A good interaction requires you to “build a rapport” - connect with the customer in a friendly and personal way. How you address the customer is a good starting point.

How do you feel about being called by name? Does it make you feel welcome? Personally, being called by `Mister’ sends shivers up my spine. It reminds me too much of debt collectors and government agencies. `Mr. Rose-Martland’ is under the scrutiny of the authorities. On the other hand, people want to be friends with `Jeff’. `Jeff’ is a good guy. `Jeff’ gets nice phone calls.

Which is why I make it a point of calling customers by name: “Is this Mary?” “Hi Carlos!” “Eloise, my name is Jeff and we are going to get everything fixed.” Using first names forms an instant connection with the caller. They feel welcomed and that they will enjoy working with this friendly person.

There are exceptions, naturally. Members of the clergy can be annoyed if you do not use their salutation. If the account says “Reverend,” then so do I, until the Reverend responds “Hey Jeff, call me Jim!” Once in a great while, a professor or surgeon insists that I call them `doctor’. No problem. I’ll call you whatever you want, it’s your phone call! This is also true for seniors. In an earlier time, it was very rude to use a person’s first name without their permission. If I should commit such a social gaff with the caller, I apologize and start using `Ma’am’. Unless the caller is male. That would be a HUGE social gaff.

We also encounter those people whose names we cannot wrap our tongues around. Sometimes the name looks like alphabet soup, sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough consonants. Don’t be scared! Simply ask “Who am I speaking with?” and listen carefully. You may be able to say it, even if you can’t read it. Jotting down the name by syllable can be helpful. Also, you can take a stab at the name and ask if you said it right. This can also build rapport. Few people are offended when you try, then ask for correction. If you can’t get it, you can fall back on `Sir’ and `Ma’am’.

The important thing is that you try to connect with the caller right from the very beginning. What you call a person is very important. If you call them by name, you will create the connection. If you use `Sir’, you run the risk of offending the deep-voiced woman. `Mister’ and `Misses’ introduce a wall of formality which can be difficult to breech. You cannot go too wrong by using names. If you do annoy the caller, your apology will instantly form a connection. Either way, you win.

Hi Jeff,
Do second with your comments. If u ask me personally i would like being addressed as my first name rather than MR and the Family name.

Addressing the first name at the very instance strikes an informal friendly chord with the caller. However you would be surprised that many customer services industries like telecom,aviation , banking etc do have these as quality parameters.

For instance if you address your callers as Sir or just by the first name they could be marked low or given a zero. Quite killing that. Its just that customer service has gone a long way and what we actually need is to connect with the people you do business with.

Lets see if i can make that revoulution in my organisation...to actually change that parameter and consider it absolutely fine to address your customer by his name.

What are the comments of the other gurus ? Do you agree with Jeff and me ?

Perhaps when banks etc... are collating all of the information on the application forms they could ask for a "preferred salutation". This can easily be displayed on the customers records when they call (or are called).

I prefer being called by first name in many instances but I know plenty of people who prefer title and surname.

I've often wondered if the use of salutations, at least in north america, is not simply a holdover from a bygone era. I was providing floor support last week and one of the newbies, not knowing my name, kept calling me 'sir'. I felt like a high school teacher!

I know that many organizations insist that their agents use salutations. To me, that makes it a power game. If the agent is oubound selling, then it puts them in a subservient role. On the other hand, if the agent is inbound support, then the use of Sir/Ma'am can be almost passive-aggressive. Consider a snotty waiter.

For me, as both agent and customer, I like to be called by name. If I introduce myself in person, I say "Hi, I'm Jeff!", not "Permit me to introduce myself, Mr. Rose-Martland, your humble servant."

A few years ago I called the States from England to book some baseball tickets to see a game while I was over there on a trip. I called the ticket office and first thing the agent asked me for my name. I replied as I always did, "My name is Worth W-O-R-T-H". I suppose people in America normally give their forenames so he replied, "Okay Worth, how can I help you today?"

I have to say it tickles me when i deal with companies in the middle east and they keep calling me Mr John

But that apart I have to say being addressed as Mr feels a touch false I feel more comfortable and feel people are more genuine when they use my forename and are not being subservient

This is a battle I've fought when training my staff for a long time!

Our Call Centre handles incoming Medical Screenings for Travel Insurers.

While I agree that it's more personal, and a more pleasant call flow to use first names, when asking someone about their genital warts it's often nice to have the formal 'Mr. Example' to fall back on.

That personal repor can make it difficult to discuss sensitive, or occasionally upsetting subject matter...

And to reverse the perspective, if I were a client I would want something as serious as my health to be taken very seriously.

Matt, I agree with you. I had not considered the issue of medical contact centres. Certainly, in medicine, people are used to being called by a salutation. Therefore, it follows that they would have the same expectation for contact centres. In this particular instance, there is not a power game in play, this is simply the standard form of address in that field.