Agent support manual

Communications - communicate verbally

In a customer contact centre, the majority of communication is verbal. Verbal communication refers to spoken communication and is used to: bullet point.

pass information from one person to another within the company , bullet point.
exchange information over the telephone , bullet point.
share information at meetings , bullet point.
make or confirm appointments , bullet point.
ask questions to help you improve in your role.

Remember the whispers games you played when you were a child, where someone starts a message and the message changes as it goes round the circle? This is an example of poor verbal communication. Good verbal communication allows you to get a message across clearly and effectively.

As a call centre agent, good verbal communication skills are one of your most important assets. Increasing your awareness of issues involved in verbal communication will allow you to improve your skills, and your overall workplace performance.

Verbal communication involves much more than just talking! If you talk without listening, then you are not communicating. Good verbal communication skills require strong listening skills. To find out more about active listening, refer to Active listening and empathy in this Agent support manual.

Different types of communication

Use this chart to help you distinguish between verbal communication and other communication types:

Verbal

Phone call

Teleconference

Meeting

Discussion

Non-verbal

Body language

Symbol (for example, a No smoking sign)

Written

Fax

Letter

E-mail

Report

Minutes from a meeting

Memo

Vocal techniques

It isn't what you say; it's the way that you say it

The way you speak is just as important as what you say. It is important to be aware of your audience and adapt your speech to their needs. You will find that your audience will respond better to what you say if speak as if you mean it.

You can improve your listener's understanding of your message by using vocal techniques and adjusting your pitch, speed and volume.

Pitch

Your voice tone or pitch should not be too high (as this can sound child-like) or too deep (as this can sound threatening).

Speed

You should vary your speed depending on your circumstances. For example, you should speak more slowly to a group of people than to an individual.

If you speak too quickly, your listeners may have trouble understanding you and will probably miss some of the detail.

If you speak too slowly, you can sound patronising.

Volume

You should vary the volume of your speech depending on your circumstances.

For example, you will need to increase the volume of your speech if: bullet point.

you are speaking to customer who is hard of hearing , bullet point.
you are using a poor quality phone line , bullet point.
there is a lot of background noise.

If you're unsure about your tone or pitch, speed and volume, it's a good idea to ask someone to listen to your normal conversation and give you feedback.

Using verbal communication to create a written message

There may be times at work when you will be asked to listen to information, and then write it down to pass on to someone else.

Have a look at these examples:

You attend a meeting where your team leader demonstrates a new product. You make notes on the product and pass them on to an absent colleague.
A customer calls and asks to speak to an agent who is not there. You take a message to give to your colleague when they return.

Message taking and translating verbal information into a written format requires accurate listening as well as good verbal communication skills. To be successful, you should: bullet point.

use active listening and questioning techniques to make sure that you fully understand what is being said , bullet point.
make sure that you have all the information you need, before ending the conversation , bullet point.
ask questions to clarify what was said if you didn't fully understand , bullet point.
write down the information accurately, checking grammar and spelling , bullet point.
read the message back to ensure that it is accurate , bullet point.
check the accuracy of the format and structure you have used.

For more information on the format and structure of written correspondence, see Correspondence - business letters in this Agent support manual.

Taking telephone messages

In a customer contact centre you will often take telephone messages for colleagues. When doing so, make sure that you note: bullet point.

the name of the recipient (the person who the message is for) , bullet point.
the caller's name , bullet point.
the caller's phone number (including the area code) , bullet point.
the reason for the call , bullet point.
when it would be convenient to call back , bullet point.
the time and date the message was received , bullet point.
your name, to identify that you took the message.

If you need to ask the customer to repeat the details and/or spell out unfamiliar words, use questions such as:

Could you spell that for me please?

May I have your name again please?

Useful hints for taking messages bullet point.

Always pass on the message as quickly as possible. , bullet point.
You might want to make notes while you are listening to the message giver, and then write it up neatly and accurately before passing it on. , bullet point.
Make sure that the recipient has received the message. If the receiving agent works at a desk used by several people, you might prefer to put the message in a pigeonhole. , bullet point.
Check that the intended recipient has received the message.

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