Resources/Conversation examples
Time held
The customer agrees to a specific day and time, and the team writes it down with the topic, the details and the person who will meet them.
Thursday at 11 works. I'll have my business partner on the call too.
What to do when you spot it
Record the appointment details and send a written confirmation before hanging up, including who they will speak with and how to join.
Practice a response
Synthetic practice exampleReply to the example above out loud, then compare your words with this sample.
"Thursday at 11, you and your partner. I'm writing it down with the two options we talked about and my name, and I'm texting you the details right now."
Coaching and context
Taking the next step
Log it while the customer is still on the line: the day, the time, the topic, the rep who owns it, and anything they said they would bring or send. Send the written confirmation before you hang up so the customer has it in hand, tell them who they will be speaking with and how to join, and set the day-before confirmation right then rather than hoping someone gets to it.
Why it matters
Held times are the team's forward business, and their quality is decided in the sixty seconds after the customer says yes. An agreed time that lives in a rep's memory, on a sticky note or on the wrong day in the CRM is not an appointment; it is a story. Managers who plan a week from the calendar need that calendar to reflect real, written, owned commitments with the right details attached.
How to coach it
Put the recording and the CRM entry side by side in the one-on-one. The gap between what was agreed and what was written is usually the whole lesson, and it is not a motivation problem. Coach the writing down as part of the ask, so the rep does not consider the call finished until the entry is complete.
Practice the conversation
The manager plays the customer. The rep responds, then you review it together.
The customer says
"Thursday at 11 works. I'll have my business partner on the call too."
Your goal
Write the appointment down completely while the customer is still on the line, and send the confirmation before you hang up.
Feedback after the call
- You repeated the details back so you both had the same appointment.
- You did not write down that their partner will join.
- You never told them how to join the call.
- You said you would send the confirmation later instead of during the call.
Questions and answers
Does a held time mean the customer showed up?
No. It records that a specific day and time was agreed in the conversation. Whether the customer attended is a separate fact.
What makes an appointment hold better?
A specific time, a named person, the details confirmed, and a written confirmation the customer receives before the call ends.
Should soft agreements be counted?
No. Sometime next week is not a time. Counting soft agreements inflates the calendar and hides the reps who are not really asking.