What is the Universal Call Path?

The universal call path is a blueprint for phone conversations.
It helps CSRs so they can reliably and predictably generate extremely positive reactions from customers.
Results from using the universal call path include:
- All CSRs sound consistently nice, helpful, and knowledgeable.
- The CSR team sounds uniformly professional.
- CSRs, like musicians in a symphony, can easily be monitored.
- CSRs are easy to coach, because clear definitions exist of poor, average, good and excellent work.
- Calls are shortened, having the effect of reducing costs while increasing customer satisfaction through faster service deliver.
- Calls consistently conclude on a very positive note.
- CSR job satisfaction increases.
- Training of new CSRs is faster.
- Employee compensation is more accurately pegged to performance.
- “Conflict” calls and other challenging and exceptional conversations are managed in a calm, reliable, and routine manner.

Let's take a closer look at the Universal Call Path

Question 1: When are customers happiest with the service they’ve received?

Answer 1: Customers are happiest when they think CSRs have gone out of their way for them in getting information, solving a problem, and making it easier to do business with the company.

Question 2: How do customers express their happiness with CSRs?

Answer 2: They express their happiness in three ways:

they thank the CSR in a strong way
they “sing” by elevating their voices to new peaks,
and they express their intention to do more business with the company.

Question 3: How can we induce customers to feel happy with us all the time?

Answer 3: Always seem ready, willing, and able to go out of your way for them!

The Universal Call Path is comprised of three parts

The Promise of Help

This phrase sends two crucial messages to the customer:

Please be assured that you’re going to get what you call for.
I’m going to take pleasure in helping you.
The customer can relax and let the CSR get down to business and calls are shortened.

The offer of Additional Help

This phrase performs two essential functions:

It signals that the business of the call has been completed.
It volunteers additional help, and in doing so, it makes a positive impression on the customer. This phrase, when combined with the promise of additional help, conveys the idea that we’re willing to go out of our way for the customer.

The volunteering of help helps make us sound sincere.

Additional Elements of the Universal Call Path

The UPC incorporates two additional elements:

Tone: An agent's tone must be synchronized with our words to help them sound more sincere.
Pitch: Pitch, in speech, is the relative highness or lowness of a tone as perceived by the ear, which depends on the number of vibrations per second produced by the vocal cords.