Articles about empathy

The right words and phrases to use with an angry customer

When it comes to calming angry customers, a skilful use of language by your agents could be very important. Here, we look into the words and phrases most likely to defuse the situation and bring about a mutually agreeable reconciliation.

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How to help call centre agents deal with stress

Contact centre work can be stressful. So how can we ensure that call agents can remain stress free? Felicity Hunter asked a number of agents for their tips.

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The best ways to end an inbound complaint call

The manner in which your agents close their inbound calls can significantly affect the caller’s impression of your company, and greatly influence the future of your business relationships. Keep your customers coming back for more with this helpful guide to closing inbound calls…

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Training Cheat Sheet – Emotional Intelligence

This week we launch the final cheat sheet in the series of downloadable training materials on Emotional Intelligence.

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Seven music on-hold tracks to avoid

While on-hold music has the potential to soothe, calm and appease prospective complainants, it also has the power to irritate callers to the point of tears. Minimise the chances of unnecessary exacerbation by avoiding these seven inappropriate music on-hold tracks….

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Seven deadly sins of call scripting

Are your scripts switching off your customers? Scripts can be an easy way to ensure agents say the right thing at the right time. But they could also be switching your customers off. If your scripts are guilty of any of the seven deadly sins below, it could be time for a rewrite.

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The Top Ten Customer Annoyances to Avoid

While eliminating customer annoyances may not double your client base overnight, it will help to secure your customers’ confidence in your abilities as a reliable, efficient service provider. The following are the ten annoyances most likely to prevent your customers from returning to you for future business. Avoid them like the plague.

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What can contact centres learn from market traders?

Paul Cooper argues that we can all learn a lot from a trip down at the local market, especially when it comes to customer service.

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Ten tips to improve customer retention

Increasing competition, rising customer expectations, and an uncertain economy have created an even greater need to strengthen customer relationships and maximise customer retention. Here are some expert tips on improving customer retention and ensuring loyalty.

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