How to Turn Bad News to Good News for Customers? (call center 101)

Sometimes reverse psychology doesn't always work when blurting out the bad news. One may point out that you have to know the mood of the customer when it comes to telling the negative. But not everyone of us has the psychic ability to read minds especially for those frustrated customers that desperately need a saving grace in the field of customer service, lest in a call center environment.

The challenge is how to turn the bad news to make it sound like more accommodating in the ears of the customer. These phrases would pre-empt the customer that a bomb is coming on their way, making them feel prepared to receive the bad news, and to calm their senses that it's not that bad at all,

1. As it turned out instead of using unfortunately
(example) As it turned out Mrs Jones, your warranty has expired last month, the failure on your device is therefore cannot be covered but i'd like to discuss your options.

2. I hate to break the bad news to you but...
(example) Ms Jones, i hate to break the bad news to you but worry not because we have some alternatives in the solution to your problem.

3. I've good news and bad news for your case, i'll tell you the bad news first...
(example) Mrs Jones, I've good news and bad news for your case, i'll tell you the bad news first... (state the dilemma), and the good news is, you may opt to do this...(state the customer's options)

4. Given the results...
(example) Missus Jones, given the results of your case, we found out that it's kind of a dead-end, however, i was able to squeeze out some options for you.

image: courtesy of SpaceX

A compassionate customer service rep wouldn't go head-on colliding with the customer in telling the negative no matter how small that is, instead, it is psychologically advisable for them to use coaxing words and phrases.

The plebeian keyword here is the Option, it was overrated sometimes but technically and philosophically, you're extending a beneficial effort for the customer when you offer some alternatives, that may or may not directly solve their problems.



MAC

Epigrams from The Picture of Dorian Gray (Part 1)

I just finished the epub version of this book after a month of  stop-resume-stop-resume reading. And it was a delicious treat to the mind who seek comfort with the thoughts about subtle non-conformity. (thanks to Lord Henry)

I got so fond of it that i found it too late to highlight the passages and words of wisdom or may i say, thought-provoking paragraphs scribed by Mr. Oscar Wilde, so, the list below has been lifted out starting from Chapter 1V onward.

1. One could never pay tooo high the price for any sensation

2. People are very fond of giving away what they need most themselves. It is what i call the depth of generosity

3. A great poet, a really great poet, is the most unpoetical of all creatures. but inferior poets are absolutely fascinating. The worse their rhymes are, the more picturesque they look.

4. The mere fact of having published a book of second rate sonnets makes a man quite irresistible. The lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realise.

5. Experience was of no ethical value. It was merely the name men gave to their mistakes

6. A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her

7. To Cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul

8. One's days were to brief to take the burden of another's errors on one's shoulders. Each man lived his own life, and paid his own price for livign it. The only pity was one had to pay so often for a single fault. One had to pay over and over again, indeed.

9. When the passion for sin, or for what the world calls sin, so dominates a nature, that every cell of the brain, seems to be instinct with fearful impulses.

Men and women at such moemnts lose the freedom of their will. They move to their terrible end as automatons move, Choice is taken from them, and conscience is either killed, or, if it lives at all, lives but to give rebellion its fascination, and disobedience its charm. For all sins, as theologians weary not of reminding us, are sins of disobedience. When that high spirit, that morning-star of evil, fell from heaven, it was as a rebel that he fell.

10. Names are everything. I never quarrel with actions. My one quarrel is with words. THat is the reason i hate vulgar realism in literature. The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one.It is the only thing he is fit for.

11. I admit that i think that it is better to be beautiful than to be good. But on the other hand no one is more ready than i am to acknowledge that it is better to be good than to be ugly.

12. Skepticism is the beginning of Faith


(click here for the part 2)


MAC

Iglesia ni Cristo 97th Anniversary

Another year has passed, another inclusion of overwhelming success and resplendency for the Church of Christ, Glory be to God forever!

It's no denying, if you are observant about the religious expansion and growth within the archipelago of the Philippines,  it is only the Iglesia Ni Cristo that has come to terms in the sincerity of the propagation of faith with a true reflection of execution and grace.

To prove this,  we could always wonder in awe about the beautiful and magnanimous increase in the build up of elegant chapels and exquisite houses of worship, flowering like a form of life-sized arts displayed along the towns and cities of the Philippine  Islands.

The mushrooming creation of these sacred edifices suggest and express mainly one thing - the incrementing populace of the members of the INC is unstoppable.

It is so apparent in the Philippines that the growth of the members have already expanded overseas in multitudes, spreading into the seven continents of this earth where culture is no barrier, where distance and state of life amongst nation is not an issue.

July 27 has been a mark, a distinctive day amidst the members of the Church of Christ.  It is a day of celebration, and moreover, a day of Thanksgiving for the wholeness of what the Church has achieved today.

The astonishing rise to implored respect and the significant prosperity to a divine leadership of this Church is truly a marvel to admire.

Congratulations to all Iglesia Ni Cristo brethren, to God be the Glory!!!

MAC

click here for last year's post

GMail activates free SMS to Philippines via Gmail Chat

The Search giant has finally unveiled to Pinoys the free sms feature inside Gmail - the well accepted free email service amongst technophiles.

Reality check, Gmail is not that well-known in the Philippines compared to Yahoo as a free email provider. It's not my intent to convince Pinoys in switching to Gmail but i think it's never too late to say it once and for all. I wouldn't list down here the benefits of using Gmail but if Yahoo aficionados would be missing the YM just so they want to switch, there's Chat built in to Gmail or Gtalk, & would suffice enough for the need of instant messaging.


With the current release of free SMS form  from Gmail, which is being integrated in Chat/Gtalk, i found is it sweet and so approachable. A Gmail user can have 50 max allowable sms, compatible with Globe, Sun Cellular and Smart networks. What's more? If the recipient replies using his mobile phone (regardless of network), he can only get a 1 Peso deduction from his current balance. Not bad eh? compared to YM's on mobile, a single reply from Yahoo Messenger thru mobile's sms is 2.50 pesos.
Another great thing in stored on this Gmail SMS is that you can replenish the allowable 50 sms whenever the recipient replies to your text message with 5 free SMS back.


 Usage wise, you will find the SEND SMS feat from your left side bar, type in the supported mobile # just like +63917XXXXXXX, hit enter and you're on your way for free texting.

By the time, you want to write your Text Message / SMS, it will get integrated into the chat window, which looks like this:

Methinks that this is one of Google's strategic approach so they could give a bang in amplifying the use of Gmail among Filipinos. It's no denying that we are the world's SMS capital, that way, we will get to use and get familiarized with Google's services, leading for the adaptation of Google+, the newest social network which is giving a real threat to Facebook.

MAC

How to Activate Video Calling for Facebook?

I had my first taste of facebook video calling sometime this week, although i didn't set-it up myself, my friend initiated a video call while we were chatting. I found out that although my account wasn't yet configured, it would initialize as soon as one of your friend (who has an active video calling set-up on his profile) has initiated it for you.

But, if you want to configure your account and initiate a video call to one of your friends, then you must goto this site and follow the instructions:

http://www.facebook.com/videocalling

Seriously, you need just a couple of clicks for you to activate it. Once you ran the pop-up window and have it finished installing (for the plug-in), then just open up your chat window and initiate a video call to your friend who has a camera.




MAC