To train or not to train? That is not the question. Especially when it comes to your phone calls. However, at CallRevu, we frequently hear our partners contemplating whether they need training. If there is one piece of advice you should heed from us, its this TRAIN. YOUR. PEOPLE.
by Cory Wright
To train or not to train? That is not the question. Especially when it comes to your phone calls. However, at CallRevu, we frequently hear our partners contemplating whether they need training. If there is one piece of advice you should heed from us, its this TRAIN. YOUR. PEOPLE. You wouldn’t send your quarterback out without proper coaching. Similarly, you shouldn’t send your key players to the phone without adequate training. Since football season is upon us, it serves as a reminder of what separates the good from the great. Like in football, there are so many different strategies and methods that need to be practiced and refined when it comes to your customers’ phone experience.
The pandemic has taught us a tough lesson, highlighting the need for increased phone training. As COVID-19 set in and stay-at-home orders were issued, retailers were forced to quickly pivot from showroom sales to remote sales with very little time to prepare. Those who mastered the basics of the phone experience and had a training program in place were much more nimble and able to adapt to meet new challenges. By contrast, those who did not have an existing training program realized they needed to take drastic overhaul measures to even be able to compete.
Fortunately, there’s still time to learn from the recent hard times and get your staff ready for what appears to be a bright future.
Here’s what you need to know to fast-track your team’s success on phone calls:
- Go all in on phone monitoring: Of course, we’d say that‚ it’s what we do! Whether you use CallRevu or something else, ineffective use of your phones is very difficult to fix unless you’re measuring it. The NFL places Amazon AWS RFID tags in player’s shoulder pads and the game ball to collect critical information which is then processed through machine learning. CallRevu uses similar machine-learning technologies to produce data down to the employee level. Make sure that you select a call-monitoring partner that not only uses machine learning, but alerts you to opportunities, pushes customer data into your CRM, and makes it easier to train your employees and uncover process breaks. If you’re searching for a training partner, find one that works well with your call-monitoring partner. One dealership in Naples opted for CallRevu in August. In one month, they saw an 18% increase in set appointments!
- Embrace reality: Your phone data can have just as much of an impact on your team as data can have on your game strategy. You can change most of what’s occurring on your phones if you’re willing to ask the all-important question: Why? Your salespeople aren’t trying to neglect opportunities or treat prospects poorly. Maybe they haven’t been trained. Maybe the process that’s been laid out doesn’t match the current environment. Maybe there isn’t a process. Whatever the case, don’t take it personally. Let go of the emotions and focus on how to get to your goals.
- Don’t assume your managers are training: Are you trusting your managers to keep up with training? Are they actually doing it or is it just an illusion? From our experience, it’s typically the latter. For phone training to be effective, it must occur at least once per week with regular feedback and coaching in between. If you feel overwhelmed thinking of how to truly accomplish this, we can help. CallRevu offers all customers access to complimentary webinar trainings, university e-training, employee level reporting, as well as call guides and rubrics if you are up to the challenge of DIY training. Keep in mind that few retailers are equipped to do this effectively. For everyone else, we have certified training partners who offer a cost-effective and results-driven approach to training your team. We offer a diverse selection of training partners because we know that our dealers have a diverse set of needs. If you’re curious who would be the best partner to handle your training needs, we’re happy to review the trial offers that are available to you at no cost or obligation.
