I've answered my fair share of customer support calls in the six years of my work at ABIS Consulting Group. Throughout those years, I've learned a lot about customer service and how to conduct myself when answering a support call. While the following list is molded by my own experiences in the enterprise software industry, most of the tips here are applicable to any customer support call. I hope you can glean some tips from it for your own business.

1. Be Enthusiastic About the Call

I learned this from Brian Tracy. People respond positively to enthusiasm, especially when it's about them. Set a positive and cheerful tone for the call by answering with a smile and acting genuinely excited to hear the caller's voice.

2. Have Note-Taking Tools Ready

I always have a pad of paper in front of me and at least three pens. This allows me to jot down notes as the call is happening. This is especially important if the caller is referencing specific examples or records in their system that need further investigation. Don't make the caller wait for you to find a pen or something to write on. It gives the appearance that you're unprepared to help them.

3. Stop Multitasking

This one is huge for me. I still struggle with it every day. Make a conscious effort to stop doing whatever it is you were doing before the phone rang. Stop typing that email, or reading that article, or working on that other customer's request. People can tell when you're distracted and people can tell when they have your undivided attention. Focus in on the phone call and give your customer assurance they're being taken care of.

4. Be Human

There's no perfect way to act during a support call. The best advice is to be yourself and go with the flow. I love this Zappos live chat; it's a perfect example of a support representative using their personality and catering to the customer in order to create a remarkable experience. Another great example of being human is an AT&T employee who actually saved a customer life.

5. Escalate the Right Way

There will always be times when a call needs to be escalated; the key is to escalate the call without leaving your customer feeling abandoned. I escalate a call by conferencing in the other party (most likely our senior analyst) and explaining the issue/request to him while the customer is on the line with us. I then stay on the line until the call is resolved. This allows me to interject or fill in a missing hole when needed. It also lets me finish the call with my customer, which is important since I'm the one they reached out to in the first place.

6. Mute Your Computer Speakers

This is another one I still slip up on from time to time. We use a lot of different communication tools, like email, Instant Messaging, and SMS. That doesn't mean they should be making loud dinging noises in the background of my support call. They're distracting to the customer and they give the impression you're doing something else.

7. Remember They Can't See You

As humans, over 50% of our communication is done through body language. This, of course, is wiped out when you're on the phone. They can't see your smile, or your head nodding in agreement, or look you in the eye to see that you're paying attention. You need to make up for this by verbally recognizing what they're saying. A simple "ok" or "I understand" can go a long way in improving the conversation.

8. Fix the Problem Twice

In the case of a bug or other problematic issue, it's always important to take care of the customer in the quickest possible manner. Get them a quick fix or workaround so they can continue with what they were doing. After that, spend the extra time to find the underlying problem and make sure it gets fixed. Joel Spolsky explains this practice very well in this post.

9. Don't be Afraid to Apologize

Anyone in a support role needs to learn pretty quickly to check their ego at the door. If you can't easily apologize for something that had absolutely nothing to do with you, then you may want to choose another career path. For more info on apologizing and how it's done, see this post on how to turn an angry customer into an evangelist.

10. Tell Them What You're Doing

This goes back to number 7 in this list. The customer can't see you, so make sure to fill them in on what you're doing to help them. Nobody likes to sit in silence or listen to a bunch of keys rattle off and not know what's happening. Be sure to tell your customer what you're doing so they know you're making progress towards a solution.

11. Record Yourself

Start recording your phone conversations and playing them back to see how you fared. You'll be amazed at the things you pick up on right away and can start improving on. If your phone system can't record calls, then you can always put the call on speaker and record the conversation with another recording device. Be sure to tell your customer the call is being recorded.

12. What Else Can I Do?

Always ask this question to two people: yourself and your customer. Ask yourself what else can be done to make the experience better. Surely there's something you can do, even if it's small. Maybe you can offer a coupon, or upgrade them to a higher status, or provide a link on the internet with additional information. Ask your customer what else you can help them with; there may be another issue or request they need help with. This also gives the impression that you're in no hurry to get off the phone with them.