How do you coach other administrative assistants on call handling?

Proper training can avoid some of the most common mistakes support staff make in handling phone calls. Yes, it is important to focus on their strengths, but if someone is not trained on handling complaints or irate customers/clients, it is a failing of the management, not the staff member. When we are hiring and training, often we focus on quickly moving the call to a close, either by transferring or completing the request of the caller. The training stops there. Teaching staff to perform active listening, knowing how to respond without becoming emotionally involved or when to transfer the call up the chain (and who to transfer an irate customer to) are all part of essential training.

We need to train ourselves to be naturally polite and helpful. A warm, welcoming tone really does wonders for the conversation

It is very essential to have a good attitude when handling the calls. Despite the fact that the caller can't see you he can perceive the mood on how you respond and the tone says it all.

True. To find the appropriate person to answer the callers request takes knowledge about the company. Remember, "I don't know" is not allowed.

The basics need to be done very well when it comes to excellent care. Especially when it comes to healthcare, where the client and family member are under stress and very vulnerable. It's about receiving well, serving well and caring well.

I slightly disagree with this goal. Reducing call duration can leave the client\customer unsatisfied, particularly if dealing with queries in a local government role and you are trying to juggle queries in relation to legislation/ legal requirements. Customer satisfaction in this instance might be explaining the position clearly and helping them understand what is possible. If you aren’t clear on the process and what is possible, you could just be pushing a caller in to a position where they will be ringing around team members hoping for the outcome they want rather than what is achievable/ possible.

I agree with Julie that it is not always about cutting the call duration. Real customer service can be time consuming and setting goals where you are expecting call duration to be shortened does a disservice to the customer. People need to feel heard, cared about and have real help given to them. Pushing to end the call quickly feels like a brush off and can damage the company's reputation.

Agree with Julie. Yes, time is money however having a listening ear and really trying to solve the problem is much better than getting the caller off the phone without solving the problem or reading a script that is obvious.

Companies are starting to utilise AI chats for what we would deem as a standard calls, easily timed and tracked. I feel with these changes this now mean people who call customer service lines are looking for more. We should be viewing these calls a relationship building with a focus on retaining custom. With this in mind goals focused on retention and customer feedback reports would be more beneficial.

I am pro change and growth mindset. I truly believe in supporting individuals to seek other opinions and training options. We live in an ever evolving world and constantly need to adjust to our current needs. I think having open discussions about different courses you found helpful, or discussions about a difficult scenario with your team can support collaboration, open communication and further self development. You can do this in slack, over zoom or in person. Lean into your team, find the strengths you want to learn from them and set a goal.

When answering phone calls assistants must understand that the customer is only receiving part of the 3 elements of communication (7-38-55 rule by Albert Mehrabian: 7% words, 38 % voice, and 55% body language). Having a prepared script or points will help with the 7% words. Ensuring you put a smile on your face before starting a call will put a smile in your voice, which changes your tone and increases the 38% voice communication, resulting in the customer feeling important and heard.