My first gig out of high school was a telemarketing position at Statefarm Insurance. Not the most exciting job for me, but I learned many valuable skills and lessons. For those in telemarketing, take heed... These are my tips for anybody who does any type of outbound phone calling to customers or prospective customers:
1) Be respectful of the customer's time. Ask them, "Is this a good time to talk?" If not, ask them what would be a good time to call back. You want the person's full attention when you're talking to them. Nothing is more annoying than to try and sell something to someone who obviously has kids screaming in the background!
2) Identify who you are and what company you are associated with.
3) Have information ready when you're calling an existing customer. This applies to a situation when you have to check on information for a customer and have to return their phone call. You don't want to be ruffling around with paperwork - you'll look very disorganized.
And for those who receive inbound calls, this is my tip:
Communicate what you're doing during those "dead silences" when you have to look up information or talk to a manager about a situation. A simple "It'll just be a moment while I check your file, Mr. Jones. Thanks for waiting.... I'm still waiting for the computer... it's pretty slow today!" Something to that affect.
Have any tips to share?
Update: Ha! I just checked Tom's blog and guess what he's talking about?! (Enter Twilight Zone music here...) He's got some great tips. Check them out...
Thanks for the phone calling tips. I really appreciate when a telemarketer uses these tips when I am on the phone with them. Especially when you are sitting there in silence. It is always nice if the representative, like you said, explains what is happening so you don't have to just wonder if he fell asleep or something. Thanks for the post!
Posted by: Call Cruncher | June 13, 2006 12:59 PM | Permalink to Comment