Successful Call Strategies

Successful Call Strategies

So you want to build positive rapport every call, then keep this in mind:

1. Attitude is everything!

• This might be your first or last call of the day, but it’s the first time this student has spoken to anyone at SL.

• Make sure your tone is upbeat, pleasant, and caring.

• Make them feel appreciated and heard.

• Callers tend to match your overall tone, so even if they start off sounding disinterested, how you speak to them can change their attitude.

2. Always keep the student’s needs first.

• Keep in mind that the point of any call is to help the student make the best decision that fits his or her needs.

• It’s easy to get SL-centric in a call, but you want to be student-centric.

• Remember, they are relying on you to be the expert.

• They might not understand exactly what they need to do, so don’t let them sit in dead air because they don’t understand everything that is happening.

• Let them know that it is OK to have questions, and you are there to help answer any they might have. Put them at ease.

• Make sure they know you are committed to meeting their need.

3. Understand why they want to take the course.

• You want to connect with the student.

• Make sure to ask questions of the student and not just “talk to” the student.

• One main way to connect is by making sure the course the student wants to take is the correct one.

• This simple act shows you care.

• Ask, “Does this course satisfy your general education requirement for ______ (math, science, etc.)?”

• Keeping the dialogue going about what degree program they are in, or want to be in, makes them more comfortable with you and your recommendations.

• We also need to tell students how affordable SL courses are compared to a traditional college course.

• Along with saving money, they also save a lot of time taking a SL course versus taking it during a traditional 16-week semester.

4. Explain how SL courses work

• Explain the Learning Management System we use and help the student understand how easy it is to navigate and submit assignments through.

• Also explain all of the relevant resources available to the student, such as online textbooks, tutoring, student support, etc.

• Make sure they understand there is a team at SL to help them succeed.

5. Close the call

• Make your course(s) recommendations once you have ascertained the course(s) the student wants.

• This is the time to reiterate what you’ve said: This is the course(s) you will be taking, and you can start as soon as today.

• Provide, again, the affordable cost and quick completion time, if they choose.

• Explain how they sign-up for the course and pay for it.

• Tell the student you will send a follow up email detailing all of this information so they know they have a step-by-step guide to refer to later.

• Ask, “What questions do you have that I can answer?”

• This is phrased positively and allows the student to feel comfortable asking questions they already did and you answered, but they still don’t understand or need the answer again. It also makes them feel comfortable asking new questions.

** Do not ask, “Do you have any other questions?” This is phrased as a negative and implies you’ve answered any question they might have asked, so they should not ask those again.

• Make sure you thank the student for his/her time.

• Let them know you are there to help answer any questions they might have.

• They can call back at their convenience.

• If they haven’t enrolled, you will follow up in a few days.