Your airline has updated your flight details, shortening an already tight connection time. After being on hold for 45 minutes, you spend a slow afternoon going back and forth with an agent before you are finally booked on another flight. Just as you’re about to hang up, the agent asks, “By the way, would you like to upgrade to our Premium Economy for only $70 more?”

You decline and make a mental note to never fly with that airline again.

Often customer service leaders believe that with a few simple moves, they can transform their customer service department from a cost center into a profit center. It’s just a matter of encouraging service reps to push your products or services aggressively. The problem is that, as the above example illustrates, this often comes across as clumsy, or worse still, tactless.

That is not to say that cross-selling or upselling isn’t a huge opportunity for your company. It just requires you to carefully train your agents on how to tactfully spot opportunities and subsequently act on them. This ensures that your customers can choose from the full range of products and services you offer, and, if done correctly, it can actually enhance the service your team provides.

Are you unsure of where to begin? Let’s take a look at three techniques and tips your customer service agents can use to drive upsells and cross-sell while on the front lines.

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