1. Great agents sound positive & cheerful!

Smile when you talk and make your tones crest instead of decline. If your voice doesn’t crest after a considerable amount of time, you come across uninterested or depressed. Positive and optimistic sounding CSRs make customers want to transact more and do more business

2. Great agents are continuously courteous!

Don’t take customers for granted. Competitors who are more courteous can steal the “affections” of our customers. We need to continuously “court” our customers by showing them attention and thanking them.
For example: imagine we’re on the line with a customer and need to place him on hold. Rather than say “One moment, please” it’s better to say: "I need to retrieve some information for you, and it’ll take about sixty seconds. May I ask you to hold?”
Asking permission before leaving the line shows courtesy, and one should thank the customer for giving permission. This shows that we are sensitive to our customer’s feelings and that we regard them with great respect.

3. Articulation is essential!

Articulation is the full formation of words so they are completely understandable to a listener of reasonable sensibilities.
Articulate CSRs use their articulators – lips, teeth, tongue – to utter clear and comprehensible words.
Don’t slur your words or merge syllables.

4. Watch for speed bumps!

There are two types of frustrating speakers: those that talk too slow and those that talk too fast.
Speed is relative and related to regional differences.
A generally accepted middle-ground is 100-150 words per minute.

5. Use perfect pitch

Pitch consists of the highs and lows in one’s vocal range. Generally we use only the narrow part of our vocal bandwidth which makes us sound monotone. Monotone is good for some situations (ie: air traffic controller) but for great customer service, it’s boring.
The perfect pitch is one that introduces variety into one’s speech.

6. Volume

Vocal variety – softness and loudness – will make our conversations more meaningful and enjoyable to customers.
You will sound more compelling and meaningful and less like “Gee, I’m so bored with this conversation.”

7. Calibrate your conversations

A well calibrated conversation is one that flows freely – where neither party talks when the other is talking or is silent while the other is silent. It is up the CSR to calibrate the call, so that it’s comfortable, give-and-take.
In most normal conversations, CSRs and Customers will speak and listen 50% of the time equally.
An exception to the 50:50 rule is where you have an angry or upset customer on the line and he needs to “vent”.
A second exception may be where you have a technical query and you need to explain technical information to the customer. In this case, the customer will be listening more than talking.

8. Vocabulary - using the right words

Use the right word for the right situation. For example:
- "They'll mail you a copy of your invoice."
- "We'll send you a copy of your invoice."

9. Use correct grammar!

Grammar consists of the rules and conventions that should be followed when we speak a particular language.
For example, subjects and verbs in sentences should agree. We’re concerned about using correct grammar because it reflects on our own credibility as well as that of the company.

10. Be energetic!

How do you feel when you’ve phoned into a customer service and the CSR you’ve reached sounds lethargic and listless? Does this make you feel that you’ve made a wise choic in doing business with that company?
CSRs who radiate a lot of energy make you believe your call is welcome.

11. Quickness

Quickness is the ability of a CSR to answer a question or supply information in a timely way.
It is a reflection of the CSRs knowledge of products and procedures that comes through contact, after contact.

12. Accuracy

Accuracy concerns truthfulness, completeness, and validity of the information that the CSR delivers to the customer.
The slightest inaccuracy can impeach the credibility of our company.
For example, if a customer calls in and asks about the opening hours of a shop location to pay his bill, it can be a critical gaffe if we say “We’re open until 8” when in fact the shop closes at 6! Imagine how inconvenient this would be for the customer an the negative perception he would have of our company.

13. Appropriateness

This is about over talk or under talk.
One hazard of an experienced CSR is they feel compelled to bring as much of their knowledge into the conversation. On the other hand, a new CSR may leave out critical details because they’re nervous, in a hurry, or ill informed.
This factor is an aid in controlling the length of the call but not at the expense of providing complete answers.

14. Be organized!

The call path is a great tool to help you sound very organized. Research shows that people who sound organized seem more credible and credible people are more persuasive. To help you come across as logical and to-the-point, you’ll learn how to use a speech format called P.E.P. (Point – Evidence – Point).
- Point: The PEP formula is really easy to learn and to use.
- Evidence: (1) It only has 3 parts; (2) It's immediately applicable in most conversations; (3) It can be written down or improvised.
- Point: So, once more, it's really easy to learn and use.

15. Use effective transitions

Transitions are the art of bridging from one idea to another.
They will help you move conversations along, save time, and stay on track.
Most transition phases share a similar format – they start with the word “well” and end with the word “but”.
- Well, I appreciate that, but…
- Well, understand that, but…
- Well, I know what you mean, but…

16. Empathy & supportivness

When customers interact with us, they also want human satisfaction. They want to perceive empathy and supportiveness for their goals.

17. Good listening

Active listening can be defined as the process of repeating to another person what we think he meant. The effective CSR will use active listening for a number of reasons:
It shows the customer that he was heard and understood. By itself, this relieves tension and induces cooperation.
It provides the customer with a chance to correct us if we misinterpreted what we heard.
It gives the CSR confidence that she won’t be rushing off to solve the wrong problem.

18. Evoking the right response

Remember, this is the customer’s tone, gratitude, and re-commitment.
Tone applies to whether the customer “songs” (uses raised voice pitch) as our conversation closes. If he does, it indicates that he is happy with his encounter with the CSR.
Gratitude applies to the magnitude of a customer’s expression of thanks. For instance, if she simply says, “Well, thanks. Bye” this is much less intense than if she says, “Thanks so much! I really appreciate it. Bye.”
Re-commitment is the customer’s pledge to keep doing business with the company.