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Home » Articles » Effective customer service phone tips and tricks that work

Effective customer service phone tips and tricks that work

Effective customer service phone tips and tricks that work

Customer service is the heart of a business. The quality of a company’s customer service reflects how they care about their clients, how enthusiastic they are about keeping them, and how they deal with unexpected problems.

There are different strategies when it comes to customer service, but there is no specific formula that tells companies how they should do it. It all depends on your brand and business. In this article, we’ll share the top nine customer service phone tips and tricks that are guaranteed to work – whatever your business may be.

Customer service phone tips

  1. Listen and acknowledge the problem
  2. Stand up while calling
  3. Smile
  4. Keep it positive
  5. Use their name
  6. Prepare well-structured explanations
  7. Echo and paraphrase
  8. Be patient and give the customer the time they need
  9. Finish the conversation on the right note

The importance of providing quality customer support on your business

Quality customer service plays a significant role in achieving customer satisfaction. When clients are happy, the business is happier. To acquire more or retain customers, we need to make sure that we are providing the best possible customer service for them.

People are taking the time of their day to call your business and express their concerns, so the goal is to solve the customer’s worries and do a good job doing it. Quality customer service increases customer loyalty, generates positive word of mouth, and establishes your company in your respective industry.

Why should you use the phone for customer support

With an array of various instant messaging apps and social media pages, you may think that telephones are becoming obsolete. However, 61 per cent of consumers still prefer phone calls when they need customer service assistance.

Instant messaging apps are usually automated, but when someone picks up a phone, you get a real person on the other line who will then help you with your concerns. Customer service via telephone is also more personal and tailored to customers’ needs and concerns.

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The importance of providing quality customer support on your business

Top nine best customer service phone tips (that actually work!)

The phone’s direct and immediate way of providing customer service gives callers the chance to receive assistance and answers in the quickest way they can. While this is very convenient for customers, it may completely shock new customer service providers. The industry can rattle new employees or bore the senior ones.

Customer service representatives represent and should embody the company and brand that they’re working for, so be always reminded to put your best foot (or voice!) forward. Get to know the top nine best customer service phone tips and tricks that actually work:

1.   Listen and acknowledge the problem

This sounds easy, but a whole day of listening to customer complaints and answering frequently asked questions will be so tiring and repetitive that you’ll forget to listen to your clients and just stick to a generic script. While there are standard procedures on how to handle negative situations, actually listening to the other line will produce a more fruitful result.

Customers will also feel more well taken care of if they know that their customer service agent is genuinely listening to their concerns.

2.   Stand up while calling

Standing up while handling a call will make you more energetic than when seated. People cannot see you when you’re talking on the phone, so they will only rely on the passion and energy from your voice. If you can, take a call while standing up and see the difference.

3.   Smile

Except for instances when you’re talking to an irritated customer, smile. A smile can translate through the phone and can make your voice sound light and friendly. A study by the University of Portsmouth revealed that a smile is something that the person on the other line can hear.

4.   Keep it positive

Pay attention to your words and spin every situation into something positive. Reframe the negatives and replace them with their positive alternatives.

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5.   Use their name

As soon as you receive the customer’s name, use it. It will make them feel that it is a personalized call. In addition, people get distracted while on the phone all the time, and calling someone by their name will always be effective in recapturing their attention.

Top nine best customer service phone tips

6.   Prepare well-structured explanations

Explanations will be harder to understand without any visual aids. To prevent misunderstanding, it is proactive and beneficial to prepare a structure for explaining so you wouldn’t have to go through different points over and over. Stick to simple yet effective structures like “Problem – Solution – Benefit” or the “Explain it like I’m five years old (ELI5) Technique.”

7.   Echo and paraphrase

Repeating the last words of the person on the other line gives the indication that you’re listening. Paraphrasing, on the other hand, shows your conversation partner that you understood their points. It also gives them the chance to clarify their points if necessary.

8.   Be patient and give the customer the time they need

Be patient when a customer is calling to complain. Let them talk and avoid interruptions that will make them even more upset. Also, give the customer the time they need when providing more information. You’d rather have accurate information than unreliable ones.

9.   Finish the conversation on the right note

Once the main problem has been resolved, ask the caller if there’s anything you can help them with. Ask if they have any final or follow-up questions that need to be fixed. Provide them with the necessary information that they might need in the future.

Finish the call and leave in a friendly manner. Let your customers know that you are happy to help them and that you’d be willing to be of service again in the future.

Remember to be easily accessible

If you have given out your support line for your customers to contact, it should be easily accessible for your clients to reach out to. Your customer service number should be easy to find.

Moreover, you may be the next customer service provider skill-wise, but if the client could not understand you because of low-quality microphones or headphones that don’t cancel noise, it may not count. Invest in quality equipment to provide the best service and to prevent technical problems along the way.

Remember to be easily accessible and understandable. Excellent and effective communication is the key to providing quality customer service.

Customer service phone & tips FAQ

How do I talk to a customer on the phone?

Talking to a customer on the phone reveals the significance of effective communication, timing, and intonation. People calling for customer service are usually frustrated and not in a good mood, and how you communicate with them plays a big role in customer satisfaction. One good thing to ease customer irritation is to reduce wait time and pick up the phone as soon as you can.

It is advisable to smile while talking on the phone. Even if the person on the other end of the line can’t see you, smiling while talking makes your voice sound warmer and friendlier. Also make sure to empathize and use the right tone while talking on the phone.

How can I improve customer service on the phone?

An effective way of improving customer service on the phone is to first find out your problem areas. Ask for feedback through customer satisfaction surveys and start working towards improvement from there. Additionally, take utmost care of your employees. They wouldn’t be able to provide excellent customer service if they’re not satisfied and happy with your company or the product itself.

The quality of a company’s customer service reflects how they care about their clients, how enthusiastic they are about keeping them, and how they deal with unexpected problems. Always listen to your customers and acknowledge their issues, prepare well-structured explanations, be patient, avoid interruptions, and end the call on the right note.

What are customer service techniques?

The most widely-used technique that companies do to ensure excellent and high-quality customer service is outsourcing their customer service teams. Outsourced customer service agents are skilled and professional employees dedicated to providing customer satisfaction and excellent service to the company’s customers.

Further, for those who would like to improve their customer service skills, here are some techniques to try: engage in active listening, ask clarifying questions when necessary, call the customers by their name, go above and beyond for the customers, use plain language, and if needed, refer the customer to somebody capable if their needs are beyond your expertise.

What is excellent customer service?

Excellent customer service means exceeding customer expectations, raising brand awareness, and greatly contributing to customer retention. You know your company is doing a great job in its customer service efforts when your customers are satisfied enough to not look for other vendors or service providers. Bonus points if they provide free advertising through positive word-of-mouth to their friends and family.

Offshore outsourcing provides businesses an opportunity to level up and excel in their customer service functions without breaking the bank. Since companies will be provided top-notch, professional and dedicated team, you can make sure that you will be providing your customers excellent and first-rate quality of customer service.

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