For anyone doing people search, communications are ultra-important. Whether verifying or gathering information, you are making calls, leaving messages and waiting for call-backs. That means:
- When you get a call-back, you’ve got just a few seconds to turn a wary caller into an information source.
- You’ve got to start your talk-off quickly to establish credibility or the caller may refuse to cooperate with you.
- You can’t start your talk-off until you know who is calling.
Knowing who’s calling and why, before you answer the call, gets the best results.
The Need to Know
It’s summer time here in the Rockies. So in this post I’ll use an analogy from baseball.
In baseball, if a batter knows which pitch is coming—curveball, fastball, slider—he has a dramatically better chance of getting a hit.
Most of the people I talk to doing people search don’t know who’s calling or why. They have to ask the caller who’s calling and which case they’re calling about. It occurs to me that they’re standing at the plate with a blindfold on.
Whether you’re making 20, or 100 calls per day, even if you do recognize the Caller ID on a call-back, the chances of you remembering which case the call belongs to or why the person is calling are slim and none.
How many calls do you get each day where you have to gather a name, case number and reason for the call? Assuming the caller does tell you who they are and why they’re calling, how much time does it take to find their case? Now consider that each minute you spend asking who’s calling and why, fiddling around to find the case, you’re wasting time and money while increasing the odds that the caller will hang-up on you.
In people search, if you could be more like the batter who knows what pitch is coming, you could have the best batting average in your league.
Start Your Talk-Off
When BellesLink users receive a call, they’re like the batter who knows which pitch is coming. The Call Monitor displays the information needed to start the talk-off — before the call is answered. With each incoming call BellesLink shows you:
- Call From number – if this is a new number, add it to a case with one click
- Caller ID name
- Call To number – this could be a local or toll-free number you assigned to the case
- Case Name – click to jump directly to the case file to review the updates related to the caller
Make a Good Call Impression
Making a good call impression is essential for putting a wary caller at ease. You need information from the caller, you need their cooperation. If your call greeting and talk-off is anything less than professional, there’s a good chance you’ll burn the lead. Swing and a miss.
If everything about your call isn’t linked (local phone number, greeting, voicemail message) together, the caller will be suspicious and ready to bail at any moment. They’ll be defensive, wanting to know what your voicemail was about, before they’ll talk to you.
Here’s an example of a call that makes a good impression. From the Call Monitor, the skip tracer sees who’s calling, that they’re calling from the home number. By clicking into the case file, the skip tracer knows the caller is the husband of the subject they’re trying to make contact with.
Skip tracer: Hello. Thanks for calling RIU. This is Rob. Is this Mr. Jones?
Mr Jones: Yes. I’m returning your call.
Skip tracer: Yes. Mr. Jones. I am trying to get in contact with Kitty Jones. Would you have a number where I could reach her?
Mr Jones: What’s this in reference to?
Skip tracer: A personal business matter, Mr. Jones. Due to privacy I cannot reveal details, since your name is not on the credit application. Do you have a number where I could reach Ms. Jones?
Review: Because the Call Monitor gave the skip tracer the call details, the skip tracer was able to begin the talk-off immediately. They knew who was calling and why. The skip tracer’s friendly, informed demeanor signals to the caller the call is credible and important.
Manage the Call
Because the Call Monitor gives you full details before you answer, you can decide how you want to manage the call.
- Prioritize incoming calls from cases you’ve flagged as important.
- Click to view the case file and see why they are calling.
- Choose to record the call.
- Stop and start the call recording as needed.
- Send the call to voicemail.
Manage the Case
Save information about incoming and outgoing calls automatically to the case. You maintain compliance while eliminating time-wasting manual updates.
- Calls, and their recordings, are automatically saved to the case.
- Add new phone numbers to the case with one click.
- Add notes to the case to further document the call.
- Click-to-dial to return calls.
- No more wasted time manual dialing, mis-dialing, or calling wrong numbers.
Maintain Compliance
BellesLink makes it easy to maintain compliance with Federal regulations and your client’s contract.
- Calling rules prevent outbound calls during off-limit hours, or calling too frequently.
- Incoming and outgoing calls are automatically linked to the case.
- Call recordings are automatically linked to the case.
- Recordings can be shared with your clients for auditing.
- Case updates are automatic.
- “Don’t call me again!” is handled with one click.
Knowing Who and Why Makes a Big Difference
Knowing who is calling and why, before you answer, gets the best results. Being informed and in control of the call creates a good impression and makes wary callers cooperative. If you can start your talk-off within the first few seconds, you’re going to get the best return on the time you invest in people search and verifying information.
You’re the batter who knows what pitch is coming!