Trucking Customer Service: The Art of the Phone Call

I can tell you that in 40 years, hands down, the best shopping experience I ever had was at Zumiez last Christmas. Zumiez is a skate and snowboard clothing store. I had never been there before, but my kids armed me with a very thorough, very expensive Christmas list because they love me and only want the best for themselves. Let me preface this by saying, I hate shopping. I go out of necessity and when I feel the need to have a girl’s day, but for the most part, I’d rather have buzzards peck my eyes out. And Christmas shopping? Let’s just say that I’m saving a vacation day for Cyber Monday because I can do some serious damage from home wearing my jammies and bunny slippers and sitting on my couch. However, I will venture out of the house for a trip to Zumiez.

I have always been an advocate of customer care. At my previous job, I was a trainer for many years. My forte was teaching the new people the art of the phone call. And it is an art. Not everyone is good on the phone and even less people are good listeners. People have to be trained to be good listeners. When you pick up the phone, you may be talking to a first time caller and you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. You are now, by default, the Ambassador of Goodwill and Fuzzy Wuzzy Feelings for your company.

Good call taking is extremely hard in trucking because there is a lot of emotion at play. Sales wants to get their freight moved, Ops wants to get their freight moved, CSR needs to get tenders and pickup and delivery times entered, drivers want to get their freight from Point A to Point B ASAP, and the customer just plain wants their freight moved. With all of this going on, a ringing phone can be the enemy.

Ten Tips to Keep Your Emotions in Check and Hold on to Your Company Ambassadorship

1. Listen. It is extremely hard to be a good listener. Actually focus on and hear what the caller is saying.
2. Be Respectful. Always remember to respect the person on the other side of the phone. It could be your millionth time hearing the same problem, but it could be the callers first time encountering this issue and you are their first line of defense.
3. Build a Relationship. Build it even if the relationship will only last a few minutes.
4. Be Patient. Some people are incapable of giving the short version of anything. Sometimes you just need to wait them out. If you cut them off, you risk being taken back to the beginning of the story. And while we are on the subject, do not yell into the phone if you have a caller whose first language isn’t English. You sound just as foreign to them, only louder.
5. Be Genuine. People are not idiots. They can tell fake and sarcastic a mile away even if you think you are being sly.
6. Be Truthful. People are more amazed and dazzled by the truth than layers of lies.
7. Bring Solutions. If there is a problem, tell the affected party immediately and then convey your course of action. They might be mad, but they will be “informed mad” instead of “in the dark totally ticked off mad”.
8. Be Helpful. Help until you can’t help anymore and then find someone that can offer them a higher level of care.
9. Be There. Let the caller know he can call you back if he needs more assistance. Give them your name.
10. Be Nice. As Patrick Swayze said in Roadhouse, “I want you to be nice until it is time to not be nice”. When that time comes, give the caller to a supervisor.

Remember, this may be a prospect or new customer and you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. Smile, bite your pencil, or do whatever it takes to be an Ambassador of Goodwill and the best example of your company possible.