Interactive Communication

The life of a call center firm revolves around an extremely essential

player: the satisfied customer. Since this career deals with satisfying the
customer’s needs, it is of prime importance to maintain a certain level of
customer satisfaction so that these key players will be back for more.

It is good to assume that once you have entered the world of call centers,
your first and foremost goal is to leave a good impression on the part of your
customers. Therefore, you have to do your best and deal with their needs in
the most accurate, fast and courteous way possible.

PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY:
You probably experienced answering a business-related call from
someone or inquired a service through the telephone. An example is calling a
customer service of your cellphone service provider regarding a load that has
been consumed without your knowledge.
What do you think are the best practices in answering calls?
Enumerate the best procedures in taking a call using this graphic
organizer. Write in the box the exact words you will say based on the written
cues. Do this in your notebook.

• The phone rings and you

take the call.

• You ask the caller to

provide information.

• Ending the
call and
hanging
up.
 Customer service is not just about answering calls or emails. It is a
complete experience; from the welcome greetings down to the parting words
that leave a mark on the customers. More so, interactive communication
should be the main priority of each and every call. The caller and the receiver
must have full understanding of what both are conversing about. Success of
your call center career would generally depend on this.

Let us first focus on inbound call centers. There are two types of inbound
call centers: Those that deal with queries and transactions, or both. You need
to know them both to carry out Interactive Communication.
A. Handling Queries

Queries are questions or inquiries which may start from a

very simple request relating to facts and figures, to very complex
queries regarding policy matters.

Example of this is a query on motor vehicle registration.

Questions may range from simple matters, such as fees and
charges, to less common questions such as specific types of vehicles
that can be registered and the circumstances that cover such.

The call center staff needs to be well rounded on both facts

and figures, as well as the policies and guidelines to address the
concerns. These types of calls rely on a body of factual information.

B. Handling Transactions

Other call centers process transactions for customers.

This is different from merely answering queries.
For example, financial organizations are tied up to call
centers that allows bills to be paid on-line, or funds to be transferred
between accounts. Insurance companies and investment firms have
complex transactions to deal with.
The call center staff would have to utilize a complex front-
end systems to record these transactions. This may involve entering
details on multiple screens to complete the transactions.
 The focus on this type of call is more on “procedural”
knowledge. There are specific steps required to complete a given
transaction using the computer systems provided. Detailed and
careful use of the front end application must be applied for complex
cases. These procedures must be well documented within the call
center.
Those that handle this type of transactions rely on a
comprehensive set of procedural details.

C. Both types of Calls

Many call centers handle both queries and transactions.
Appropriate resources and effective information must be provided to
support this kind of complex environment.

Gathering Information in a Courteous and Professional Manner

Presented below are some of the customers’ needs and how you will
deal with them using the telephone and Information Technology (IT) system
available in your workstation.

Best Practices

1. Prompts and greetings. Greet the customer politely. Make sure that you
speak clearly and the department or service you are handling is made
known to the caller. Ensure prompts are brief and concise. Use language
that is easily understood by the customer. Lengthy prompts, legal terms,
and marketing jargon confuse customers, and results in a poor customer
experience.

2. Manner of the conversation. Be nice and courteous. Express gratitude for

completing a functional task whenever necessary, but be careful not to
overdo it. This might lead to lengthy discussion and may increase amount of
customer time required to accomplish a task. Conversely, offer appreciation
when a customer completes a revenue generating transaction, expands
his/her relationship with your brand, or rates his/her experience high.
 3. Confirm messages. Confirmation messages should only be presented when
confirming critical entries such as making a payment, transferring funds, or updating
account information. This helps increase the ease and efficiency of customers
completing their transactions with your brand and improves customer experience.

4. Redundancy. During emergencies, having a redundant solution ensures the IVR

channel is always available to serve your customers. Customers are increasingly
reliant and expectant of reaching brands on their timetables, and have little patience
for technological or natural disasters.

