Everything You Need to Know About Building Rapport Over Phone

Be it handling incoming calls or dialing outgoing calls, the first step to ensuring effective customer relationships is building a strong rapport. These seven tips can help a lot with rapport building.

1. Open the call with a smile and maintain it throughout the call

Here’s a fun fact—smiles are contagious and they have a sound. A study conducted by a group of researchers in the UK found that people don’t need to see a smile but can perceive the sound of different types of smiles when they’re interacting with someone on the phone.

Another study conducted by a group of researchers in Paris found that smiles don’t just have a sound but are contagious. When a person hears someone smiling during a phone call, they are more likely to mimic the gesture.

That’s why customer service representatives should smile as they speak with customers, every single time. While calling someone, smile and greet them just as you would when you meet them in person.

The smiling voice is far more relaxing and welcoming than a non-smiling voice. The person on the other side is more likely to perceive the smile and warm up to you. Make sure that you maintain a good posture while doing that.

2. Ask customers how they’d like to be addressed

When you call someone or receive a call, you are likely to speak to someone much older (or younger) than you. They may come from different backgrounds and they may like to be addressed by their preferred titles and identity.

For instance, if you’re speaking with a physician it’s prudent to address them by their title (Dr.) and surname. The problem is you can’t see who is on the other side, so you should ask them how they’d like to be addressed.

Most of the time, callers will insist that you call them by their first name. In that case, you must make sure that you pronounce their names correctly and address them by their names throughout the call in a friendly and caring manner. Repeating names multiple times will act as reinforcement and enable you to remember them for a long time.

3. Listen intently

To build rapport with prospects and customers over phone calls, listening with intent can be a game changer. Actively listening to the callers can enable you to understand what they want and equip you to help them better.

But when it comes to listening actively, a majority of people struggle. A study found that the average person listens at nearly 25 percent efficiency.

But thankfully, several ways are using which agents can listen actively. The most basic step is to let the person on the other line speak and resist the urge to interrupt.

Pay undivided attention to details and focus completely on their words. Use words such as “I see,” “I understand,” and “Right,” at regular intervals to let them know that you’re listening.

4. Put yourself in your callers’ shoes

Several recent studies have found a direct connection between empathy and increased rapport in phone calls.

A study conducted by Denmark-based customer engagement software company Dixa found that 96 percent of customers perceive empathy as the key to excellent customer service.

In such a scenario, showing empathy to people on the other side of the call is a great way to increase rapport.

Agents can empathize with customers by looking at the situation from the other party’s point of view.

Agents also should put themselves in the shoes of their customers and use phrases such as “I can understand how you feel,” or “I see where you’re coming from and I completely understand what you mean by that” to show that they care about the other party.

5. Match their energy and speed

Did you know agents can build rapport over the phone in a subtle way by matching the energy and speed of a person on the other side of the call?

Agents are more productive and receptive when they match customers’ energy and speed. That’s because mirroring the other person’s energy and speed can enable agents to listen to them effectively and maintain a positive emotional state during the interaction.

Let’s suppose that you get a call from someone who is a slower talker. If you speak too fast, then they’ll find it hard to keep up with you, or worse, they may get overwhelmed by the sudden flurry of information.

But if you speak slowly with a quick talker, then you may bore them. That’s why it’s advisable to match the other person’s energy and speed without changing your personality or style of speaking.

6. Ask open-ended questions

Productive and open-ended questions play a huge role in building rapport and connecting people on a personal level. When it comes to questions, there are two types—close-ended and open-ended.

The former asks respondents to choose a “yes” or a “no” or any option in a set of multiple-choice questions. The latter doesn’t have any fixed limits or definite rules for answers.

Such questions can encourage prospects and customers to provide insightful and unique answers. The more you ask, the more you engage them and deepen the connection.

For that, you need to understand where the person on the other end comes from and what types of questions would be suitable for them.

7. Summarize the call and thank the other person for their time

At the end of the call, summarize the points you have discussed and tell the action you intend to take. If possible repeat the other person’s language and words as it will show that you have listened to everything they have said and can enable you to build rapport with them. It’s also an excellent way to show your attention to the details.

Last but not least, thank the other person for their time before ending the call. We all know that gratitude is a great virtue.

It’s also a powerful catalyst for business success. As per a study, nine out of every ten respondents said that they are more likely to do business with brands that express gratitude to their customers.