Handling telephone calls can be a challenge. I was baptized in the corporate world with the position of customer service representative. Our responsibility was to take as many calls as humanly possible. I still remember December 16, 1990 as the first day I took 100 calls in a single day. My personal record was 130 calls in a single day. Coincidentally that is also my high for candlepin bowling.
If you are going to do something, you might as well be good at it. Here are some strategies I used to be more effective and efficient on the phone.
Listen with the correct ear. If your job is psychologist or counselor then you want to be empathic with your caller. In that case listen with your left ear. If your position requires you to receive and relay detailed information, then listen with your right ear. Why is this? Your right ear connects to the logical left side of your brain. Conversely your left ear connects to the emotional right side of your brain. If you do not believe me try using your calculator with your left hand.
Never get emotional. Your caller might be upset but your responsibility is to help them out. You can not help them if you respond with anger or any other emotion.
Have an anchor for stressful situations. To learn about anchors check out books by Anthony Robbins. My anchor was the theme song from the old "Tonight Show." If I finished a particularly stressful call, I would hand up and then sing:
baaaah dum dum dum duh, do do do doh
Handle the transaction while you are on the phone. Many of the calls received by service departments are from people waiting for something to be fixed. Tell the caller to hold on while you go ahead and fix it. They will appreciate that their problem is finally resolved.
Give out your name. Many service people refuse to give out their name. By giving out your name, you will gain instant credibility with the caller.
Use their name. People like their name. It is a quick way to build rapport with the caller. However do not use their name if you are not sure how to pronounce it or if you are not sure what it is.
Finally follow the LAER process.
Listen to what the caller wants. Do not interrupt until they have explained everything. Do not assume you know what they want.
Acknowledge their feelings. They have a right to feel the way they do. Do not apologize. Do not accept responsibility for the error. You simply do not have enough information to determine who did what. Simply state that you understand why they are upset.
Explore the situation. Now that they have told you the story, you need to fill in the gaps. Find out who, what, when where, and how. Explain that you need this information to try to resolve the situation.
Respond with several options. Now that you have listened to their issue and understand it you should be able to come up with some alternatives. The customer might want something that is not possible. Don't leave it to them to set the terms for the agreement. Explain each course of action that is possible and the consequences of each options. Let them decide what is the best course. At this point your are creating buy in with the caller. They are telling you what to do, so they feel a sense of control.
How effective is the LAER process? In my experience it is effective 99% of the time. The 1% of the time that it did not work was because I was out of practice.
Is the LAER process manipulative? No. If anything it is manipulating you. It forces you to keep quiet long enough to actually hear what the customer has to say. It also forces you to investigate the situation and come up with reasonable solutions.
Sorry, I have to go. My phone's ringing.