10 tips for effective telephone contact

The health crisis that hit the world in 2020 has prompted many companies and professionals to reinvent themselves. Restrictions on travel and measures to promote teleworking are all arguments that could have jeopardised customer relations.

But even though customer relations have had to be maintained at a distance, there are tricks and tools that have not only kept them intact, but in many cases strengthened them. This article tells you what they are.

Telephone contact: a textbook case

The customer is at the centre of the chessboard for companies. They didn't wait for the opinions left on the internet after purchases and services to be taken into account. Customers don't want to be taken for a cash cow, they need :

• quality service,
• professionalism
• advice,
• continuous improvement,
• but above all a human presence.

At a time when the dematerialisation of many of our day-to-day operations is gaining ground, the need for consumer contact is being sorely felt. The telephone is the ideal tool for bridging the gap between the two parties. Whether you're looking to generate new business, build customer loyalty or simply check in with customers during these difficult times, this first or umpteenth contact will be greatly appreciated by the customer interested in your services. When physical interaction is rare, telephone contact is and will remain a moment that should not be neglected, from the beginning to the end of the conversation.

The announced end of the PSTN telephone line that everyone had at home before the arrival of triplay internet boxes reminds us that the fixed telephone was the first mass-market means of telecommunication. It introduced us to vocal interaction and led us to develop certain social skills.

However, for this telephone contact to be effective, the sender must instil confidence in the caller from the very first syllables. The tone of voice, the friendliness of the telephone approach and the vocabulary used are all factors in success. There are tips to ensure that no detail is overlooked throughout the conversation.

10 tips to make your calls effective

Tip no. 1: prepare before the call

It's a step we tend to neglect, but it shows your professionalism towards the person you're going to have on the other end of the line. It can also encourage your caller to pick up.

💡 A few tips:

• Having a number local to the country you are going to call is crucial to inspire confidence. This is possible and very quickly, as telephone operators have large ranges of international numbers that they can activate according to your needs.
  
  
• In the case of an incoming call, real-time feedback on the customer's details is an invaluable asset. By integrating your CRM or helpdesk software into a 100% cloud communications solution, you can access the contact details and all the call history for your customer... in real time! It's a guaranteed time-saver.
  
  
• And when you make outbound calls, why not reread the call history, particularly the notes given for each call, so that you can prepare your speech properly?

Tip no. 2: Make sure your caller is available

The most important thing to do in the first few seconds of the call is to check that your caller has time to talk to you. The first thing to do: simply ask them the question. Depending on their situation (in the car, on public transport, at home sitting quietly on their sofa, counting the cars in the car park from their window, etc.), this can make a big difference to the rest of the conversation.

If the answer is yes, that's the first step towards continuing the discussion.

If it's no, offer to call back at a later date.

All the information you note down about this contact, such as their call-back preferences, can be synchronised in your CRM/Helpdesk software, so that it can also be consulted by your colleagues.

Tip No. 3: Stay clear, concise and precise

Here are a few tips:

• Be careful with your vocabulary and put forward your arguments at the right moment.
• Clearly mention the name of the company you work for, or the fact that you want to sell a product. This will put the customer at ease, especially if they've already heard about you on the radio or TV.
• Don't use overly "scientific" terms that might make them "stall" or even hang up the phone.
• Make an effort with your pronunciation, so they don't ask you to repeat it over and over again.

💡 Be aware that the best Saas telephony software allows you to record the conversation so that you can keep a record of it. In the event of a second telephone meeting, or this time a physical one, you'll never again miss something you've neglected to note down.

Tip no. 4: Take care with your oral delivery

Rhythm has a vital impact. For example, as shown by the study carried out by Colas Rist at the University of Orléans in 1999, the media speak an average of 200 words per minute. And the correct rate is estimated at around 150 words per minute for optimum comprehension.

