What if your day of customer service was doomed before you even clocked in?
If you answer the phone as part of your job, then you spend plenty of time troubleshooting customer problems. However, it may be difficult (and sometimes impossible) to do so if they have a problem with your phone voice.
As customer service representatives (CSRs), sometimes we speak too high, too fast, or with the wrong tone, and it really turns callers off. How, then, can you get a better telephone sound for yourself? Keep reading to find out!
1. Record Your Voice and Listen to It
Many people are shocked to hear complaints about their phone voices. The reason for this is very simple: Most of us don’t know what we sound like to other people. We only know what we sound like to ourselves, and that is often a very different sound altogether.
That’s why one of the best things you can do to improve how you speak on telephones is to record your own voice and listen to it. That will help you discover if you need to work on any of the issues we touched on before, like speaking too fast or with too high of a pitch. It can sometimes be weird to listen to recordings of yourself for the first time, but this remains the single best way to improve your professional sound.
2. Drink Plenty of Water Between Calls
No matter where you work, it’s important to get plenty of water throughout the day. However, hydration becomes even more important for those who are speaking on the telephone all day because voices can get very dry before anyone expects it.
Even if you have an otherwise perfect sound on the phone, a lack of hydration can make your voice raspy and difficult to understand. We recommend getting a big bottle of water and keeping it by your desk as you work.
3. Smile Before Picking Up the Telephone
Here’s something you may not realize: Callers can instantly pick up on the tone of your words. Sometimes, you can affect the tone by changing the pitch of your voice. But if your primary concern is sounding a bit friendlier, all you have to do is smile before you pick up the receiver.
The physical act of smiling transforms your voice into one that instantly sounds friendlier. For this reason, many in phone sales are instructed to smile as they speak. Fortunately, this trick works perfectly well in customer service too.
4. Slow Down as You Speak
Ever heard the phrase “It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it?” Sometimes, the main issue with telephone workers is that they naturally speak a bit fast. If you get callers from an area where people speak slower (such as the American south), they may have difficulty understanding what you are saying.
To fix this, we again recommend recording yourself, this time so you can listen to how fast you speak. The goal is to find a “sweet spot” where you are speaking slowly enough for everyone to understand you but still fast enough that you aren’t spending too much time on each call.
5. Study a Pronunciation Dictionary
Another big reason some callers might have difficulty understanding you is that you may be pronouncing some words wrong. Ironically, this is a problem that often happens to well-read people because they are often using words they have only read but never heard out loud.
If this sounds like you, then we recommend picking up a different book altogether: a pronunciation dictionary. You don’t have to read the whole thing from beginning to end. Instead, try to record yourself running through a few mock calls and then check the pronunciation of the words you most commonly use so you can hopefully reduce the number of angry callers you encounter.
6. Make Gestures While You Speak
Do you know how some people “talk with their hands?” For many of us, it’s natural to energetically move our hands and arms while we speak. Believe it or not, this (much like whether you are smiling or not) is something customers can hear over the phone!
If you currently work with a traditional phone, we recommend switching to a headset instead. This will not only leave your hands free to grab the occasional sip of water (never forget the need for hydration) but also leave you free to speak with your hands even on the phone. Once you are able to speak with the same level of energy and enthusiasm you do outside of work, you’ll be amazed at how many people can better understand you.
7. Practice Speaking From Your Diaphragm
Let’s say you’re someone who speaks with a high-pitched vocalization and your callers can’t understand you. How can you work to improve your pitch? While it’s easier said than done, you need to practice speaking from your diaphragm.
Most people with higher voices are effectively speaking from the throat. Instead, you need to practice speaking from “the belly” (aka, from your diaphragm). Sometimes, doing this is as simple as getting more air into your body (diaphragmatic breathing helps with this) to “power” your words. If you do this correctly, it will naturally lower your pitch, making you easier to hear on the phone. A lower inflection will also sound more confident to callers, though sounding completely confident to each caller may take quite a bit of practice.
Put Your Phone Voice to Use at an Exciting New Job!
Now you know how to get a better telephone sound. But do you know where you can put it to its best possible use?
At Seguros Confie, we are always looking to hire driven workers just like yourself. We offer outstanding benefits, have a great culture and room for growth. To see how we can help find the job you’ve been dreaming of, all you need to do is apply today!