When You Need to Route a Customer Phone Call
Robert Bacal
THE SITUATION
Customers don’t always know who they need to speak to or even the specific department they need to contact. When a customer calls and isn’t clear about who to speak to, your job is to get enough information to route the phone call to the right place the first time, so the customer can be served quickly.
TECHNIQUES USED
■ Offer Choices/Empowering (1)
■ Ask Probing Questions (2)
■ Active Listening (3)
DIALOGUE
In this example, the customer is calling about some issue with her check, but the employee is not immediately clear on the specific issue and therefore the person or department that needs to be involved.
Customer: I need to speak to someone about my check.
Employee: I want to make sure I direct you to the right person the first time, so can I ask you a few questions (1)?
Customer: Sure.
Employee: OK, are you calling because there’s a problem with your check (2)?
Customer: No, I’m just looking for information about how I can change my tax deductions.
Employee: So, you want to know what paperwork you need to complete to make sure the tax deducted is more accurate. Is that what you need (3)? 23. When You Need to Route a Customer Phone Call 108
Customer: Yes, exactly.
Employee: Good.You need to speak to Jan in payroll. I can transfer you or give you the number to phone her directly, whichever is more convenient.What works best for you (1)?
EXPLANATIONS
The employee needs to get enough information to route the call to the correct person. To get that information, the employee uses probing questions (2). Notice that the employee asks permission to do this to demonstrate to the customer that she’s important (1). If necessary, the employee would ask a longer series of questions.
In (3) the employee uses reflective listening to verify or confirm that he and the customer are on the same wavelength and that he understands what the customer wants.
Once the employee is confident he has enough information to direct the call, he indicates the specific person the caller needs to contact and offers two options—transferring her to Jan or giving the customer the direct phone number so she can phone Jan at her convenience (1).
HINTS
When transferring a call, it’s always good to inform the party receiving the transfer about the nature of the caller’s needs or problem.
It’s worth spending a few more seconds finding out what the customer needs before directing the call. When you direct a customer to the right place the first time, everyone wins. The customer feels valued and impressed with your competence, and your coworkers and other employees spend their time more productively.
See Also: 22. When You Need to Place a Caller on Hold, 11. When the Customer Has Been “Buck-Passed”