and direct mail or e-mail, then everyone at the call centre needs to receive copies of the printed pieces or e-mail message at least two shifts before the campaign is launched. The reps need to be briefed and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Their call screens also need to be updates accordingly.
We have found that this simple step makes for better customer/ rep conversations and higher close rates.
9) Train your reps to use the script as a guide and to talk to customers in a normal, friendly conversational tone. This one thing can increase close rates three fold.
10) Use online media as a way of making the initial connection so that your phone contacts are not complete cold calls.
11) Wherever possible use landlines, not cell phones. Over 80% of people surveyed indicate that they view telemarketing calls on a cell phone much more of an invasion of privacy, than they do similar land line calls. Yes, we expect this to change as more and more consumers move towards only having one number... but we’re not there yet.
12) Get your call centre reps to take good notes when they talk with prospects – even the ones who say ‘no’. This will let you better tailor your calls for other campaigns.
Hopefully these tips will help your reps deliver better customer service and speak with prospective customers in a way that makes them want to become clients.
If you would like more info on any of the above suggestions, please feel free to contact me: jmc@theQgroup.com.
Regards, Jane-Michele Clark
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