Telephone Communications and the Use of Filler Words
by Stephanie Goddard-Davidson
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%
53%
40%
Words
Body Language
Tone of Voice
100%
Message Communicated
(Source: Dr. Albert Merhabian’s, “Silent Messages”).
The choice of words is surprisingly low when we communicate our message. To test this
try saying "Thanks for your help".
Say the same WORDS while changing your tone to :
Angry
Happy
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).
