10 tips for effective telephone contact

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

But even if the latter has had to be done at a distance, there are tricks and tools that have not only kept it intact, but in many cases strengthened it. This article reveals which ones.

Telephone contact: a textbook case

The customer is at the heart of the corporate chessboard. 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:

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

At a time when the dematerialization of many of our day-to-day operations is gaining ground, the need for consumer contact is 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 scarce, 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 landline telephone was the first mass-market means of telecommunication. It introduced us to vocal interaction and led us to develop certain social faculties.

However, for this telephone contact to be effective, the sender must instill 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 of success. There are also tips to ensure that no detail is overlooked throughout the conversation.

10 tips to make your calls effective

Tip 1: Prepare before the call

It's often overlooked, but this step 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 the phone.

💡 A few tips:

• Having a number local to the country you're 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 file is a plus you can't do without. In fact, by integrating your CRM or helpdesk software into a 100% cloud communications solution, you have access to your customer's contact details and call history... in real time! It's a guaranteed time-saver.
  
  
• And when you make outgoing calls, why not reread the exchange history, including the notes given for each call, to prepare your speech?

Tip 2: Make sure your caller is available

The most important thing to do in the first few seconds of making contact is to make sure that your correspondent has time to talk to you. The first thing to do: simply ask the question. Depending on his or her situation (in the car, on public transport, at home on the sofa, counting the cars in the parking lot from the 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 about this contact, such as their call-back preferences, can be synchronized with your CRM/Helpdesk software, so that it can also be consulted by your colleagues.

Tip No. 3: Stay clear and precise

Here are a few tips:

• Take care with your vocabulary, and make your points at the right moment.
• Clearly state the name of the company you work for, or the fact that you want to sell a product. This will build customer confidence, 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 he doesn'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 you can keep a record of it. In the event of a second telephone appointment or this time a physical one, you'll no longer miss something you failed to note.

Tip no. 4: Take care with your oral flow

Rhythm has a major impact. For example, as Colas Rist of the Université d'Orléans found in a 1999 study, the average oral flow of the media is 200 words per minute. For optimal comprehension, the correct rate is around 150 words per minute.

If you use an all-in-one telephony solution provider, you may be able to benefit from HD quality for your interlocutor. In fact, thanks to the Opus codec, whatever your network connection mode (3G, 4G, Wifi), the sound compression algorithm will adapt to offer your interlocutor a listening pleasure.

Tip 5: Identify the caller's needs

In the case of a prospect call, once you've established contact, identify the caller's needs by asking well-targeted questions. In this way, you can determine

• whether he's ready to make his choice now or in a few months' time;
• or better still, if he needs 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 translate your contact's needs into words that are as close as possible to those contained in your offers.

The purpose of this step is to keep your prospect's attention and ensure that you've understood everything you've said.

Tip 7: Handle objections

The CRAC method, familiar to many salespeople, is the best way to deal with objections from the customer. It's not unusual to be questioned by someone about a delay, an error in order processing, unavailability... This method guarantees you'll never be caught off guard again.

Here's what the acronym CRAC stands for:

• Digging, will lead you to ask your customer what makes him think such a thing.
• Reformulate, to show that you've understood everything they're saying.
• Argue, will 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've 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 in peace and quiet ;
• call transfer, so that the situation can be handled 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, as 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 demonstrating 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 mood and your smile can be heard on the phone. So don't hesitate to let your hair down. It brings positivity to the conversation: good humor is contagious and spreads to the person you're talking to.

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

Tip no. 9: humanize the contact

A 2016 study by Accenture Strategy showed that 79% of French consumers prefer human contact when communicating with their customer service department.

Based on this observation, the telephonist or salesperson 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, tell an anecdote related to the customer's comments, for example. Ending the call with "Take care of yourself" is more than topical, and shows him 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 appointment,
• activation of remote services,

are all examples of next actions expected when communication ends.

It's important to communicate this information to the customer, to let them know that the file is being processed, or will soon be finalized. This set course between the two parties increases the chances of a favorable and perhaps 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 of every salesperson's telephone contact. A lot of tips and advice, with a single aim: to forge customer relationships.

Tools have been available for several years now enabling companies to integrate their telephony into their CRM, and benefit from a number of advantages:

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

If you're looking for such software, Ringover, for example, is a 100% cloud communications solution, and 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.