Phone greeting problem

Okay everyone I’m asking for ideas.

I work in a call center and we ask for phone numbers from every caller, for calling people back, or whatever. No soliciting.

My policy used to be to ask for it “in case we get disconnected.” With the advent of cellphones as the primary phone for people, this is becoming more common. However, my company has decided that we do not want to imply that there may be a technical problem which would disconnect the phone. So instead we are being asked to say “in case I need to call you back.” This to me implies that the rep is stupid or cannot help you. Additionally our company stresses one call resolution and then contradicts that in the first 20 seconds of the call. But my company has never been bright.

So my appeal to you is: I need a new way to ask for a phone number from a caller that doesn’t imply someone is doing something wrong.

I thought about “for our records” but then we’ve already got it, and why should I give it again, blah blah blah.

So any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Sky

What service are you providing? Are you selling something? You might be able to say that each customer has a file which is stored in a database, one which needs a phone-number in order to be filed correctly, one you have to manually type in.

You might try asking without explanation first. You might get a lot of people who just give it to you. I do not think that asking for the number implies that you are stupid. Why can you not say “in case there is a phone company problem”? This would be a problem if you are the phone company, I suppose. Can this not be done as a way of verifying who you are speaking to? Some companies do this - ask you questions that they know the answer to so that they can verify it is the customer with whom they speak.

I have few details to work with.

I used to take complaint calls at a big insurance company, and could ask people anything I wanted. They always complied, but that was always a special circumstance.

Actually I do work in health insurance.

We actually do not keep numbers on file and some members know this. I work with a specialty group (just one employer) and some of their members are too well informed (annoyingly so). We’re just looking for a formal scripting that works for all call centers we have and does not imply blame to any part of our company. Or at least that’s what I’m looking for.

Well, if you get disconnected and call right back, this doesn’t really violate your “one-call” promise. I’m also not sure that people will be unsubscribing in droves if they suspect that your phone system isn’t infallible.

Why don’t you keep numbers on file? Why wouldn’t a customer call right back if there was a disconnection?

Do you ask them for an ID number? Can’t you just say “May I have your account number first and then your phone number, please?”

I know how companies obsess over minutiae like this. But if your service is good overall, I cannot see why this is a problem.

I had the worst of the worst complaint calls, and I could always get any information from them that I wanted - except the truth behind the lies they told. This was auto and home insurance. People tend to believe the problem is only as big as you allow them to believe. Sometimes I would minimize it, and sometimes I would actually exaggerate the seriousness of the problem.

Are these just questions about coverage? I don’t see why your company should be so defensive - there is surely a reason. I think it is best to be honest whenever you can about some things, and things as trivial as a phone number seem to be of this type. I would just ask. If they balk, wing it. You can tell a lot about a customer from information you get (like tone of voice) in the first few seconds.

Sorry I can’t be of more help.

say “hello, I am a (call center worker) and our computer has dialed your number. I need to know how the computer reached you. What is the number that the computer has dialed to reach you?”

and if they say "duh… "

you say “what’s your phone number please?”

they will probably not be smart enough to say “you should know, you called me”

or you could hire a bunch of pranksters who answer the phone by saying “hello, what number did I just dial?” and when they tell you, answer “that is correct! you win another free phone call from our company!”

-Imp

Thank the gods we do not make outbound calls. I couldn’t do that.

Thanks for the ideas Faust. My company is totally strict about having an official scripting for EVERYTHING even though reps don’t use it. Our audit guidelines are a bit ridiculous as well. Until recently we could not say bye-bye. We still cannot use the word “yeah” during a conversation or “uh-huh” as confirmation. It is the most strict vocal guidelines I’ve seen. We have to be pleasantly, conversational, but completely and utterly professional. They want computers with human voices. But, at this company it is most acceptable to abuse service reps and make us sound as unsure and stupid as possible, but the minute we suggest another department is to blame or that our computer systems do not work perfectly, that is an aggregious error. It’s ridiculous.

Ninja edit: The concern is that this may become an audit error. And if it is a procedural error, this will be big. And affect my pay. :frowning:

I can’t let this thread slip by without this being linked-to in it :slight_smile: Some of you will have heard it before, as it isn’t new.

Hello F(r)iends,

Almost as soon as you pickup:

“Could I please have a phone number where I may reach you?”

This does not contradict your one call policy because you haven’t stated the reason you need to reach this person. If they ask “why?” Then you go into a reason: “someone may followup this call to ensure I gave you the best client service possible” and since that someone could be you, then it is not lying…

Or something like that…

-Thirst

Alan Patridge voice Fan-tas-tic!

can i get you 7 digits. then maybe we can go out for a fish sandwhich and some colvosaire"

Back when I worked as a collections rep I found that asking directly, simply and politely worked 98% of the time. Sort of like asking a girl out, you ask like the foregone answer is yes, as though there’s no reason to think it could be no. If I was ever pressed I’d say it was “for verification,” for “quality control” etc. The reason, if ever I was asked to give one, was mostly irrelevant and given in the same tone as the original question (ie as though my answer could leave no further debate).

There is no “magic bullet” that works on all people all the time (er, I mean that figuratively; I imagine there are plenty real bullets that work reliably). Collections is a bit different in a sense but phone work is phone work is phone work.

get caller Id on your company phones, that will eliminate your problems. Most folks expect companies and civilians to have ID anyway or *69.

If you can’t go that route simply ask may I have a number that I can reach you, if I have further info. to give you.