Ready to Take the Challenge of Controlling a Call Together?
Written by: Suzanne Wedeven
Let’s turn our conversations with our technicians into solution-finding adventures by making each call the best of the day, steering the conversation in a helpful and productive direction, and ensuring your customer feels heard and respected.
1. Prepare and Plan:
Familiarize by referring to the Dispatcher or history call notes. Prepare the best you can to have critical materials on hand to address the customer’s reason for calling you to their home or business.
2. Control the Tone and Pace:
Maintain a calm, confident tone and control the conversation pace. Avoid speaking too quickly or slowly, and match the customer’s pace when appropriate.
3. Greet with Positivity:
Start with a warm greeting and introduce yourself clearly using one of TNFR’s presentation scripts. Tip: A positive tone sets the stage for a collaborative conversation.
4. Set Expectations:
Clearly outline what the customer can expect from the call by using one of the TNFR presentation scripts. Our scripts are designed to remove customer objections, lower sales resistance, provide better service, lower Technician stress, and maintain focus to prevent digressions.
5. Listen Actively:
Allow your customer to speak without interruption while actively listening. Write down any pains the customer references. Use affirming words like “I see” or “I understand” to acknowledge their concerns. Tip: Use a handshake and a compliment to pattern interrupt, compliment, and redirect.
6. Ask Fact-Finding Questions:
Guide the conversation with the customer by asking fact-finding questions that direct the customer to provide relevant information about why the customer called your company without feeling pressured.
7. Redirect When Necessary:
If the customer goes off-topic or becomes upset, gently steer the conversation back by acknowledging their emotions and refocusing on resolving their primary concern.
8. Clarify and Summarize:
Restate your customer’s main points of today’s call to ensure a mutual understanding before breaking away to make your diagnosis.
9. Breakaway and Make Your Diagnosis:
Do your best evaluation – every time! Tip: Take pictures – they say a picture is worth 1,000 words.
10. Offer Solutions:
Present options using the TNFR presentation menu. Collect for the job before you do any work! Tip: Tailor options to the customer’s specific needs.
11. Job Pre/Work:
Return to the vehicle for needed parts/tools. Notify the office of the task selection and time needed. Layout a workspace in the home. Take before-and-after pictures. Tip: Use the TNFR Handbook + extras for a great job.
12. End on a Positive Note:
Wrap up the call by summarizing the main solutions completed. Thank the customer for their time and choosing your company, and ask for that 5-star review!
13. Reflect and Improve:
After the call, reflect on how the conversation went and identify areas for improvement in your approach by debriefing with your office personnel.
Success is not about controlling the outcome but your effort and attitude.