Here’s How You Can Build Customer Rapport in the Contact Center

More often than not sales calls sound way too scripted and lack credibility. The result is that companies end up failing to make the most of their sales activities. That’s why you should focus on building customer rapport from the very first contact you make with customers.

Building rapport with customers means making sincere connections, and, mainly through phone conversations, creating a common ground of trust. Showing genuine interest, building trust and creating an atmosphere of empathy with your customers is vital if you want to please them and increase your sales.

So, below are some tips on how to build customer rapport in the contact center. Make sure to read on! 

1. Create a personal interaction

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of personalized customer experience. Adding personal touches to your customer interactions will help you stand out from the crowd. And in such a saturated business environment, you need all the help you can get.

The first thing to do to personalize your customer interactions is to address customers by their name. This is an easy thing to do if your CRM system is integrated with your contact center software, and it’s a small step that can make a really big difference.

When talking to a prospect, you have on average 7 seconds to make a good first impression. Using their name is a simple and effective way of doing so. So give it a try!

2. Show genuine interest

During sales calls, customers want to feel they have the opportunity to share their thoughts about your product or services. More importantly, they want to feel that their needs and concerns are being addressed properly.

As you’ll need to learn about the real needs of your prospect before making an offer, showing genuine interest towards them is an absolute necessity. So, when you’re talking to a prospect on the phone, instead of engaging in meaningless small talk, try and make sure you show interest from the very beginning.

The more you can make customers feel they are being listened to, the easier it will be to build rapport with them.

3. Use positive scripting

While many people are against the use of scripts, using a call center script can have a powerful effect on your business – but only if the script you use is powerful itself.

In particular, using scripts which focus on positive messages and positivity, rather than negative messages and negativity, will greatly help build customer support.

To give you a simple example, encourage your agents to say “let me ask a colleague” instead of saying “I don’t know”. By doing this, your agent will be generating reassuring, positive emotions during the conversation, whilst also conveying a friendly customer service attitude.

4. Listen carefully and recap what you’ve heard

Active listening, in other words showing your customers that you are paying attention to what they are saying during a phone interaction, is a great way to build customer rapport.

For example, when talking to a prospect, after you have got an overall picture of their needs, make sure to repeat and summarize what you’ve heard before you make an offer.

Also, recapping what’s been said will not only reassure your customers that you understand their needs but will also help you avoid any communication misunderstandings.

Building customer rapport is a prerequisite if you want to gain customers for good. Make sure you follow our tips and start creating meaningful customer interactions!