Effective communication leveling validating
27-Jul-2020 10:49
Some people can do it naturally, but these questioning techniques are for those who struggle with it.” These advisors then, just like everyone else in the contact centre, need to be monitored.
Remember that it is no good giving the team this information and expecting each advisor to take it in.
When you confirm the information, it demonstrates that you have been listening and it also keeps the conversation on track – where the advisor wants it to go and the customer needs it go.” Asking a mixture of open and closed questions is key to the “the Funnel Effect”, which is a three-step questioning technique for contact centre advisors.
The three stages of the Funnel Effect are discussed further below by Lindsey Mc Ghie.
The most important thing to remember is proper positioning when questioning a customer, as this will allow you to ask almost anything.
This is very much dependent on good rapport building and listening skills.
This technique negates having to ask the same question at the end of the call, which can increase call handling time as human nature often means if we are asked if there is anything else, we will try to find something.
The key to effective questioning is simply to listen!
Asking at this point allows you to plan how your questioning will flow.
The style of wording helps to prompt the customer into giving the advisor all the relevant information in regard to their query.
As Gordon Walker, a contact centre trainer, says: To check that the call is going in the right direction, advisors should ask customers if they are happy and have understood everything that they have so far heard. Some examples of pre-closing questions include: “While these questioning techniques are great to point people in the right direction, the best thing is just to have that normal conversation.
This is with the thought that open questions will draw more information from the customer, which will allow the advisor to better attach a product or service to the customer’s needs.
However, Christine Knott believes that open questions should not be used in isolation, highlighting that closed questions (i.e.Step 3: Asking Closing Questions – Asking closed questions allows you to confirm both your own and the customer’s understanding of what has been discussed in that specific line of questioning.