5. Security. Having a secure solution that helps safeguard customer data is a

requirement for all. Ensuring your solution conveys this sense of security to the
customer is very important.

6. Number Clarification. When a number is read back to the caller as clarification,

confirm the numbers in logical groups (4x4 for 16-digit card numbers, 3-3-4 for
phone numbers, etc.). This may remove the feeling of a non-human interaction
within the IVR, which callers generally do not like, thus improving customer
experience.

7. Menu Structure. Limit the menu items to five or less options. Concise menus with a
minimal number of selections helps customers efficiently and effectively complete
their intended goals. Avoid the use of “Return to the main menu” option.

8. Temporary Messages. The use of temporary messages is only effective when the
information is presented in an urgent and timely manner. These messages have to
be clear, to the point, and most importantly, temporary.

9. Accuracy. Have accurate and up-to-date information available to your callers at all
times. When a caller contacts you via phone, they are generally saying they need
information now, and have actively selected the most efficient channel they believe
will get them the most accurate answer.
10. Be objective and business-like at all times. Deal with matters in a professional
manner and most of all, avoid injecting personal feelings especially.
Call Structure

Calls in general, follow a specific sequence of actions are logical in

structure. Whether it is inbound or an outbound call, the agent must acquire the
necessary skills in carrying out his or her job by following the protocol of the
company.

Although calls in general may be answered almost in the same way, the
greetings and responses may be different in some instances. Observe closely
that you have various examples below which are marked inbound or outbound.

2. Identifying the call

1. Opening /
purpose through
Greetings
listening

3. Gathering
4. Making an
information
agreement (Inbound)/
(inbound)/
Closing the deal
Negotiating (outbund)

5. Closing

Figure 1. Call Structure

 TABLE 1. Call Structure
1. Opening / Greetings
Good morning. This is Diane from RRD
Software Company. How may I help
you? (Inbound)

Thank you for calling RRD Software

Greetings, Introduction , company company. This is Diane Logan. May I
name, and offering of help help you? (Inbound)

Good day. Hi, this is Diane calling on

behalf of RRD Software Company. May
I speak to Brad Cooper? (Outbound)

2. Identifying the call purpose through listening

Customer says "Hi, Diane. This is

Britney. I would like to ask about the
availability of your RRD Antivirus
Customer acknowledgement, starts program. How much does it cost and
introducing himself and states the what are the terms of the delivery?"
purpose of the call (inbound)

Customer says "Hi, this is Brad

speaking." (outbound)

3. Gathering information (inbound)/ Negotiating (outbund)

Have you made any transaction with

our company before, Britney? (Yes I
Getting the customer's information bought a product a month ago.)Well
(inbound) then, can I have your complete name,
mailing address, and account number?

Stating the purpose of the call Well Brad, I'm calling to let you know
(outbound) about out special holiday offering which
is 50% off on all Antivirus programs.
(outbound)
 4. Making an agreement (Inbound)/ Closing the deal

(The customer has provided the agent

the necessary information.) Agent will
then say, "Thank you for that
information. Happy to inform you that
Providing the customer with his /her RRD Antivirus program is still available.
needs, offering suggestions, It costs a hundred dollars, and it will be
options/choices, recommendations delivered right on your doorstep within 3
working days. (inbound)

Customer responds, "I'm sorry. I am not

interested with the offer. (outbound)

5. Closing
Is there anything else I can do for you?
Have a great day.
Have a nice day .
Offering extra help
Have a great day.
Leaving friendly parting words such as
advising the caller to call again to avail Thank you. / Thanks for calling.
of the product or service if problem
persists
I understand that you dont' need our
product at the moment, but do give us a
Saying goodye call at our toll-free number whenever
you need them. Have a nice
day.(outbound)
Active Listening

Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. Major
impact on job effectiveness and the quality of your relationships is achieved
when you have acquired good listening skills.

As you have learned in the previous lesson, you listen to obtain

information, understand, enjoy and learn.

Given all these listening benefits, do you think you will be good at it?

