Agents Answer with a Smile!
For 47 years our management team has ingrained to our staff “Put a smile in your voice”. The tone, inflection, volume and rhythm in your voice sets the stage for the call. Speaking in a friendly, warm, compassionate manner encourages callers to be friendly and open in response.
When you are face to face with a client you are able to read body expressions and facial queues. Good Customer service representatives pick up on these queues and adapt accordingly.
But what do you do over the phone? These queues are missing. The listener must pick up these queues with the inflection, tone & rhythm of each other’s voice.
We encourage our staff to always keep a smile on your face because it makes you appear friendly. Even if the caller can’t see your smile they can hear it. A friendly voice speaks clearly, naturally at an even pace, and with confidence. Without nerves, undo pauses and flatness or intonations.
Let’s vary our pitch or inflection. Callers dread a monotone experience. By raising and lowering the voice to emphasize or de-emphasize components to your conversation you are adding texture and personality to the conversation. This sounds friendly to the listener.
Volume is crucial. No one wants to feel like they are being yelled at. In addition they want to be heard. Volume control is integral for both the agent and the caller. Agents should sound firm, assured, and knowledgeable yet vocalize this in a soft voice. Then confirm the information they have acquired with the caller. Thereby confirming the callers information has been relayed and heard.
The fluency of speech is important; ergo the pace or the rhythm of the conversation. Callers pick up on inappropriate pauses or hesitations. The appropriate flow of speech gives the listener confidence in the authority of the agent.
Our staff is trained to be attuned to the caller’s volume & inflections. Our job is to acquire and relay information from the caller to our client. The caller’s inflection, volume, and rhythm tell their own story. Is their pitch high? Are they talking very fast? Are there too many gaps and they are struggling? Depending on the client this helps us understand, interpret, and forward the message appropriately.