The Recipe for a Perfect Call
Many people view Quality Assurance (QA) as a necessary evil within their call centre, “ticking the boxes” against relevant legislative and compliance requirements. But a good QA program also analyses the overall call flow and framework to design the recipe for a “perfect call”. In this article, we examine the ingredients of a successful outbound sales call.
Leads or prospects are a finite resource and as such it’s vital that we make the most of each and every one of them. By analysing agent behaviours and interactions with leads or prospects, we can pinpoint areas where we may have compromised our call objectives and then implement remedial coaching and development.
Given we typically have less than fifteen seconds to create interest and desire with prospects, we need to have a strong and compelling introduction and give them a reason to listen. All too often agents deviate from the provided call flow, and these calls rarely get past the introduction.
If successful with our introduction, we need to take the time to properly understand the needs of our prospects and determine what solution(s) will work best for them. A post-call reflection allows us to determine:
- whether the prospect was qualified appropriately through open-ended questions.
- whether we offered them the best solution for their needs and provided a good customer experience.
- Did we present a range of options to them, or just the one option?
- Did we listen to what the prospect was really telling us?
- Did we build trust and credibility?
- Did we create value in our products and services, as opposed to focusing purely on price?
When prospects raise objections, many agents are unable to overcome them so lose the sale. A QA program aims to continuously spot customer objections and take them as learnings which can be incorporated into future agent training and coaching. After all, an objection is often merely a request for more information, as there is something that the prospect either doesn’t believe, properly understand or requires further clarification on.
Analysing agent interactions also allows us to drive continuous improvement in how agents engage and build rapport, as well as measuring their confidence and brand advocacy.
On the subject of scripts, it should be noted that a good customer experience and robotic scripting do not go hand in hand! Good scripts should be appropriately relaxed, naturally free-flowing and conversational to encourage prospects to let their guard down and engage meaningfully with us.
In conjunction with the above, reviewing individual agent call volumes, time spent with prospects & presentation and conversion rates, quickly reveals which agents are having quality conversations and producing successful outcomes.
Ultimately, the more we focus on quality assurance and listening programs, the higher the chance we have of achieving “the recipe for a perfect call” – which in today’s fast-paced world is no mean feat!
This article was authored by a Matchboard supplier of outsourced call centre services in Australia and the Philippines. Enter your call centre outsourcing needs
Last updated on: April 23, 2024
