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Active listening is a critical skill every call center agent should master. By mastering this skill, an agent is more likely to deliver a positive customer service experience in each customer interaction.
It bears mentioning, however, that active listening goes beyond just hearing and understanding the words coming out of the caller’s mouth.
It’s a dynamic process that requires the agent’s full engagement.
Active listening can be a difficult skill to master, but far from impossible. Here are tips to help call center agents maintain active listening while on the job.
1. Be in the moment
A call center agent needs to give the customer his, or her undivided attention the moment they finish their standard welcome spiel.
In short, they have to remain in the moment, not allowing distractions to draw their attention away from what the customer is saying.
Granted, customers go on tangents at times, and might even head towards boring territory.
That, however, is no excuse for agents to get sidetracked. The moment their thoughts start to wander, the agent has to force themselves to refocus.
2. Empathize
Knowing how to put yourself in the customer’s shoes comes with call center agent territory. Additionally, empathy is a skill that can help agents focus better on what customers are saying.
This is why it’s essential that agents are trained and reminded to always understand where the caller is coming from, even when that caller is acting unreasonable.
Listening is always easier when there’s a genuine desire to help. The same rule applies to conversations between the customer and call center agent.
3. Don’t Jump to Conclusions
Call center agents often handle similar issues on a day to day basis, and doing so may make the job feel repetitive to them.
Because of this, agents may fall into the trap of jumping to conclusions when a customer talks about an issue they’ve heard many times before.
This is a critical error customer service representatives need to avoid at all costs.
When listening and talking to customers, agents need to keep an open mind. This ensures that they’re not missing out on critical information and subtle cues that can help them arrive at the best solution.
4. Ask for Clarifications When Needed
Even the most skilled listener can get confused by what a speaker is saying, especially when it’s comprised of many complex or seemingly unrelated ideas.
This is why agents have to be reminded not to shy away from asking for clarification when something is confusing or unclear.
More often than not, callers will take it as a cue that the representative is listening and genuinely interested in helping out.
That being said, agents have to wait for the caller to pause before asking for clarifications. Reps can say something along the lines of, “Could you clarify that for me, please?”
5. Master Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is the process of restating what the speaker has said, but in different words and, whenever necessary, in a slightly different context.
It’s an important skill to have because it shows the caller that the agent is paying close attention. It also assures the customer that the agent can fully understand their issue.
Ultimately, paraphrasing, when done well, makes customers feel that their issue is being addressed with a sense of urgency.
Key Takeaway:
In a world becoming even more beset with distractions, it’s starting to feel like active listening is becoming a lost art. Let this not be the case in your offshore call center.
When push comes to shove, active listening is what makes it possible for us humans to make meaningful connections with each other. It goes without saying that the same rule applies to both providers and customers.
