For those of you current with lingo, you know that “RBF” means, well, it refers to someone whose natural facial expression sends a message that s/he is not a nice person. I mean, haven’t you met people who just naturally looked like they were having a bad day, every day? Yet when you talk to them you find out they weren’t having a bad day at all, they just looked like it.
Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The same thing can happen to you on the phone! I have secret shopped countless people during my career and I am always amazed at how many people sound like total (you fill in the words) when they answer the phone.
And yet, as I have then worked with some of those people I realized they weren’t intentionally trying to be mean, they just had a bad case of “Resting Jerk Voice” where their natural tendency on the phone is to sound rude, uninterested, unenthusiastic, bored, not wanting to help at all! In reality many of these people were super friendly, very conscientious and really wanted to help.
So if you have RJV, what can you do??
The first thing is you need to find out how you REALLY sound on the phone. If your company records calls, I’d take the time to listen to your calls and be honest in asking yourself, “What would a customer think about me by my voice?”
I called an ultra luxury community recently and I spoke with some members of their concierge team. Mind you, this is the concierge team. The one person on the team designated as the “helper” for residents etc. Communities that have a concierge market this as an amenity, because it is.
After talking to a concierge for about five seconds I wanted to slap the smirk that I could hear on the phone, off of his face. It’s true! And in a moment of true honesty here, because he came across as such a smug jerk on the phone, even if he ended being helpful, I don’t remember because I couldn’t stand him on the phone. I couldn’t!
So be honest, do a self-assessment and find out how you sound on the phone.
Two: It’s so cliche isn’t it, but smiling while you’re on the phone really does help.
Three: I want you to imagine that you’re a radio DJ or public address announcer on the phone. I mean, there is a radio voice isn’t there? As a public speaker I can tell you that I speak differently on a stage than I do when I’m talking “regular.” When speaking on the phone you have to work a little harder to convey the sense that you’re really engaged and friendly, than you would when speaking to someone in person.
Four: If you need a break, take one. Having to engage the public everyday is not easy, so if you need to recharge your batteries and get away for a minute or two, make the arrangements with your team members to do so. It may make a huge difference.
Why does this matter?
People make up their minds about what they think of you within five seconds. Then everything they think of you after is filtered through their original impression of you.
So, if you want to close more sales, sound friendlier on the phone! You want to calm a resident whose complaining? Sound nicer on the phone.
Trust me, losing the RJV will make your job easier! And anything you can do to make your job easier is a good thing!