Most of us actually are not that good when it comes to listening. Recent
studies suggests that we remember between 25 to 50 percent of what we hear.
That means that when you talk to your peers and friends for 10 minutes, they
pay attention to less than half of the conversation.

In return, when you receive directions or when presented with

information, you are not hearing the whole message either. You hope the
important parts are captured in your 25-50 percent. But what if they are not?
Improving our listening skills therefore can give us a lot of benefits. By
becoming a better listener, you will improve your productivity, as well as your
ability to influence, persuade, and negotiate. More so, you will avoid conflict
and misunderstandings. All of these are necessary for workplace success,
especially in call centers.

About Active Listening

To become a better listener is to practice "active listening." This is where
you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is
saying, but more importantly, to try to understand the complete message being
sent as well.
Enhancing your listening skills takes a little effort and will give you great
results.
To do this, you must pay attention to the other person very carefully. Let
the other person know that you are listening to what he or she is saying.
Acknowledgement can be something as simple as a nod or a simple "uh
huh." You are not necessarily agreeing with the person, but you are simply
indicating that you are listening. Using body language and other signs to
acknowledge you are listening also reminds you to pay attention and not let
your mind wander.

You should also try to respond to the speaker in a way that will
encourage him or her to continue speaking, so that you can get the information
that you need. While nodding or making an affirming sound such as an ‘u-huh’,
an occasional question or comment to recap what has been said communicates
that you understand the message as well.

Becoming an Active Listener

To help you ensure that you hear the other person clearly and concisely,
and to inform the other person that you are hearing what he or she is saying,
here are the key elements of active listening:

1. Pay Attention.
Give the speaker your undivided attention and acknowledge the
message. Recognize that non-verbal communication also "speaks" loudly.
Here are some tips on how to do this.
 Look at the speaker directly.
 Put aside distracting thoughts.
 Look attentively to the speaker's body language.
 Avoid preparing mentally for a negative response.
 Avoid being distracted by environmental factors like side conversations.

2. Provide Feedback.
Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort
what we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This
may require you to reflect what is being said and asked.
 Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. "What I'm hearing is," and
"Sounds like you are saying," are great ways to reflect back.
 Ask questions to clarify certain points. "What do you mean when you
said…" or " Is this what you mean?" are some examples.
Summarize the speaker's comments periodically.

3. Defer Judgment.
Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits full
understanding of the message.
 Allow the speaker to finish each point before asking questions.
  Do not interrupt with counter arguments.

4. Respond Appropriately
Active listening is a model for respect and understanding. You are
gaining information and perspective. You add nothing by attacking the speaker
or otherwise putting him or her down.
 Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
 Assert your opinions respectfully.
 Treat the other person in a way that you think he or she would want
to be treated.

Internal Barriers
(These are hindrances that
occur within yourself.)

External Barriers
(These are hindrances that occur around you or in your surroundings.)

The most powerful action you can take to improve your listening skills
is to eliminate or overcome the common barriers to effective listening. Some
barriers to effective listening are internal, like your hearing condition and
current mental and emotional state of the person, while some barriers are
external, like environmental factors such as the noise of the people around
you, a turned on television, ringing telephone, etc.

Probing skills
One of the worst things a customer service representative could do is to resolve an
issue without knowing and fully understanding the customer’s concern. It takes not just a
question, but a series of questions to fully understand where the customers are coming
from. It is important to dig deep into the customers’ concerns to get to the root of the issue.

Probing questions are intended to help the presenter think more deeply about the
issue at hand. If a probing question does not have that effect, it is either clarifying question
or a recommendation with an upward inflection at the end.

Here are some suggestions to help you formulate good probing questions:
 1. Make the probing question brief.
2. Facilitate thinking from reaction to reflection.
3. Allow multiple responses.
4. Do not place the blame on anyone.
5. Avoid yes or no responses.
6. Make it brief.
7. Encourage taking another party’s perspective.
8. Require the person to solve his /her own problem.
9. Elicit a slow response.
10. Make it general and widely useful.

