As a CSR Coach, I work with dozens of CSRs around the country. I was recently preparing for a coaching session by listening to calls from one of the many companies I train. As I scrolled through Service Titian, I saw a note next to an un-booked opportunity, the note said “PTW.”
What is a “PTW”?
I was not familiar with that shorthand, so I listened to the call. The caller was price shopping on a repair.
After listening to the call, I still didn’t know what PTW meant. I was curious, so I kept scrolling. I found several other lost opportunities with the same note. All were “price shoppers” with a “PTW” note.
Finally, I came across a note that said “Professional Time Waster.”
PTW= Professional Time Waster
PTWs are not the Problem
I had a light bulb moment; and was curious about the connections between lost calls and “PTWs.” After checking, I found that over 90% of the lost calls were labeled with “PTW.”
As I talked to the CSR in our coaching session, I asked her “What does PTW mean to you?”
She responded, “Those price shoppers are just time-wasters who will never book.”
This CSR convinced herself that clients that asked questions about price were just wasting time.
Now Service Superstars, I have a problem with that thought process. See, I ask questions about price when I’m shopping. I ask more questions about price, when I don’t know the product or the company. It’s natural for a client to explore price when they are getting educated.
See, the problem was not the PTWs, it was the CSR. The CSR forgot that her job title is Client Service Representative. Let that sink in C – S – R = Client Service Representative. That means that her job is to Represent and Serve the Client. In other words, she has to think like the client, and answer questions for the client.
As long as she thought that clients were “wasting her time,” then it would be impossible for her to be of service to anyone!
Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
See, this CSR needed an attitude check. She was suffering from a bad case of the “Stinking Thinking.”
It would have been easy for me to dive into an objection technique with her, but, then I’d be the PTW!
No amount of objection handling training is going to fix a bad attitude and stinking thinking.
Before we could close the call, we had to open the mind.
Winning Starts in Your Head!
Winning starts with your mindset, a positive mindset leads to positive results.
Now, this CSR is not the only one to have this issue, she was just the most creative in her notations!
In my experience, every CSR has a handful of “buzz words” that when they hear them from the caller, they shut down and give up on the call.
For some, it might be buzz words about price. For others, it might be availability. And for some, it could be simply the part of town the caller lives in.
As CSRs your goal is to book an appointment at the right time for the right service professional. If our attitude is that we cannot win with “those customers” we are right.
I challenge you to eliminate thoughts like this from your mindset:
- This client is just price shopping.
- She will never say “yes”.
- They cannot afford us”,
- They will not move forward with a repair
Instead, replace those negative thoughts with:
- What value can I add for the client”
- How can I help the client win”?
- What is the best way to serve this client?
- What more does the client need to know?”
Once you’re thinking properly about the CSR and Client relationship, then you are ready to tackle the real objections of a call.
How have you let “stinking thinking” creep into your service process?
If you would like to read an article on overcoming Price Shoppers, then read 3 Strategies to Handle a Price Shopper.
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