Basic Contact Pattern Steps

Click here to view a video that explains the call centre mock call-flow guide of a call simulation

The steps below indicate the actions of the operator and the criteria of how each element in the contact pattern needs to be performed.

Step 1 – Greet and Announce Yourself

The telephone must always be answered promptly, as unnecessary delays will cause frustration on the part of the caller and could get the call off to a bad start.

All staff should be taught how to answer the telephone correctly in case they are the only person near the phone when it rings. As long as the call is answered correctly, they can then go and get someone to continue with the call.

As soon as you answer the telephone, concentrate on what the customer is saying. Give them your full attention.

Never finish off a previous conversation with someone when you answer the telephone as not only is it unprofessional, but it also gives the impression that the customer is not as important as your conversation. Give the caller your full attention.

Be friendly and natural. Be courteous and always use polite words. Develop a sense of humour! Attitude is important. If you don’t want to be at work that day or your pet hamster has died, it will come across in your voice unless you hide it.

As soon as you answer the telephone, identify yourself to reassure the customer that they have dialled the correct number. As you answer the phone, smile, you can hear it. For example, “Good morning, Ajax Civils, Melanie speaking, how can I help you?” Giving your name is a good way to begin establishing open communication, which is helpful later in the contact. Giving your name also indicates your willingness to take ownership of customer interaction. It personalises the interaction and ties back to good customer service.

“How can I help you?” is friendly, demonstrates your willingness to help and gets directly to the point.

Finally, avoid smoking, drinking or eating whilst on the telephone as this is very unprofessional.

Try to personalise the call as soon as possible, ie. “You need a new tyre, Mr…”

Starting to address the caller will prompt him/her to give their name. From this point onward, you can personalise the call by addressing the caller by his name, which demonstrates your commitment to the customer.

Step 2 – Acknowledge Customer’s Opening Statement

• Personalise your response according to what the customer has said – health, empathy to complaints.
• Respond before you begin gathering facts.
• Clarify the customer’s need and acknowledge.
• Paraphrase the customer’s request to ensure clarity of understanding.
• Assure the customer that you are willing and able to help with his / her query.
• Empathise when appropriate.

Example:

• “I’ll be glad to assist you today with your query”.
• “Let’s see what I can do about helping you with that, sir”.

Step 3 – Verify Information

• The name provided by the customer.
• Try and narrow down the information requested by the customer in order that you can find the solution as quickly as possible.
• Thank the customer for the information.

Examples could begin with:

• “ Did I understand correctly, …?”
• “So you are saying.”
• “Did I correctly understand that… 
• “My understanding then is that you…

Step 4 – Fact Finding

Often the information given by the customer is insufficient to provide the number after only the verification stage. Varying questions may be asked depending on the nature of the customer’s request.

Control the conversation by asking relevant questions. It is easy to lose track and for the call to go off in another direction. The customer might not have all the required information for the request or chatted endlessly about irrelevant issues. Operators can control the call by asking relevant questions and using the customer’s answers to move the call on, in stages.

Controlling the call is important for a variety of reasons:

The customer may not know exactly what he/she needs and feels ignorant.

• You prevent the potential customer from finishing the call without committing him/herself to conduct business with you.
• You avoid giving out prices on the phone.
• Avoid ‘jargon’ that the customer may not be familiar with. E.g., “So you need a 185/60R14H rated tyre do you?”
• Avoid giving a price or fee on the phone as this will give control back to the customer, enabling him to close the call. If the customer is price insistent, give a range of prices, stating that when the customer comes in, you will be in a better position to assess his / her needs and the customer will be able to see the range of products available.
• Having given the customer a range of prices or the options available to him/her, e.g., “you may not need a complete system, it may only be the back silencer.” Invite him/her to come in and see you so that you can give a true assessment.
• Having invited the customer in, it is now essential that you continue to control the call and gain commitment from him/her.

Step 5 – Source/Provide Assistance

Once the request or enquiry is understood, the operator needs to retrieve and provide the required information as quickly as possible or forward the call to the relevant person or department.

If the required information cannot be provided, the operator needs to explain this to the customer. This should be done in such a way that the customer understands that it is not through the operator’s incompetence that it cannot be provided, but because the information simply does not appear or are not available.

One of the classic mistakes of some operators is that they agree to a solution and then forget about it. Operators sometimes assume that once their part of the job is finished everything else will follow automatically. Sometimes, of course, operators make things even worse by promising the impossible.

So when a solution is agreed upon it is important that the operator accepts responsibility for his or her actions and follows events through to a successful conclusion.

If you have to leave the line to obtain the information...

If the operator must leave the line to ask the supervisor for help, it is important to remember to do the following:

• Advise the reason for leaving the line.
• Customers feel better about being on “hold” when they understand the reason why they are being put on “hold”. A simple explanation of what you will be doing offline will be sufficient. Example: “Ma’am, I’m going to have to access information from one of our other systems to assist you with this enquiry.”
• Obtain the customer’s agreement to Leave the Line. This allows the customer to tell you that being on hold is not acceptable and they can be advised to call at a more convenient time.
• Phrase your explanation for leaving the line as a request for permission. Some customers despise being put on hold. Get permission before pressing the “hold” button. Example: “Do you mind waiting while I get this information?” or you might say, “Would you excuse me while I check other records?”.

Step 6 – Presentation/Explanation

All Company service centres have set procedures for how to deal with calls. Rules and procedures must be followed. However, it is also important that operators have the confidence to take the initiative and provide added value to the customer.

This does not mean becoming a salesperson. It simply means looking out for opportunities to promote other products and services.

Once the opportunity arises the technique is to present the choices available clearly and accurately, then make it clear what the customer needs to do to take things further, offering to help wherever possible.

Offer complete and accurate information.

• Be clear
• Provide complete information
• Be accurate
• Be honest
• Offer a clear explanation if the information is not available

Example:

• “Sir / Ma’am I have accessed all our systems and cannot find the information you require. If you can give me more specific information, I will be more than happy to assist you.”

Step 7 – (If relevant) Gain the Customer’s Commitment

However polite and courteous, however helpful you are on the phone, there is no guarantee that the customer will come to you unless you have gained their commitment.

Commitment will have been encouraged when you personalise the phone call. “…and your name is Mr….”. Once you have personalised the call, it will take a certain amount of apprehension away from the customer. Now use his / her name during the conversation”: “if you would like to come in and see our range, Mrs Naidoo,….”.

The more approachable you are, the more likely he/she is to conduct business with you.

The strongest commitment comes from making an appointment. Once an appointment is made, the customer feels obliged to keep it and more than often, will not break it. When making an appointment, offer a choice: “Would you like to come in this morning or this afternoon, Mrs Naidoo?” This open question leaves Mrs Naidoo with a choice but gives no opportunity to say ‘no’.

Tell the customer who to ask for when he/she arrives as this will make the visit less daunting and will demonstrate your commitment to the appointment.

Thank the customer for the call and mention that you look forward to seeing him/her as arranged.

Step 8 -Closing Statement

Depending on the situation, operators must personalise the call as well as add to the quality of service offered. Some customers, when calling, tend to “chit-chat”. Simply cutting them off would not enhance the relationship with the customer - it would be quite rude. Some operators, therefore, feel it necessary to close with their statement.

Examples that can be used:

• “Thank you for calling.”
• “It’s a pleasure to have been of assistance.”
• “Have a nice day”
• “Please call again.”

Click here to view a video that explains a mock call sample recording.