Examples of probing questions:

 How do you think your own comfort with the material has influenced
your choice of product?
 What makes you say that, Madam/Sir?
 What do you think is quality work?
 What would students say about this issue?
 Why did allowing students to create their own study questions cause
a problem to you?

Quotes on the other hand refers to the following:

 Exact phrase/s
 Direct passage of a sentence or more
 Quotation Marks (" ") are needed as well as the
parenthetical documentation or intext citation
Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is your own version of what the customer told you. It is an

effective way of checking if you and the customer are on the same page. It assures
the customer that you listened to their concerns and have understood them.

To paraphrase effectively, take note of the following:

1. Re-read or listen to the original passage or statement until you
understand its full meaning.
2. Probe if necessary and if possible to fully grasp the meaning of the
original passage or statement.
3. Record or develop your paraphrased message/idea.
4. Repeat paraphrased idea to your customer to check if your
understanding of his/her idea is correct.
5. Use quotation marks (“ ”) when writing to identify any term or phrase
you have borrowed exactly from the source.

Table 1. Paraphrasing Example

PARAPHRASING EXAMPLE
Customer says: Proper Paraphrasing Improper Paraphrasing
“I want my account “If I understood you “So you want to cancel
cancelled because I correctly, Mrs. Wilson, your account because
cannot pay my monthly you want to cancel your you can’t pay the fee?”
subscriptions because
fee.”
you are having
difficulties in coping
with the monthly fees,
is that correct?”

Summarizing

Summarizing is also an important factor to master in this field. Summarizing is

taking the main idea from a source. It often focuses on several paragraphs or an
entire article. This need parenthetical documentation or intext citation of source

Here is another way to compare paraphrasing and summarizing:

If you watched a TV Program and you came to school telling your friends about
what happened during the episode, you would be summarizing.
 But if you watched the same program last night and you told your friends about a
specific scene, you would be paraphrasing.

What would these two have in common? You would still need to credit your source
(TV Program) by including parenthetical documentation (intext citations) with a complete
work cited page.

Clarifying

Clarifying lets you address the customer’s practical needs immediately.

Here are simple ways on how to clarify the customer’s inquiries or concerns:
Table 2. Clarification Examples
How to clarify Sample Call Sample Response
 Clarify the customer’s “This is Alex Alex, I believe you
single and easy to Hanks and I’d like are referring to the
understand inquiry by to know if I could Summer promo
explaining a piece of still use the discount coupon of
information about it. discount coupon I our store? Yes, you
received last can still use it.
Thursday ?”
 Paraphrase several “I received my “Britney, I apologize
concerns as explained by shoe orders for the
the customer. yesterday. It inconvenience
seems like you brought about by the
have problems situation. I
with your delivery understand where
service. Two of you’re coming from.
my orders are out Let me check if I
of shape and the understand you
red one has completely. You
molds.” received two pairs of
shoes that are out of
shape and one with
molds?”
 Clarify further by probing “Samantha “I believe you are
when you do not Morrison on the referring to the New
line. I’d like to York City 20%
 understand the customer’s know if the Discount Tour
concerns. discount rates of Package. Yes, it is
your New York still available next
travel package week.”
applies next
week? ”

Clarifying Questions are simple questions of fact. They clarify the dilemma
and provide the nuts and bolts so that the participants can ask good probing
questions and provide useful feedback later in the protocol. Clarifying questions
are for the representative and should not go beyond the boundaries of the
customer’s dilemma. They have brief, factual answers, and does not provide
any new food for thought from the customer service representative.

Ensuring Consistent Quality Service for all Types of Customers Reporting

Packages

The Automatic Call distributor (ACD) has two primary types of reporting capabilities.
One provides historical data and the other gives real-time snapshots. The historical data
can provide information on call handling, agent performance, volumes, and service levels
over the last half-hour, day, shift, week, or longer. There are hundreds of standard reports
offered by the vendors. Customized reports can be provided, generally with an export of
the data to a software package designed for customizing reports, such as Crystal Reports.

