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Top Tips For Managing Your Call Centre

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Top Tips For Managing Your Call Centre
Photo courtesy of Pexels

These days, all sorts of businesses have a need for a call centre. The truth is, these can be useful methods of contact with your customers. If you are in charge of a call centre, you know how lively and energetic a place it can be. One major thing you can learn to do over time is to use that energy, transform it into something positive for the customers. The thing about phone communication is that it is strangely powerful. It doesn’t matter that the customer cannot see the operator’s face. There is a lot of unconscious communication in the voice, and that affects the experience of the customer. That is why it’s so important to maintain the call centre, to manage it effectively. Even the slightest off atmosphere can affect a huge number of customers over the course of the day. But what are the secrets to running a call centre successfully? To answer that, let’s have a look at these top tips.

Lead By Example

This is something which any manager would do well to remember. Ultimately, like it or not, your staff look up to you. With that in mind, it is vital that you demonstrate the core qualities of the business which you wish them to embody. You need to be these qualities yourself in order to be able to expect it from others, that’s the truth. Nobody likes a hypocritical leader or manager, so be sure that you are never off duty with regards to this. The slightest hiccup is all it takes to destroy the effect.

Prioritise Security

Call centres have often been the subject of much scandal and disrepute. Often, this is a case of data protection being breached. The unfortunate truth is, this is all too easy to happen. As the manager, it is essential that you keep on top of the security side of things. Your customers’ information is sensitive, and it needs to be looked after as well as possible. You also need to champion ways of ensuring the identity of the caller, every time. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a lot of trouble. FFIEC compliance is paramount here, as you need to be sure of who is on the other end of the line.

Be Clear About What You Want

The most effective managers are those who express clearly what they hope to get out of their staff. If you are starting to notice that people are not quite adhering to your standards, then look into this. It is possible that you are not expressing yourself well enough. Make sure you give your staff guidelines for working, as well as fair but strict deadlines. Always ensure, too, that you give them a chance to query the request or ask questions. This two-way communication is the key to a smooth-flowing workplace.

Feedback

Last but not least, make sure you are providing feedback to all staff. This is not just important for the proper flow of the workplace; it is essential. It also means that your staff have the opportunity to regularly express themselves. This alone is a hugely beneficial to your staff, and you will soon notice the difference.

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Practices for Professionals – How to Ensure Your Year is a Good One

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals ArticleMany top executives are hired because their knowledge and experience will combine with and enhance current corporate practices; resulting in improved performance and higher profits. But what happens when this hybrid becomes the new norm and performance and profits plateau? The executive is replaced.

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About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

What would Ben Franklin think of the Ben Franklin close?

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The Benjamin Franklin Close (also known as “The Balance Sheet Close”) is one of the classic old time sales tactics used to “close a sale.” Never heard of it? Shame on you – not enough sales training.

The scenario is this: You’ve made your presentation, but the prospect is on the fence, and won’t make up his or her mind. You’ve tried everything, but can’t get them to budge.

Then you say, “You know Benjamin Franklin was one of our wisest citizens, wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Johnson?” (Get prospect’s agreement) “Whenever he was faced with a decision — and he had some pretty big ones back then – he would take a plain piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and put a plus (+) on one half, and a minus (-) on the other.”

“In his genius he discovered that by listing all the positive elements on the plus side of the paper, and the negative things on the minus side, the decision would become obvious – pretty sound concept, agreed?” (Get prospect’s agreement)

“Let me show you how it works. Since you’re having a tough time deciding, let’s list the benefits – some of the reasons you may want to purchase. Then we’ll list the negatives. Fair enough?” (Get prospect’s agreement)

Now you list every good thing about your product or service. Get the prospect to say most of them. What the prospect says will be the main points of interest to him. Take your time to develop a complete list. THEN YOU SAY – OK, let’s list the negatives, and hand the pen to the prospect, and push the list towards him. Don’t say a word. Usually the prospect can only think of responses having to do with price or affordability.

In theory this sounds like a good way to close a sale.

The big problem with the Benjamin Franklin Close – it’s old world selling that not only doesn’t work, it annoys the prospective buyer. Try that close on someone who has ever taken a sales course, and it’s an insult.

The reality of the sale is – the prospect has already made up his mind – he’s just not telling you.

So, should you just forget it and never use the Ben Franklin Close. Heck no – just use the Ben Franklin principle in a different way. Do what Ben would have done – figure out a new way and a better way, and use it.

Here’s a powerful new way to re-use the classic Ben Franklin Close close:

Use it on yourself – before you make the sales call.

  • Use it as a preparation tool.
  • Use it as a strategizing device.
  • Use it to get ready to make a big sale.

Get a plain piece of paper (or your laptop), and draw a line down the middle of the page.

on the plus side…

  • List the prospect’s main needs.
  • List the questions you want to ask.
  • List the benefits and main points you want to be sure to cover.
  • List one or two ideas you’re bringing to discuss.
  • List one or two personal things in common to discuss.
  • List the decision makers.
  • List why you believe they will buy.

on the minus side…

  • List the reasons why the prospect may not buy – and your responses.
  • List the obstacles you may have to overcome.

Now you’re ready to make the sale, and Ben helped you.

If you use the Ben Franklin Close on yourself, before you go in to make the sale, then you can ask the buyer intelligent closing questions. For example, questions that might lead with the phrases – What are the major obstacles…? Or, What would prevent you from…? Or, Is there any reason not to proceed with…?

That’s a Ben Franklin close that Ben would be proud of – the one you prepare for yourself. You close yourself before you make the sale. Wow!

Try this new version of an old classic. Ben would be proud of you. So would your boss.

I think it was Franklin who said, “A close in time saves nine – objections,” but history has distorted it for the people who knit. Pity.

Free GitBit – If you would like a few famous Ben Franklin quotes that will inspire you, motivate you and help you see the obvious in a new way go to www.gitomer.com and enter BEN FRANKLIN SELLS in the GitBit box.

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey GitomerJeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].

Are You a Monday Morning Quarterback?

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When I was growing up, I spent many joyful Sundays watching football with my father. At the end of every down, we relished critiquing the coach’s play calling – if it had failed – by boldly claiming we knew the plays that would have saved the day. We reenacted this ritual every week and even carried “our” game’s analysis through Monday morning breakfast. By the time we finished our discussion, we were self-acknowledged geniuses who, unquestionably, deserved a coaching spot on any National Football League roster. Unfortunately, since that’s not how play calling works, we found ourselves relegated to the role of “sage” after the fact.

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About the Author

Bill BartlettBill Bartlett is author of The Sales Coach’s Playbook: Breaking the Performance Code (Sandler Training / 2016). Bartlett is an experienced Sandler trainer who plays an important role in Sandler’s worldwide organization and is recognized as a business development expert specializing in executive sales training and sales productivity training. He currently heads a Sandler training center in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, IL.

For more information, please visit https://www.sandler.com/resources/sandler-books/coaching.

Five Benefits from Leading Out of Our Own Identity

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Great leaders pattern themselves after (drumroll, please) themselves. As stated by Jim Rohn, noted business philosopher, “all great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective.”

Yet a significant amount of the billions of dollars we spend each year on leadership training is not about working on ourselves but patterning our leadership on some other leader’s life, leadership model, or leadership principles.

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About the Author

Greg WallaceAuthor, change agent and leadership trainer, Greg Wallace is CEO of The Wallace Group which consults organizations and leaders to implement change and transformation which produce results that meet the leader’s definition of success. Learn more about developing a personal model of leadership in his second book, “Transformation: the Power of Leading from Identity”.