It’s 7pm, the smell of pizza is wafting from the oven, your stomach is grumbling, and you’re ready to relax after a long day.

The phone rings and you make the mistake of picking it up. The caller announces who they are and spews out word after word, hardly taking a breath in the hopes that you won’t interrupt or hang up. But that’s all you want to do. Why? Because they’re boring and given that they won’t let you get a word in edgewise, they’re clearly not interested in you! And, let’s face it, you’re more concerned about rescuing that pizza and putting it to good use.

You certainly don’t want your business prospects and customers to feel like this when your phone agents call them. How can you assure that your agents gain the competitive edge on the phone?

Coach your agents to be themselves, be engaging and be interested in those they are calling. 

Be Yourself 

Some call centers train agents by giving them a script and sitting them down next to an experienced agent. The theory is that with these two aides, they’ll know exactly what to say and how to say it. 

The problem? You’re asking the agent to use someone else’s words and style. It’s not natural. We all know the stilted style of someone who is reading from a script. Agents need their own personality to shine through. This builds confidence and makes for natural conversation.

Be Interested and Interesting 

While an accountant who is crunching numbers all day can get away with being bored, a phone agent cannot. That’s because it’s critical to be interesting if you want people to engage in a phone call with you. That’s one of the added benefits to letting agents be themselves: they become more interesting.

But there is a big stumbling block in the way of being interesting: boredom. Someone who is bored is likely to sound bored. And we’d all prefer to talk to someone who’s motivated, energetic and interested in us. But agents are on the phone for hours a day, and since they’re constantly doing the same thing, it may be challenging to keep their interest up. 

There are two ingredients here. One is for the agent to be interested in the prospect or client with whom they’re talking and discover that each call is unique. It’s their job to figure out the prospect’s situation, the problems they face, and the implications of those problems. Then, they have to determine the payoff to the prospect of using the product or solution they’re selling.

Teach the agents how to get someone’s attention by helping them find a topic that interests them, guiding them to ask the right questions, and instructing them about what to listen for. On each call, they’re solving a distinct puzzle. Also, because they’re showing curiosity about the person they’re calling, that individual is more likely to engage in conversation.

Beyond that, it’s up to you, the call center manager, to keep your agents motivated. Offer recognition, run contests, ensure a pleasant working environment, and foster team spirit.

By keeping your team self-confident, motivated, interested and interesting, you’ll be well on your way to transforming good call center agents into remarkable ones. 

Learn how salesforce.com can improve your customer service by visiting our website or downloading the free e-book below.