Real-time data is generally provided on a color-coded computer screen and allows

“corner of the eye” management. Supervisors can monitor how long an agent has been on
a call or in a work status, what the Average Speed of Answer (ASA) is, how long callers
are waiting in queue, and other data.

In addition to the standard reporting packages that come with the ACD from the
manufacturer, there are third-party reporting tools. These include wall- display boards and
TV monitors that provide the current queue status, service level information, and other
customized messages for all in the center to see. These can keep the staff and
supervisors informed and serve as a quick communications tool for disseminating updated
information that needs to be passed to everyone quickly. Other tools can also provide the
same kind of data on the agent’s monitor.

ACD Integration Trends

Call centers are growing and changing rapidly. New features and technologies are
announced almost daily. Some of the trends over the last couple of years are fully digitized
operations and integration of voice-over- Internet-protocol technologies to allow full
utilization of the Internet.

Integration of the ACD with a variety of other technologies in the call center continues
to expand. The ACD can be linked to a quality-monitoring system to allow managers to
tap into the agent phone for recording the conversation. A workforce management system
looks to the ACD for both real-time and historical data to update forecasting and
performance data.
 Email management systems connect to the ACD to distribute work on a
blended basis to the agents. Time clocks are linked to the ACD so when an
agent logs into the ACD for work, the time clock is updated for payroll purposes.
Learning management systems use the ACD to manage the agent’s work state
when a session of e-learning is pushed to the agent during idle periods. The
list keeps growing. Any linkage that saves data entry, coordinates functions,
and aids operations should be considered. These technologies are discussed
in more detail later in this section.

Quality Monitoring and Recording

Nearly every ACD is equipped with the capability to support silent

monitoring of calls by a supervisor. This allows the supervisor to access a call
in progress, listening to both sides of the conversation without either the caller
or the agent knowing the supervisor is observing. This approach requires the
supervisor (or quality control manager) to access these conversations in real-
time. If there are few calls in progress, the supervisor can waste time waiting
for a call to come to a specific agent. During busy times, the supervisor may be
needed on the floor to assist agents. While centers typically set a goal of
listening to several calls per agent per month, the goal is often missed if real-
time silent monitoring is the only option.

Automated recording of the calls is the role of the call-recording system.

While some organizations record every call for business purposes, most do not.
The call-recording system typically is set to record randomly, sampling each
agent at different times of day and days of week throughout the period to ensure
a fair sampling. Alternatively, the system may also record agents’ data screens
during the calls so that the supervisor can see exactly what the agents saw on
the screen and what keystrokes they entered as they processed the calls.

With a recording, the supervisors can review the calls whenever they have
time. Recordings can be accessed from outside the center by phone in some
cases and the data portions accessed through the Internet so supervisors can
even review calls while at home. One of the additional benefits is that the
supervisor and agent can listen to the recording together during a coaching
session. With the system recording on a regular basis, there is little risk of
missing the goal of monitoring the number of calls needed to ensure quality
control. Supervisors must find the time to listen to the calls and score them
based on the criteria that is pre-set for this purpose.
 Contact Management Systems

Whether the contact being tracked is a troubled ticket reported to a help

desk, a sales lead, or a customer interaction requesting some service, a contact
management system can be of assistance. This type of system tracks
interactions by customers and provides the databases and analytical tools to
look for trends and sort by demographics.

In a call center, the contact management system provides a record of all

the previous interactions with the customer.

The customers find they do not have to tell their whole history to the agent,
and the agent can see what has been done or promised by others.

Avoiding Sensitive Topics

Sensitive customer situations and issues will arise, and call center
agents are usually the first people in the enterprise to learn about problems.
Because of this, it's important to let your call center manager know when issues
come up. Call center agents should not keep these calls to themselves --
instead, they should flag any calls that involve sensitive customer situations so
that managers can review and make sure the situation was handled correctly.

