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Call Center Training Tips to Increase Your Call to Close Ratio's

By Tyson Daniel

What is a dial worth to your company? What percentage of calls do you schedule for appointments? And could you sell more if you saw more prospects? While most of us see the inherent value of a phone call as a potential lead, if we cannot sell the appointment, we might never get the chance to tell pitch product benefits. Understand that you have an open line of communication between you and the prospect, so be prepared when a live one picks up. Call Center Training can help your organization tackle any challenges you may have been experiencing with respect to caller dropout or dissatisfaction. This article attempts to cover the basic premises of phone etiquette and how to deal with difficult customers and situations through preparation and good customer service training.

The number one piece of advice you will hear during any good call center training workshop is to KNOW your purpose on any given call. Ask yourself, "What are my intentions for this phone call?" Is it your first call with the caller? If so, you're only goal should be to set up an appointment to discuss the finer details that are MOST important to them. As such, you should only highlight the product benefits, not cover them in great detail. Most call center training research will tell you that the objective of the first call is to introduce yourself, your company and the product - THEN ask to follow up with another call. Yet, most businesses don't hear their employees doing this. Instead, they are tyring to close the deal in one call. While this may be possible with the elite phone salesman, it is certainly not the case with phone novice. Just get the appointment. After greeting them, state your purpose immediately. Call center training research indicates people tend not to pay attention more than a few seconds. Again, keep these maxims close to heart: keep it brief, friendly but concise. Good customer service training will show you the only way of accomplishing this is to practice, practice, practice. Every call should begin, "Hello, the purpose of my call is"

Have some sizzle in your pitch, a big fat claim. This is typically called a 30 second commercial, which is approximately 16-20 words, and it has to be compelling enough that they want to see you. In other words, start out "The purpose of my call today is to ask the opportunity to show you our new product that does this and that and saves you such and such." This is precisely that sort of advice you can expect to hear during any call center training workshop, and it usually makes the difference between a good business model and a bad one. You need only pique their interest. Of course, you'll find this difficult without a good product, so that's first and foremost. Next you'll need to supplement it with excellent customer service which comes only through rigorous customer service training.

Finish the call using an Alternate Choice Close. When requesting an appointment, call center training tells us it's best to offer alternative times, i.e., "Are mornings or afternoons usually better for you? What's better Wednesday at 9am or Thursday at 3pm?" This trick puts you in control of the call while offering options that prevent the "I'm too busy" Whatever you do, do not limit their choices. However, presenting too few choices can scare them off as well. Present a few options, then say something like "If neither of those times work for you, is there a better day?" Customer service training from professionals will help your employees present your company in the best possible light by using these time-tested techniques.

Defer the Objection and be prepared for resistance: Know how to handle objections and tell them you will take that into consideration when you get together. The prospect will give you answers to questions you did not ask! Call center training experts agree that the best way to handle objections is to present options and, in a sense, make assumptions. You are not asking for a meeting. You are assuming that you will have a meeting, and you'd like to when is best. Again, this technique follows from what most experts agree is the best way to defer objections and ultimately get the most out of the customer service training you have spent potentially hundreds if not thousands on, during on-site training. Your statement might be something like, "I understand your concern, other clients use the same system you have, and I will take that into consideration, (name) when we get together, when would be a good time to get together, Thursday at ___ or_____?"

What's your "aura"? Good customer service training tells us you must always sound professional. Use the prospects name and know the name they like to be called. Take care of your voice and project a positive confident "aura." Speak just a little louder, a lot clearer and just a little faster. Call center training experts agree that if you use the phone a great deal for your work, exercise your neck regularly. Drink water without ice cubes, (cold water constricts the voice), breath from your abdomen, avoid dairy products and heavy meals prior to calling time, and most of all be sure to smile. Prospects will welcome enthusiastic, energetic positive people that have a planned call.

And any experienced call center training professional will tell you that you must get "to" the Gatekeeper vs. "past" the Gatekeeper. Too often sales rep's try to get past the gatekeeper. Make them your ally. Get their name. Ask for that gatekeeper on the second try, and ask them when you should try back. Chances are they're more likely to remember you, and if you can leave a good impression, this can only open up the lines of communication. They may even recommend you the next time their tasked with a project by their manager. Hopefully these customer service training tips can make your calling time more productive and your bottom line results more profitable.

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