The fancy term is `rapport building'. Normal people call it having a chat. It doesn’t matter what you call it, conversing with customers can be a challenge for agents. Somewhere between walking in off the street and sitting down on the production floor, customers become some sort of weird creature which you can't talk to normally. Or so it would seem.

Breaking down that barrier can be difficult, even for seasoned agents. If you say "Hellothank-youforcallingmyname is..." fifty times a day, it gets a little difficult to approach each call as a fresh and new experience. And after 24,000 calls a year, it can be even harder. But there is one sure way to snap a call from the mundane to the special, and this is background noise.

Background noise: that side-conversation your customer is having with their spouse, or children, or friend, or pet, usually about something completely unrelated to the interaction they are having with you. There will come a point in most interactions where you are busy for a few moments, typing or testing or something, and a hole opens in the conversation. The customer may take that opportunity to tell their spouse about the meeting at the school. They may ask for a cup of coffee. They may decide to let out the dog. Or something similar. These simple mundane bits of life present you with an opportunity: a chance to enhance your conversation by commenting on the background. “What kind of dog is that?” “What grade is your son in?”

Many agents simply let these moments pass without comment. The agent continues with their task, ignoring the background, and the customer waits patiently. There is no problem with doing this; it merely leaves your conversation at the same boring point where it started. But if you seize upon these moments, you can have more fun. When you customer asks for a coffee, ask if you can have one as well! Suddenly, your conversation is not only personal, it’s more enjoyable.

Last week, one of those moments hit for me. I was checking the status of a modem when my caller remarked, “He’s the guy who takes out our trash,” to which I immediately replied, “Hey! I am not! I’m tech support!” Turns out the customer was discussing a picture in the paper, but my quick remark led to a brief discussion about the trash guy (who was getting an award, not arrested). This gave us something we could discuss during the silence and the laughter perked up both of us.

Commenting on the background noise is the best way I know to form an instant connection with the customer. You can go from discussing a bill with Mrs. Johnson to having a chat with Shirley - and all you need to do is ask about the bird noises. You can remind Bill to check the chicken and ask if you can stay for dinner. If you are lucky enough to be put on speaker-phone, you can have even more fun! Join the party - ask someone to pass the chips. Participate in family disputes - suggest that Suzy really should do her homework before going out. Confuse the dog by saying SIT!

Have fun with your calls and don’t let those golden moments slip by. We face similar issues on each call; it’s the nature of what we do. What makes each call unique is the individual on the other end of the phone and how you two interact. When you find yourself complaining about how boring your job is, ask yourself if you are making it boring. Fun is everywhere if you pay attention!