Rapport Building

All companies look forward to retaining their customers. This is a difficult task in today’s world, where competition is high. The only way to retain customer loyalty is by offering superior service. And this is mainly in the hands of the agent. An Agent should try to build a relationship of trust and understanding with the customer. This is called rapport building.

Why is rapport building important?

The customer is the most important asset of the company and building a rapport with the customer is very important.

How can an Agent build rapport with a customer?

There are many steps to build rapport with a customer. The agent and the customer need to feel comfortable with each other. The agent needs to connect with the customer. To achieve this, the agent has to take the initiative. The process of creating a comfort zone starts from the very beginning of the call.

Be enthusiastic – always open the call enthusiastically. SMILE before talking. The Agent ’s bright and positive attitude will make the customer feel that he/she intends to help him. Even an irate or dissatisfied customer will feel better when greeted with enthusiasm.

Be polite and respectful throughout the call. Start the call respectfully using ‘May I’ and ‘please’. Later on, a warm pitch and tone should be sufficient to convey courtesy.

Customers should feel important – Give a personal touch to each and every single call. A customer is not a number on your database. Put a face and personality to the voice and treat him like a valued customer. Give special and individual attention. Use the customer’s name for that personal touch.

Listen carefully – give individual attention to whatever the customer says. Listen to his tone also. Sometimes tone conveys a lot more than words.You need to listen to what he means and NOT what he says.

Empathize – whenever the customer faces a difficult situation, empathize with him. Reassure him. Express genuine concern and care. But empathy does not mean always agreeing with the customer.

Example:

I understand your frustration, but I am afraid you’ll have to replace your modem. However, I can give you few options and help you to choose the option that suits you best.(Use the right pitch and tone).

Example:

", I notice that your last payment processed on your credit card was not successful for some reason and therefore unable to proceed further. However I'll be glad to help you if you can re-process your payment and call us back."

Deliver what you have committed and do not commit what you cannot deliver.

Example:

"Much as I wish to help you in this regard, I am unable to, since I am not authorized to do so".

Example:

"I apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay but I am sure I’ll be able to sort out the issue, if allowed to. Shall we go ahead with the troubleshooting steps???"

When delivering these statements make sure the pitch and tone of your voice is right for the situation. Everything depends on how you respond, not the response itself.

Apology and empathy are 2 strong weapons/tools an agent can use as a strategy to deal with a customer who is irate. Use these weapons with the right pitch and tone or voice and half the battle is won.

Other strategies used in a call

If the telephone number was not clear - request the customer to repeat. Could you please repeat that for me?

If the person is mumbling or speaking softly - I am sorry, I can’t hear you. Could you please speak a little louder?

If the names are not familiar – 'Could you please spell your name?'

If the customer starts to give irrelevant information and is chatty – the Agent should politely direct the talk back tothe topic by asking close ended questions. " O.K. , I understand what you are saying, shall we go ahead and fix the issue?"

To check if the customer has understood the instruction – check with them whether they have completed the instruction. E.g. "Have you minimized the screen, ?"

If the customer is irate – don’t interrupt him/her while he/she is speaking. Apologize using a right tone by saying, " I am sorry you were transferred many times and you were disconnected the previous time. I truly apologize for the inconvenience. Give me a moment while put you across to the appropriate dept. This time, I'll stay with you until your call is transferred."

If the customer is analytical – before starting to troubleshoot, explain in simple sentences what you think the problem is and what you are going to do. “ , I think the problem could be either with your internet service provider or with the configuration of the router. Let’s go ahead with the trouble shooting steps and fix the issue."

If the accent of the customer is thick – listen carefully, pick up the stressed words, and note them down. Then repeat slowly and clearly to the customer what you have understood.

If you feel the customer doesn’t like to be put on hold – indirectly ask for permission. Never say ‘May I place you on hold for a minute while I pull up the records’. Instead – Mr. Smith, I need to research on this issue and it’ll take me 2 minutes, so may I please place you on hold?"