If you use an all-in-one telephony solution provider, you may be able to enjoy HD quality for your caller. Thanks to the Opus codec, no matter how you are connected to the network (3G, 4G, Wifi), the sound compression algorithm will adapt to provide your caller with a pleasant listening experience.

Tip 5: Identify the caller's needs

In the case of a prospect call, once you've established contact, use targeted questions to identify their needs. In this way, you can determine

• whether they are ready to make their choice now or in a few months' time ;
• or better still, if they need convincing. Thanks to this possible opening, you'll have plenty of room to present your arguments.

Tip no. 6: Rephrase

Rephrasing may be necessary. It enables you to express your interviewer's needs in words that are as close as possible to those contained in your offers.

The main purpose of this step is to keep your prospect attentive and to ensure that you have understood everything you said.

Tip no. 7: Handle objections

The CRAC method, familiar to a large number of salespeople, is the best way of dealing with objections from the customer. It happens that someone calls you out on a delay, an error in order processing, unavailability, etc. This method ensures that you are never caught off guard again.

Here's what the acronym CRAC stands for:

• Diggingwill lead you to ask your customer what makes them think such a thing.
• Reformulate, to show them that you've understood everything they're saying.
• Arguingwill give you the opportunity to quote the current state of your product or service.
• Checking, will prove to be a way of removing any doubt by asking the customer if they have understood everything.

💡 If you need to check your customer's objection in real time, you'll be able to rely on many services offered by 100% cloud telephony operators, such as:

• call-waiting, so that you can carry out research while your customer waits calmly ;
• call transfer, so that the situation can be managed by a supervisor or colleague who has already had contact with the caller online;
• conference calls, which also allow a colleague to intervene. This gives customers confidence, because they can see that two people are working on their request;
• in-house collaborative messaging to quickly ask a colleague a question.

Tip no. 8: Smile on the phone

Researchers at the CNRS published a study in 2018 showing that it was possible to detect a vocal smile. In detail, the action of your zygomatic muscles that leads to a smile can be detected in your vocal timbre. Your good humour and your smile can be heard on the telephone. So don't be afraid to let your hair down. It brings something positive to the conversation: good humour is contagious and spreads to the person you're talking to.

💡 Tip: and to show your smile live, don't hesitate to opt for videoconferencing sometimes, also available in all-in-one communication solutions.

Tip no. 9: humanise the contact

A study carried out by Accenture Strategy in 2016 showed that 79% of French consumers prefer to have human contact when communicating with their customer service.

On the basis of this finding, the telephonist or sales assistant must show himself to be close to his customer, to be a good listener and as conciliatory and compassionate as possible.

💡 Tip: to show your closeness, for example, tell an anecdote related to what the customer is saying. Ending the call with "Take care of yourself" is more than topical and shows them that you're going beyond customer relations.

Tip no. 10: Always mention the next action

• Documents to be collected and signed and returned,
• a physical meeting,
• activating remote services,

these are all examples of the next actions that are expected when communication ends.

It is important to provide the customer with this information to indicate that the case is being processed or will soon be finalised. This set course between the two parties increases the chances of a favourable and possibly lasting outcome.

💡 Tip: After each call, it's important to take a little time to add comments, notes, etc. This option, often available in ip telephony software, will help retain the key elements of the exchange.

A constantly evolving integration model

• Acquire new customers,
• build loyalty
• and sell more,

is the triptych for every salesperson in every telephone contact. So there are plenty of tips and tricks, all with one aim in mind: to build customer relationships.

Tools have been available for a number of years that enable companies to integrate their telephony into their CRM, and take advantage of a number of benefits:

• activation of local telephone numbers
• better call management
• personalised telephone reception,
• services to encourage collaboration and productivity,
• HD sound quality,
• supervision and statistics tools accessible directly from your computer, etc.

If you're looking for this kind of software, Ringover, for example, is a 100% cloud communications solution that offers these advanced features to boost your customer relations. By integrating advanced telephony, SMS, videoconferencing and collaborative messaging, it makes it easy to manage your business communications.