Sensitive topics are those that might offend or upset people. It is

generally suggested that as an aspiring call center agent, you stick to the concern
of the customer and not dwell on issues which are not related to the conversation.

Examples of sensitive issues are:

7.5.1. Racial and Ethnic groups

In the United States, for example, this issue is the most sensitive. Areas
of vocabulary are often those that deal with racial and ethnic groups. Those whose
roots are from Africa, prefer to be called African-American, while some prefer
“Black” because they see themselves as Americans and not Africans. It is
improper to use the terms interchangeably. It is therefore best to call them by their
names.
7.5.2. Gender

Use neutral words that include both sexes. For example, use
business executive in place of businessman and fire fighter instead of
fireman.

7.5. 3. Age

Many people think that using words like old and elderly describe older
people is offensive because they seem to suggest inactivity or weakness.

To avoid offending people, use terms that give more detailed or exact
information about the person or people described:

 Membership is only available to retired people.

 People over sixty-five can get a discount.
 Many senior citizens enjoy taking walks year-round.

7.5.4. Illness and Disability

Most people are sensitive to disease-related phrases such as AIDS

victim, mental patients, or handicapped because these seem to stress their
physical disabilities or illness rather than the person. Those who are
suffering from such diseases or disabilities also are more sensitive due to
their health conditions than people who are not. Avoid saying words that
might offend them or their loved ones.

7.5.5. Sexual Preference

Avoid old-fashioned and insulting terms when referring to

people who have sexual relationships with members of the same
sex.

7.5.6. Titles

One of the problems with the English language is that it does not
have different titles for single and married men, but it does for single and
married women.
 When addressing a woman, do not guess her marital status. If you do not
know whether she is married or not, use Ms. to address her, rather than Mrs.

7.5.7. Politics

This is another sensitive issue, particularly around election time. While you may
feel very strongly about your political party or candidate, or have negative views
about the opposition, you should not involve this issue in any way with customer-
agent transactions.

7.5.8. Religion

Avoid discussing your religious beliefs or your thoughts about other

religious beliefs in your conversation with customers. Religion is a very personal
issue and people are very sensitive about it. They do not want to hear that you
disagree with their religious beliefs or that you believe your religion is the one in
which everyone should believe in.

TASK 1: Identifying Sensitive Issues

DIRECTIONS: In your notebook, identify the sensitive issue being presented

in these situations.

1. A call center rep stresses the superiority of the

religious sect where he belongs.

_2. An agent calls the caller “African American” and not his
actual name due to the sound of the caller’s voice
voice.

3. A call center representative jokes about a “Republican“

election candidate.

4. An agent calls the caller a “retard” because he could

not understand what the caller was saying.

5. The call center agent said, “I’m sorry madam, but the
promo isn’t available for oldies like you.”
TASK 2: Addressing Sensitive Issues
DIRECTIONS: Imagine that you are in a conversation with one of your
customers. How would you address these issues during an actual
conversation? Role play your responses. Discuss what had transpired after
each presentation.

1. An elderly insists that the delivery of her orders is already a week delayed.
She keeps repeating the annoying complaints over and over again.
2. A caller asks about your religion and claims that his is better than yours.
3. You have mistakenly called a woman “mister” due to the depth of her voice.
4. An annoying caller challenges you for a debate on regarding the better
political party.
5. A man orders feminine products intended for his own use.

TASK 3: CSR / Agent Interview

Conduct an interview with a call center agent/ service representative and
discuss how they handle sensitive issues in the workplace. Ask them for useful
tips on how to address this. Ask for specific instance and actual situations which
they experienced firsthand and how they resolved such concern.

Talk to at least 3 agents so you can come up with various responses.

Compare and contrast how each agent handled the situation and make a
conclusion regarding the best ways on handling sensitive issues.

Create a narrative report (with pictures for documentation purposes if

the interviewee permits/ agrees with the idea) and submit it to your teacher.
You will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Validity and Reliability of the gathered information: 60%

Implication and Conclusion: 40%
100%