Earlier this year, I was asked to be a guest blogger for the Torch Network group. I thought I would share here, with other fellow CSRs, the post I created. I hope many of you can find it helpful!
Tips from a CSR!
Khiana Klatt, CSR/Dispatcher, ServicePlus Heating and Cooling
Working as a CSR/dispatcher can be overwhelming because we wear so many different hats in a day! What are some tips to help things run smoothly and to book in as many leads as possible?
- Utilize the dispatch board. If you see a tech is running behind schedule (because let’s face it, jobs do not always go according to plan), reach out to them and ask if you should let the next client know ahead that they will be running late. The customers appreciate this, and it helps the techs feel less rushed if they know that the next customer is aware they will be late.
- If you aren’t already, use schedule assistant! This will show you the best date and time for an appointment to cut down on driving time (and save your company some gas money)!
- Stay calm. Even when a customer is irate, stay calm and remember you are in control. In my experience, they will usually calm down and end up apologizing in the end and thanking you for your help. They are mad at the situation and not at you is what you need to remember.
- Be sympathetic with your customers. Have they experienced a flood? No hot water for a week? No heat all weekend? Make them feel heard and seen - they value this and will remember it.
- Make a connection with your callers. Listen to background sounds - do they have children or dogs? Comment on this. Expand on what they say and ask questions. I had one customer tell me he would be away the following week and unavailable because he and his wife were going to a dog show. I asked about what kinds of dogs they have, and we ended up talking about dogs for a good 5 minutes. After, the customer joked he would call me every day at 10am for our coffee break together to discuss dogs.
- Don’t be afraid to joke around with customers. We have a customer who has been having a lot of work done over the past few months and we talk to her regularly. The running joke now is we must make up excuses to talk to her and go back to her home because she is our favourite customer. Another customer, we were talking daily for a week about her job, so she joked that her and I were becoming best friends.
- Don’t forget to thank them for calling. They could have chosen another company (and maybe they still will) but they will remember your kindness. Kindness goes a long way!
- Set up your space to make you happy! Put photos on your desk of your family/friends, play your favourite radio station quietly in the background, have plants/flowers on your shelf, etc. If your space feels happy and safe, you will come across as happy on the phone too!
Above all else, remember to have fun! This can be a tough job, there’s no doubt, but enjoy the connections you are making with your coworkers, customers and through your networking with Service Titan!
Khiana Klatt
CSR ServicePlus Heating and Cooling
