Christina Balignasa McLeod understands the importance of telephone etiquette.
The San Diego District consumer affairs associate and five co-workers field approximately 65 customer calls a day. McLeod strives to treat each caller with courtesy and respect.
“I love dealing with customers’ issues and providing resolutions,” she says.
USPS encourages this kind of approach. By improving customer service, the organization wants to build loyalty and increase revenue.
To help employees who serve customers over the phone, McLeod offers these tips:
• Introduce yourself. “I always try to greet customers with a positive attitude,” she says.
• Listen. If a customer is calling to report a problem, empathize and show you care about his or her concerns.
• Be helpful. If the caller wants to let you know about a misdelivery, a missing package or another mishap, apologize and let the caller know you will do everything you can to provide a resolution.
McLeod’s most important advice: If a caller is irate, don’t argue with him or her.
“Let them vent,” she says. “Remember, they’re just frustrated because they feel they didn’t get the service they paid for.”
“Best Practices,” a series on employees who demonstrate on-the-job excellence, appears regularly in Link.