Communication strategies for hosting calls

From AFSWiki

Here are some tips on calling hosting leads from Rachel Baldwin, who was a stellar hosting caller from the Info Center. These were written May 2007.

It's my belief that one of the most helpful strategies available to us is to personalize every call, conversation or message, in every way possible. This not only serves to distinguish our calls from the generic telemarketing variety that every family is swamped with, but also reflects well upon the reputation of AFS as an agency. It also contributes significantly to relationship building. The sooner they feel that we know who we're talking to when we call them, the more they will trust us and the more responsive they will be. There are several aspects to be mindful of in personalizing calls.

The most important one is, know the family. By getting the names of as many people in the household as possible and their relationships within the family, we have a much better chance of always knowing who we're talking to and being able to say who we spoke with last. If we use every opportunity to politely ask for the names of the people we're talking to and put them in the comments, we present ourselves much more professionally. Being able to say, "My colleage called last week and spoke to Susan." is much more to our advantage than having to say, "My colleague called last week and spoke to Billy's mom."

It's also important to familiarize them with us. When refer to each other by name in our calls, we send the message that we work as a team and that we are communicating with each other. This will reduce confusion and potential embarassment for all of us.

Another strategy I value is to refer to previous knowledge of the family and circumstances from the comments in the file and by being very specific with names and dates. For example, "I know that your daughter Emily went with our program to France last year and when my colleague Leigh spoke to Martha about hosting last July she said that you're family wanted to wait until she came home." Being sensitively responsive is also appropriate: "I know that when my colleague Leigh spoke to you last year, you had some changes taking place in the family. I hope that everything has worked out for the best since then." The more thorough and specific our comments are, the more effectively we can do this.

Finally, a well turned phrase might be worth an Interest Form. Although the type of file that I'm calling is always a consideration, in general I find that it works well to use a little humor when possible, to prompt them as gently as possible, and to engage them in determining the next step.

• When calling a New, School Presentation file, I will often ask to speak to "Jordan or one of her parents." This way if a parent has answered the phone, they immediately feel included and are less likely to be suspicious of a stranger calling to speak to their child. I will then ask, "Are you aware that Jordan attended an AFS presentation at her school in late April and expressed an interest in having your family host a student with AFS?" In the event that the parent is not aware, my next question is often, "Does this seem like a realistic idea to you or would you consider it misguided adolescent enthusiasm?" This often receives an appreciative chuckle. Whether they consider it realistic or not, I encourage them to consider it a vote of confidence in their family that their child wants to share it by inviting a foreign student into it.
• With an Open file of any kind, if they sound a little hesitant, I often ask if they feel that the "have all of the information that they need to make a realistic decision for their family".
• Sometimes the phrase, "It's okay to say 'no'." is worthwhile. Some people are clearly uncomfortable with saying it even though it's what they really mean.
• When families haven't really had a chance to talk about it together, I often suggest that they find an opportunity to view the website together as a family and call us with any questions that come up while they're doing this.