Are You Still There?
Telephone Communications and the Use of Filler Words

Stephanie Goddard Davidson

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One phenomenon of taking calls from customers is the necessary use of filler words. Filler words are those words such as “Uh huh”, “Mmmm” and ‘Yea” we find ourselves using when listening to someone on the phone. Often the stuff of great frustration for your QA group, this frustration is likely unfounded. Filler words are a necessary evil in the world of telephone communication.

Normally when we communicate we have three components: words, body language and tone of voice. Following is the breakdown in percentages of how a message is communicated:

7% Words 53% Body Language 40% Tone of Voice 100% of message communicated (Source: Dr. Albert Merhabian’s, “Silent Messages”).

The choice of words is surprisingly low when communicating our message. To test this try saying "Thanks for your help". Say the same WORDS while changing your tone to :

1. angry 2. happy 3. skeptical.

You'll note that the words are much less important than the tone (feel free to use this example the next time you are trying to counsel a rep on the inappropriate use of tone, by the way!)

Now say "Thanks for your help" in a happy, grateful tone of voice but cross your arms, scowl, and look down.

You'll see that tone and words are far outweighed by the body language.

When we are on the phones, we have no body language. Therefore we MUST use filler words such as "Uh, huh", "yeah' and "mmmm". If we don't, the caller feels disconnected since they do not have the benefit of eye contact and head nods to assure them that the rep is indeed listening. At this point you will often hear “Are you still there?” Hearing this question from a customer is much worse from a quality standpoint than any benefit gained from emphasizing to your reps that they are not allowed to use non-words or filler words. Instead, think of filler words as the body language we use while on the phone.

If you are offended by the lack of diction of these words (i.e., prefer "yes' to "yea") this is something that is best handled from monitorings and then direct one-on-ones with the rep. I wouldn't "ding" them on their quality scores for this, but just bring their attention to the difference in credibility and respect to the caller by using crisp diction.

Also be aware, that some customers are not soothed by "Yes, ma'am" and a crisp, brisk tone. Research suggests that many customers find this style cold and distant. A little 'yea" here and there can appear warm and real to some callers (especially anyone under 60).

For more information for improving the quality of your calls, see the many resources on the site of Call Center Depot (www.callcenterdepot.com) or check out “Training to Go!” -Customer Service and Telephone Skills on my site www.callctrsolutions.com.

Stephanie Goddard Davidson is CEO of Call Center Solutions, a firm specializing in interpersonal skills training for such companies as MCI-Worldcom, Nextel and BellSouth. She is author of “101 Ways to Have a Great Day @ Work” (Sourcebooks, 1998) and the new workbook “The 102nd Way”. In addition, Ms. Davidson is a nationally-certified trainer for such programs as “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, “People Skills”, and Zenger Miller Programs; as well as an instructor with the American Management Association. Learn more about Ms. Davidson’s work or contact her directly by visiting 101waysatwork.com/.