Turning Customer Service Into Sales

Would you buy a car without test driving it? Would you buy a home without walking in it? Would you buy furniture without sitting on it? Yes, you would, if you spoke to the right customer service person. Furniture is considered a luxury good, along with cars and homes. Some consider it unfathomable to purchase furniture over the Internet or through a customer service agent who describes the set to them. Remember, the person won't feel or touch the furniture until his or her credit card is charged an average of $3,000 and the 1,000-pound set is in his or her home. Well, at FurnitureFromHome.com, it's my job to set up this scenario. I work as a customer service agent for the online furniture store. I help customers feel comfortable about releasing their Visas' 16 digits to me. I have been selling furniture over the phone for about a year now. I have come to realize that my voice is what is going to either make or break the sale that will happen without a test drive.

The best thing I can do as a customer service agent is make the customer feel like he or she is talking to friend, not an agent. When it comes to making a purchase, a customer wants to feel:

• Comfortable
• Smart
• Cared for
• Special
• Relaxed

Comfortable: The same way I host a dinner party is the same way I host a customer over the phone. It is my job to make him or her feel welcome and comfortable in our virtual store. When a customer calls, I answer, "Thank you for calling Furniture From Home; this is Irvina; how may I help you?" The customer says, "I want some information on the Cherry Wood King Bedroom set." From this point on, I talk to the customer as if I am making a new friend. I say, "I would love to help you with that. I am sorry; I didn't catch your name; what is it?" I say, "It's very nice to meet you! My name is Irvina. Where are you calling from today?" Let's say the customer says, "Washington, DC." I'll say, "My family and I were just there. We ate at this amazing steakhouse in Georgetown, and I can't remember the name of it...do you visit there frequently?" I will take my time and have this tangent chat with them. This chat makes the customer feel comfortable that I am not reading off of a script as I talk to him or her. He or she feels that I am being genuine and truthful, as a friend would be. Now that the customer feels comfortable with me, I proceed to show him or her that the possible purchase today is going to be a smart one.

Smart: Now, this customer did not take time out of his or her day to call me about a $15 t-shirt. This customer is about to spend a good $3,000 on an item that won't be seen until it is assembled in his or her home. I need to convince him or her that this is a smart purchase. So I confirm that we are looking at the same item and go on to point out the features of the furniture that separate it from other items. I show the "quality" hardware used for the handles. The "designer" lines and curves used to accent the set. The words I use build confidence that the customer is making a smart purchase, even if he or she isn't getting to see it.



Cared For: A customer needs to feel cared for. I will ask about the room he or she plans to put this item in: "Do you have a theme in the room you expect to put this set in?" "Are there certain colors you are trying to work with?" No matter what, my mentality always remains that this person is going to purchase. Thus, I want him or her to feel cared for during the entire experience. I will also remind him or her about our white-glove delivery service. The purchase will include a white-glove delivery, meaning that the shipper will inspect the entire item before it's shipped, make a appointment for a convenient time to deliver, then assemble the item in the customer's home exactly where he or she wants it. This is something that isn't offered by many other delivery companies.

Special: Throughout the conversation, I refer to the customer by his or her first name. I am very candid about my opinion of the furniture. I many times tell them that I come from a very large family and might even tell them a great recipe for cherry pie. The rapport that is built between a customer and myself will make the customer remember this experience and relay it to his or her family and friends.

Relaxed: Now that I have made the customer feel comfortable, smart, cared for, and special, he or she feels ready to make this large purchase. It is very important to remember to keep the customer relaxed while going through the final details of the purchase and when charging his or her card. The cost of the item is usually where buyer's remorse is most likely to kick in. In order to keep things simple, when I give the price I always break down the number into double digits. If a set costs $2,550, I say, "Your total comes to twenty-five fifty." I don't say, "Your total comes to two-thousand, five hundred and fifty dollars." The customer can add up the total, but making the price reasonable isn't my job. The service of allowing the customer to feel relaxed while I charge his or her card is my job. Reading the number this way does just that.

The job of a customer service representative is invaluable. It's the customer service representative who sits between the dollars and the warehouse full of merchandise. It takes patience and persistence to help a customer shop over the phone and to gain a sale. It's important to always maintain the mentality that the customer is going to buy. As a customer service representative, I focus on making customers feel as comfortable, smart, cared for, special, and as relaxed as possible.

About the Author

Irvina Kanarek has over 10 years of customer service experience. Kanarek is currently the customer service manager for the online retailer FurnitureFromHome.com. A passionate writer, blogger and poet, Kanarek is currently working on publishing a children's book called I am a Princess.

A native of Newport Beach, CA, Kanarek graduated from California State University, Fullerton in Orange County with a degree in photographic communications.

More information and writing samples by Irvina Kanarek can be found on her blog www.HonestChitChat.Wordpress.com. She can be reached at (949) 903-4784 or at IrvinaK@gmail.com.