Upspeak is something many people struggle with, but often don’t notice. It is the tendency to end most or all sentences on a higher note (as though every sentence is a question).

Your tone can convey emotion to your customers. Upspeak can make them think you are immature or don’t care about their situation, which takes away your credibility.

There are two main skills you can adopt to replace bad speaking habits. Controlling both your pitch and tone of voice can increase persuasion through credibility and confidence.

This makes it easier for customer service agents to do everything they need to collect more payments:

• Increase customer confidence when making secure payments over the phone

• Increase customer satisfaction by using a positive tone

• Improve overall payment collection rates through tone of voice training

Pitch is how high or low your tone of voice sounds. Optimal pitch is the range where your vocal cords function best. When you are in optimal pitch, your voice sounds richer, more powerful. Low, rich tones of voice can de-escalate calls with upset or angry consumers.

This ideal voice pitch can be found when you touch your tongue tip to the roof of your mouth and say “uh.” Another strategy is to begin at a high pitch, making an “ahhh” sound.

Sigh gradually while lowering your pitch. Once you feel your voice is deeper and stronger, you have found optimal pitch.

When a call gets emotional, your pitch can rise. Intentionally lowering your tone of voice stops calls (and emotions) from getting out of hand. This helps when dealing with stalls and objections consumers give to making an overdue payment.

Intonation is the rhythm and melody in your speech. Intonation can help you deliver your message in a confident, decisive manner.

To learn proper intonation, envision stepping down a staircase through their words. To practice, start off speaking in your natural tone of voice.

Step up to the top of the “stairs” at the beginning of a statement and come down a step for each syllable until your statement has ended. For longer statements, repeat the process two or three times.

Intonation and good pitch are powerful tools to alter the course of a conversation. Controlled intonation and lower pitch show team leadership and build credibility with your customers. This happens by:

• Making you appear calm, even in heated conversations

• Training you to speak at the right rate of speed, showing you are in control of your emotions

• Displaying vocal tones that are rich and intonation that is intentional, showing your strength through your voice

Practicing any new skill is the key to success. For functional practice, agents can try these three sample statements an accounts receivable representative is likely to encounter.

• Hello, can I speak with Jane Doe, please?

• My name is _____ and I am with _____.

• How about we collect $100 today, and we can take it on a credit card.

Real-world practice is essential to get comfortable with speaking in a new pitch and tone of voice. Managers should provide opportunities for role play and practice. That way, agents have time to become more confident and understand the importance of tone of voice in calls.

Your tone of voice in communication is an essential tool. Using the right tone promotes effective communication and makes it easier for customers to trust your intentions.

Especially for businesses dealing with late or delinquent payments, customers are more likely to be on guard from the beginning of a call.

Customers like paying by phone for several reasons:

• Convenience
• Personalized service
• Speed
• Accessibility
• Security

But if the customer doesn’t trust an agent to handle their payment or keep payment details secure, you lose out on revenue.

Phone agents who have a strong, professional tone of voice put people at ease and boost phone payments.