Explanations (Upload - Consicion - Templates)

In this section, we will see the proper way to provide explanations. Sometimes RTA agents need to provide plenty of information related to account status, proofs, submission methods, etc., and to provide all this information scrambled or at once may end up being a drawback: customers get confused or lost and end up not knowing what to do.

Upload option

When it comes to submit documentation, most RTA agents know which are the best options based on the customer’s needs. But they also know the other options available, which in the end may end up being a drawback in terms of clarity and concision. Let’s see an example of this, so that it can be better understood:

As we can see, we have a customer who is having a hard time submitting proofs. This person has already tried several options, and no one seemed to work properly. Then, we can see that the agent flooded the conversation with information related to the different proof submission methods available. From this conversation, we can take different things into consideration.

Concision

This is vital if you want to achieve a successful conversation, above all if you are chatting with an upset customer. In the example above, the customer needed to submit proofs. So, if we know that the best solution is to upload proofs, we must always provide this option FIRST and leave the rest aside for the moment. Agents also have to inform customers that, by using the upload option, the proofs can be revised real time. This way, we will not confuse customers by providing plenty of information at once, which, in the end, they will not use. It may not seem that obvious, but there are plenty of people who are not used to getting a vast amount of new information at once. This is why if you are going to present proof submission information, present the options One By One, always presenting the upload option first. This is not only valid for proof submission methods, since it also works for other cases where we have many solutions available, but only one must be presented. Let’s take the following conversation as another example:

Once again, we have an agent who is providing a wide array of information to a customer who clearly did not understand all the explanations provided. As it was previously stated: there is no point in providing plenty of information all at once, because it only creates more confusion. This example is also useful for the following topic: Templates.

Templates

This is one of the things that customers find irritating: to be provided with a long template. To begin with, templates are generic, and customers realize this when a conversation is full of them. This is not well seen, because whenever an agent provides many templates during a conversation, customers get the idea that the agent just wants to end the assistance as soon as possible. It is not incorrect to use templates when providing assistance, but there should not be an excessive use of them. Another problem with templates is that they are too extensive. In the example above we have an agent who provided one template after the other instead of providing only the necessary information. In the example above, the customer needed to submit SSN and DOB proofs, so the agent should have written something like this:

• To get the account qualified, you need to send SSN and DOB proofs. For the SSN, you can send a copy of your SSN card and for the DOB, you can send a copy of your State ID card or Driver’s license with your DOB printed on it. Is that Ok?

As you can see, we have focused on one aspect only, the type of proofs that the customer needs to send. Once that issue is solved, the agent will have to focus on the next step, the proof submission methods:

• If you can upload proofs on the website, I can revise them right now. If not, there are other submission methods available.

As you can see, in both cases we focus in a single topic (proofs to send, submission methods) and then we give space to customers for them to let us know if they like the option presented or if they want further information:

As we already discussed, long explanations are to be avoided, but apart from this, it is not correct to offer additional help right after providing an explanation, no matter if the explanation is short or long. In other words, agents need to wait for the customer’s confirmation for them to continue. Agents need to confirm that they understood the explanation before an agent can offer additional help.

Remember: always prioritize the customer’s questions. If you need to provide instructions to the customer and that person makes a question, you should first address the customer’s concern and then provide the necessary instructions. If the customer makes a question in the middle of an explanation, agents should finish or pause the explanation, provide a straightforward answer to the customer’s question and then continue providing the former instructions, if needed.