Thanks for your comment! Those are good points and strategies. It depends on what sort of job you have and how happy the average caller is. I would think that more callers that call are happy than are frustrated?

1) Outsource their support
2) Don’t offer phone support

Many people are please to hear me answer the phone with my Texas accent and say “Hi, my name is Major - how are you doing today?” I’ve had customers actually stop me and say “I’m so glad I don’t have to talk to someone that I can’t understand”.

I use their response as an “emotional dipstick” to know how upset they are as well. If someone’s calling in and they’re infuriated, I’m going to be very direct and expedient. However, it someone sounds jovial and pleased, I’ll be sure to start up some conversations while my computer is loading their account information.

Our group regularly works with companies who are providing service to dealer networks. The CSRs in these scenarios have a group of dealers or Sales Managers that they have a relationship with because they talk to them regularly, sometimes multiple times a day. In those cases, a “how are you today” works because there’s already a relationship established.

Service Untitled has an interesting post, How Are You Today? I do often wonder why people ask me that when they obviously don’t really care how I am doing. Just another one of those “robotic phrases” I’ve talked about before…….