Why Tone Matters

By Sheree D. Kenner

Have you ever called customer service and the representative sounded bored out of their

mind? Or perhaps, they were inexperienced and nervous, and all you heard was “um" or "uh” combined with a lot of dead air. If so, that was a support center that didn’t understand the importance of tone.

Tone indicates confidence, professionalism, and communicates interest. If agents answer the phone sounding bored, monotone or lethargic, the customer doesn’t feel as if they matter. Additionally, they may take this as a sign of the service agent being disinterested. If "um" and "uh" are said too often, a customer may lose confidence in the agent's ability to solve their problem. 

Tip: Think of something that’s funny or makes you smile when you answer the phone. Smiling makes you sound more upbeat and friendly.


Make sure tone is part of your Quality Assurance Program. Monitor it on a regular basis. Listen to yourself and/or your team to see if you are communicating boredom or inexperience to your customers. If that is the case, work on them, eradicate them, and you and your support center will make a positive, inviting, and professional impression.

I am an experienced senior leader with a proven record of coordinating business technology support, designing and executing standards and procedures, coordinating large-scale projects, and delivering process enhancements. I specialize in ITSM, ITIL, Knowledge Management, and building best in class practices for IT organizations. 

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