Simon Says: Don't Editorialize

by Elaine Senecal / illustration by Chris Lewis

November, 2003

We know so well how negative remarks can affect our decisions to do business with people and companies.  That is why it is imperative that we educate our agents on the effect of even the smallest editorial comment they may make.

Whether it is a basic telemessaging account or an advanced teleservices account, agents who make negative editorials can be very damaging to the client we are representing as well as to our call center's image. 

More often than not, negative comments are used by agents to shelter themselves from the caller, to deflect the blame away from the agent.  However, editorials only give that caller more ammunition to use against us, our agents, and our clients. 

Train your agents to empathize with the callers' frustration, by listening and acknowledging the inconvenience without editorializing.  Phrases as simple as; "I understand your frustration," "I'll be happy to assist you," "I'll look into the situation," and "I'm sorry for the difficulty" are key phrases that can be used in most situations. 

We've all heard that old cliché "It's not what you say, it's how you say it," that makes all the difference.  In this case it is what you say that makes the difference.

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