46. When You Need to Place a Caller on H

When You Need to Place a Caller on Hold : 

When You Need to Place a Caller on Hold By VanSight

COPYRIGHT 2009 VANSIGHT division of Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd : 

COPYRIGHT 2009 VANSIGHT division of Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd 2 No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the express permission of VanSight Division of Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd. The information contained herein may be changed without prior notice. VanSight is trademark of Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd. All other product and service names mentioned and associated logos displayed are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serves informational and educational purposes only. The information in this document is proprietary to Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd. This product contains training material for English or Soft Skills or Personality Development. Synbiz assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this document. Synbiz does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links, or other items contained within this material. This document is provided without a warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

The Situation : 

The Situation If you deal with any significant number of phone calls from customers, you will be in situations where you need to place a caller on hold. While nobody likes to be put on hold, the good news is that most callers are used to it, since it’s become the norm. They are less likely to be annoyed if you handle the process professionally. 3

Techniques Used : 

Techniques Used 4 Explain Reasoning or Actions Offering Choices Empowering Finishing Off/Following Up Apologize

Dialogue : 

Dialogue 5 In this situation the caller wishes to talk with the general manager of the company, who is currently on the phone with someone else, but is expected to be available shortly.

Dialogue : 

Dialogue 6 Employee: Mr. James is on the phone with another customer right now, but should be available in a few minutes. Customer: I’ll wait. I need to speak with him as soon as possible. Employee: OK,I can put you on hold and transfer you when he’s available or we can call you back as soon as he’s free. Did you still want to hold? Customer: Yes .I’ll hold.

Dialogue : 

Dialogue 7 Employee: OK. I’ll keep an eye on the lines and transfer you as soon as possible. [puts customer on hold] About one minute later, the employee checks back with the customer. Employee: Hello. Mr. James is still on the other line. Did you still want to hold?

Dialogue : 

Dialogue 8 Customer: Yes. Finally, when Mr. James becomes available, the employee informs the customer as follows. Employee: Hi. Good news. Mr. James is free . I apologize for the wait and I’m connecting you right away.

Explanations : 

Explanations 9 What are the most important aspects of the employee’s behavior here? First, the employee informs the caller and explains the situation, rather than simply saying, “He’s unavailable” and hitting the hold button. There are two reasons for this. One is to show the customer that he is important enough to merit an explanation. The other is to give enough information to the caller so he can make a decision about whether he wishes to be put on hold, call back, or pursue some other possibility.

Explanations : 

Explanations Second, the employee allows the caller to make the choice as to whether he will be put on hold or not. It is never advisable to put a caller on hold without both explaining why and giving the caller the choice. It may not always be possible to inform and offer a choice, particularly in a very busy switchboard environment, but it’s worth trying. The third important element is the follow-up. It’s important to check back with callers on hold to acknowledge that you know they are still waiting and to inquire if they’d like to receive a call back instead of waiting on hold. Notice also that the final sentence is an example of “finishing up.” Rather than simply connecting the caller, the employee creates a sense of closure by telling the caller that Mr. James is available and that the employee is connecting them. 10

How to Diffuse the Situation : 

How to Diffuse the Situation 11 Keep in mind that someone waiting on hold tends to experience time differently. One minute of wait time on hold might feel like four or five minutes of wait time in person. That’s one reason why it’s important to break up the wait time, by following up as possible.

How to Purchase & Download full Course from VanSight. : 

How to Purchase & Download full Course from VanSight. 12 Download Presentation from www.vansight.net