If you’re an employer of telephone agents, then you know just how hard it can be to hear the word “no” every day. Needless to say, you hear that word when you monitor the phone calls of your reps. Cold callers are especially used to rejection. But that doesn’t make it easy for them to handle it. A person whose job it is to generate sales over the phone from people they’ve never met before has a very tough task – one that he/she must do over and over and over again.
That means that it’s a very important part of your job to provide your phone agents with as much assistance as possible. We’re not just talking about the type of assistance that will help them to close sales. We’re talking about the type of help that will brighten their moods, lift their spirits and encourage them to perform at their best.
What are the best ways to make your telemarketers’ lives easier? Here are three:
1. Start each day off with a laugh.
We’ve often heralded the importance of the morning meeting. Not only does holding a meeting with your entire staff each morning serve to get the work day off on the right note, but it helps to alleviate some of the pressure that your employees may feel. Make a good portion of your morning meetings non-work related. Share jokes and encourage others to chime in with funny stories of their own.
Lightening the mood in your office each day will get your team off to good starts. Not to mention, it will help to boost customer service levels. After all, it is often said (by us, especially) that people can “hear” smiles over the phone. The simple act of smiling is known to make a person’s tone of voice much more pleasant. Putting smiles on the faces of your phone agents certainly won’t hurt your company’s reputation.
2. Let them know you have their backs.
As mentioned, a telemarketer’s job comes with a lot of pressure to hit certain sales targets and meet particular customer service expectations. It is often a high-stress position. Your phone reps don’t need the added stress of a call centre manager who is disagreeable and disgruntled. Instead, let your agents know that they can come to you for help at all times. Being open, accessible and always willing to lend a helping hand will ease the pressure that is commonplace with a telemarketer’s job.
3. Provide them with ample feedback.
Branching off of that last point, it’s important that you listen closely to each of your phone agents’ calls. That way, you’ll be able to assess the areas where they may require help. Are they speaking too quickly? Do they cut their callers off mid-sentence? Do they adequately explain the benefits of your products and services? Offering regular feedback to help improve their sales numbers and customer service quality only serves to make them better at their jobs. Thus, they also feel better about their positions in your company.
At MeloTel, we offer the Monitor/Whisper Control Panel as the ideal solution to providing feedback to call centre employees. With it, you can listen in to calls live and offer feedback to your reps while they’re on those calls! For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the Live Chat feature on our website!
