 Making a sale depends on establishing the needs of a potential client, and building a rapport with them to the extent that they make the "leap of faith" to becoming a buyer. Raelene Rorke shares some of her experiences in taking call centre staff from average to excellent.
Being the newest account manager on our team, I had the opportunity to work on an Avo training solution for a medium-sized call centre in the Aviation Industry. It totally challenged my perception of how tough it is to get this stuff right! I really thought it was just a room filled with twenty-somethings, taking calls and answering questions that they’ve been trained to answer... How difficult could it be, right?
The answer is VERY! This particular call centre made use of Guest Services Agents, and the questions that they were trained to answer required more than just a parrot-style response. They were required to converse with questions, which is what we like to call ‘uncovering a need’, in the hopes of converting the call into a sale.
This new approach is becoming very popular, and it makes perfect sense. Call-centre agents are exposed to thousands of people every day from all walks of life. Asking questions helps them connect with their guest in a way that opens, rather than closes the communication! But although it sounds simple, the execution was much more challenging.
The objective was to take as many calls as possible, stay on the phone for the shortest possible time, provide a professional service to the guest and find a strategic time to offer something more than what they phoned in for. All the while they would have to represent the brand proudly and ensure that the brand was top of mind the next time they need to book a flight. And, each call is being recorded and counts toward the size of the pay check!
The team had the product-related answers down to a T, but something was missing! Why weren’t they making the sales? Guests got what they called in for, the agent answered the call and got off the phone quickly - but sales volumes stayed static!
Just a few tweaks to the way the agents approached their conversations really seemed to do the trick. We focussed on four key success areas:
1. Rapport - First rule in the world of telesales: Don’t go in for the sale if you have not built rapport, so you had better build some quickly if you’re planning to convert that call into a sale. Simple little things like: “Congratulations on your marriage, Durban is a great place to have a honeymoon! Did you say you would like a morning or evening flight?”
2. Question - Read your guest’s personality to ensure you ask them relevant questions and uncover a need. This ensures your response is aligned to the individual and shows where they can benefit. Having their needs in mind, instead of your commission, will go a long way in ensuring that you are first in mind for the next time.
3. Respond - Focus on a response to a qualified need and then satisfy it. Product knowledge is critical at this point.
4. A happy wrap - A strong close (remember you’re still trying to keep the call short). This will ensure that the guest had a value-adding agent, which they associate with the brand, and, the agent has gained confidence as well as a sale!
Call centre agents can lift their game from average to excellent without applying too much rocket science! But every agent should remember that in order to move from the mediocre masses to performing with excellence, they should work with integrity, commitment and humility. It’s all about connection with people!
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