Call center representatives are the interface between a company and a customer. They communicate directly with the customers and leave a lasting impression of the company or organization. Hence, it is imperative for the call centers to train agents in phone etiquettes.

A business owner trains his employees to treat the customer or client with highest level of courtesy. But they tend to disregard the training in telephone etiquettes. It is assumed that since the person was pleasant and professional enough to make it through the interview and hiring process he can handle the calls too.

This line of thinking is faulty. Phone etiquette is a skill that must be taught, practiced and perfected. Telephone etiquette is something that is rarely noticed when properly executed but failure to practice it may cost the organization loss of valuable customers and clients.

Call centers know this. With the help of training, practices and dedication it is possible to achieve excellence in call center phone etiquettes and convert the calls into sales.

-->The agents need to be prepared for the calls. The beginning of the conversation is very important as the first 30 seconds of it decides whether a sale or services is will be fruitful or not.  
-->Any caller would be impressed with the 4-part greeting and will demonstrate the organization’s commitment to service and excellence. If a phone call gets an awkward start, it can go downhill quickly from there.
-->The pitch and tone of the voice is also very important. No one likes to do business with somebody whose representatives speak in a dull and monotonous voice. In fact the voice tone forms the non-verbal component of the telephone personality. With proper training programs agents learn to control and vary the pitch and tone of their voice.
-->Try not to put the customers on hold. It causes them discomfort, puts them off and makes them unapproachable and rude. If you need to place them on hold get their permission. After that they should be updated after every 30 seconds.
-->It is very frustrating to be transferred around organization’s phone system and having to explain your situation to every person you speak with. It would be better if the person to whom the call is being transferred is informed beforehand about the nature of the call they are to receive. Never should a customer be put on a speaker phone. It is the rudest thing one can do to him.
à When the message is taken, the customer should be get a return call within 24 hours so that he gets the information. Even if his problem is not solved, yet he should be informed about the progress.
-->It is very important to build rapport with the caller. The agents need to identify whether the caller is a high powered businessman or a soft-spoken elderly person and then they have to be assisted in appropriate way suiting their personality and need. Speaking clearly is also a part of phone etiquettes. The language used also plays a very important part as negative words or phrases put the caller off quickly and it is likely that he would not like to come to you again. Always treat your caller as you want to be treated over the phone. Better still; treat your caller as your boss or owner of the company; that will keep you attentive.

The agents are functional entities of the call center, so they should be examples of practicing phone etiquettes to perfection maintaining uniformity, professionalism and courtesy at all times.

Ensuring customer loyalty has been the mantra of all successful businesses. As call centers become an integral part of a complete customer service strategy in businesses ensuring loyalty has become more of a challenge. Modern call centers are sophisticated and multi-person operations are supported by telephone and computer technology. There is no personalization or a continuous name that a customer can relate to. Though telephone strategies and great scripts often lead to effective customer conversions, loyalty can never be ensured. Moreover, conducting business over the phone has never been as personalized as face-to-face interaction. Call centers have this big challenge on their hands ever since their inception.

For better business you need to know more you know about your customers. The better you know them the better you can meet their needs. In fact, the more conversant the customer becomes the better feedback you get. Create opportunities for feedback. Ask your customers why they chose you over the competition. Encourage your customers with a concern to contact you without hesitation.  Carry out customer satisfaction surveys to see if the call center you’ve hired is doing it’s job properly.

Keep a record of customer feedback to help you identify problem areas. In a short term, customer loyalty benefits your business through revenue growth because of repeat and referral business. In a long term, closer relationship with customers gives your business a window of insight into your customers’ needs and preferences and more importantly even product ideas. The cost to acquire new customers is typically much greater than the cost of retaining the existing ones.

Customer satisfaction does not equate with continued sales. What a business needs instead is customer retention and repeated purchases, otherwise known as customer loyalty. Call centers offers customer convenience through their services. Without having to trot off to a retail location, a customer can place orders, make reservations, check balances, register complaints, and ask questions about the product and services. So the call center to which the customer service is outsourced must have representatives that are trained in all these aspects.

Call centers representative should adopt the following techniques for ensuring customer loyalty.

1. Build rapport with customers through warm and friendly approach. However make sure that the agent does not act too friendly. This put the customer instantaneously on the guard.
2. Listen actively- Through active listening, call center agents can create a conversational connection that reassures the caller that someone cares.
3. Solve customer problems effectively. Customers contact call centers for solving their problems, which they can’t do for themselves. Problems encountered by the customers negatively impact their loyalty. If they are disappointed  with the service, they may start looking for alternatives.
4. Train your representatives to be an optimist. Listening day in and day out to people’s grievances and complains can be emotionally corrosive. Be proactive, listen to their problems carefully, and put yourself in customer’s shoes.

The customer contact center has significant impact on customer loyalty. In many businesses the call center has more contact with the customer than any other part of the business. As call centers are turning into customer interaction centers, support agents and sales agents must represent the company properly. Call center agents must be trained properly, more empathetic to customers, more knowledgeable about the products and more importantly, they have to be more technically astute with regard to technology that supports their efforts.

For companies in any industry, a good proactive, outbound customer communications program can be a tremendous competitive advantage. It increases customer loyalty and retention. However, before outsourcing your customer service to a call center interact with the representatives and at time even call up as a customer to see the kind of services that they provide.