Seven Steps to the 'Call-flow Process - Customer Service

The Call-flow Process

Purpose: Use this SkillGuide to review the stages of the call-flow process.

The stages of the call-flow process involve:

1. Greeting the customer: Answer by the third ring, smile, speak clearly, give the customer your undivided attention, identify yourself and your department, offer help, and note the customer's name. Begin the conversation with your customer on a positive note.
2. Listening to the customer: Ignore disruptions, distractions, or uncomfortable surroundings such as noise, lighting, or being too hot or too cold. Concentrate on what the customer is saying to you, and attempt to identify the information that is most important.
3. Determining customer needs: Listen actively to the customer from the beginning of the conversation. Paraphrase what the customer has communicated to you, ask questions, and get feedback.
4. Responding to customer needs: First, provide an empathy statement to address the customer's psychological needs. Then, with the customer, develop an action plan that directly addresses his business needs. Developing an action plan involves informing the customer of the steps you plan to take; explaining any steps he should take; telling the customer the benefits of your actions; indicating the timeframe of the results; and checking to ensure the customer has understood the proposed solutions.
5. Getting agreement: Seek feedback and agreement from the customer at this point to establish whether he is satisfied with the solution.
6. Concluding the call: Smile and have a positive, friendly attitude; use the customer's name; review the plan of action; offer further assistance; and thank him for calling.
7. Following up as necessary: You might want to follow up particularly urgent requests or requests that are critical to a large number of users.