Telemarketing Lead Generation Blog

Customer Service Techniques are Critical in B2B Teleprospecting

Posted on Sep 6, 2011 by Ashlea Harris, Vice President of Program Management & Operations

The customer experience can be defined as a collection of experiences that a customer or prospect has with a supplier of goods or services throughout the duration of their relationship with that supplier. From awareness, discovery, interaction, purchase, use, cultivation and advocacy. It can also be used to describe an individual’s experience during one transaction.

Just as it’s important to train agents on the products they will promote and the sales skills they will need for success, it’s also important to incorporate basic customer service training sessions into any call center curriculum. This type of training should be designed to ensure the overall customer experience remains at the forefront of each call. Basic customer service phone skills are just as important in B2B teleprospecting as they are in B2C call centers.

Here are a few important tips that are included in our customer service training, and are easily incorporated into calls:

• Make sure to share your first and last name – By giving the contact your name, it demonstrates accountability and communicates a sincere desire to help. It also gives prospects a reference should they need to call you back.
• Ask questions & Listen – You should ask questions in order to gain information, to focus the conversation and to build rapport.
• Don’t forget to smile – When you smile, you sound friendly, interested, and helpful. You also make the customer feel that your sole intent is to be of service and prospects can tell the difference.
• Be Confident- I always tell agents not to apologize for taking a few minutes of a contact’s time. You have something of value to say and it may actually help them with a challenge they are experiencing or even save them some research time on a topic they may need to be educated on.
• Recap what you have discussed – Restate in your own words what the contact has discussed with you. You can paraphrase to be sure that you understand the contact’s needs. The prospect will then have the opportunity to fill in any holes or clarify any details for you.
• Repeat the contact’s name – By repeating the contact’s name during a conversation, it shows you are genuinely interested in your customers and makes future discussions much easier. Using contact names will help you to create rapport.
• Return calls promptly – This will help you quickly gain a reputation for being responsive and professional. It will also leave your contact feeling good about the company brand and overall customer experience.
• Give every contact your best – Stay engaged with the contact when you finally reach them. Don’t think about your to-do list, the next meeting on your calendar or anticipated break. Focus on the call and never make the prospect feel that you are hurried or not interested.
• Brand your call- Make sure to mention your company name one last time prior to hanging up the phone. It will help to brand the company and link your company with a positive experience.

Remembering these basic skills will eventually become a habit over time. Make sure your prospects feel taken care of every step of the way!

Tagged: teleprospecting, lead generation teleprospecting, lead generation telemarketing, teleprospecting tips, targeted lead generation, lead generation

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