Contact Center Pipeline September 2024 | Page 7

Some Gen Zs might feel that way when asked to deliver telephone customer service .

If you are over 40 , it is easy to assume people know how to talk on the phone . However , Gen Z grew up texting friends , not calling . They may not even know HOW to talk on the phone with an upset customer .

Just as you would not expect a new hire to know your return policy without training , you should not expect them to be proficient on the phone without guidance .

So , support your youngest employees with EXTRA phone skills training if you are assigning them to the voice queue . Train them on foundational phone skills such as the following .

• Using basic pleasantries . For example , “ Please ,” “ Thank you ” ( not “ No problem ”), “ Yes ” ( not “ Yeah ”), etc .

• Effectively modulating their own voice to show energy and support .

• Leveraging emotional intelligence to recognize and respond to subtle vocal cues from the customer .

• Active listening skills , such as paraphrasing and asking clarifying follow up questions .

• Using pauses and polite stalling tactics so they can retrieve information without placing the customer on hold .

• Critical thinking skills . So , they can respond in real time to the customers ’ issue .

Finally , add plenty of practice time . So , they can practice their new “ phone voice ” and active listening skills in a safe training environment before they take phone calls from customers !

" ULTIMATELY , YOU WANT EVERY AGENT TO EXCEL IN VOICE , CHAT , AND EMAIL CUSTOMER SERVICE ... [ SO ] ASSIST YOUR YOUNGEST AGENTS WITH PHONE SKILLS AND YOUR VETERAN AGENTS WITH FRIENDLY WRITING SKILLS ."

-- MIKE AOKI

This is because when we , and I am a Generation Xer , wrote something , it was for teachers and professors at school . There was no text messaging when I was a teenager . We called our friends on the phone . So when we wrote , it was for school essays and book reports , which meant using a formal writing style .

However , customers see that style as " too corporate " or " unfriendly ." Since a customer ' s emotional impression of an email or chat comes from the words you type , those words need to sound friendly , empathetic , and supportive .

I have trained people who are friendly and warm in person , yet they come across as " cold " based on their writing . I typically observe this with veteran voice agents . Their warm vocal tone and use of " small talk " over the phone does not show in their writing style . Instead , their chats read like a book report .

To make a better impression , I train agents to " write in the warmth " in their emails and chats . This includes typing in words of empathy and using shorter , friendly-sounding phrases to make the chat or email warmer in tone .

Ultimately , you want every agent to excel in voice , chat , and email customer service . To achieve this , assist your youngest agents with phone skills and your veteran agents with friendly writing skills . This ensures your contact center makes the best impression on all of your customers .

DO YOU SEE A ROLE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ( AI ) IN ENABLING COACHING AND TRAINING ? IF SO , WHERE AND HOW CAN AI HELP ?

A : As a customer , I have had mixed experiences with AI-driven live chat and AI voice agents . It worked well for basic , factual inquiries such as product details .

However , it failed at handling complicated requests . On the other hand , using AI for agent assistance appears much more promising ! It can help agents find information faster within the knowledge base .

ARE THERE COACHING AND TRAINING CHALLENGES WITH OTHER DEMOGRAPHICS AND IF SO , WHICH ONES ? PLEASE DISCUSS .

A : Ironically , Generation X ( born 1965-1980 ) and older Millennials ( born 1981-1996 ) tend to have the opposite challenge : customers can perceive their chat and email writing styles as " too formal ."

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