They say it’s not what you say but how you say it and being married for 7 years I can tell you this is certainly true. When speaking to an insured, your tone and choice of words matter. Think of your tone as the equivalent of using all CAPS in an email. All caps means what? It means you are yelling at the person. Sometimes our tone on calls with an insured is the equivalent of all caps in an email and we may not even be aware of it!
Studies show that 38% of a conversation is digested by tone. So does your agency have a tone? You may be thinking that it depends on the day or the person but to deliver an outstanding customer experience each and every agency should develop their own tone when working with clients. Take a moment to review some recent brand guides we have created for agencies. There is an entire section on tone and how to present your agency. So the question is: What is the tone of your agency?
Here are some samples of different tones you can use for your agency:
- Authoritative
- Caring
- Cheerful
- Coarse
- Conservative
- Conversational
- Casual
- Dry
- Edgy
- Enthusiastic
- Formal
- Frank
- Friendly
- Fun
- Funny
- Humorous
- Informative
- Irreverent
- Matter-of-fact
- Nostalgic
- Passionate
- Playful
- Professional
- Provocative
- Quirky
- Respectful
- Romantic
- Sarcastic
- Serious
- Smart
- Snarky
- Sympathetic
- Trendy
- Trustworthy
- Unapologetic
- Upbeat
- Witty
We recommend narrowing this down to 3 tones you want to use with your customers. The tone may vary based on the scenario you are facing but for general calls you should be able to nail down a consistent tone.
Applying Tone In An Agency
We all know when someone is having a rough day. Generally it’s pretty apparent to everyone accept the person having the bad day. We find it very helpful to have a tone guide that clearly shows examples of how your agency should sound to clients. This may include:
- Phone Greeting
- Claims
- Payment Concerns
- Adding on a Youthful Driver
- New Business
- Renewal Review
When your agency is clear on the tone, we can all work to match the agency’s tone and take our own biases out of communication styles.
