“Nowadays most of the people take the telephone for granted. Thus, we forget or ignore basic etiquette and mannerism so essential for successful communication in a business environment.”
LESTER THUREAU
Dean, Sloan School of Management, M.I.T
INTRODUCTION
- Every customer calling your establishment should receive a positive and seamless service that is professional, efficient and responsive. Customers who are handled well will notice the good service, channel more business and hopefully build a long term relationship with you. Customers who are not handled well damage your reputation and take their business to the competition.
COURSE AIM & OBJECTIVES
- The course aims to provide practical call handling training, teaching participants’ telephone techniques and skills to confidently answer calls, as well as how to constructively respond to customer telephone enquiries and handle customer complaints with proper mannerism and professional etiquette.
- Key objectives of the telephone training course are to:
Answer and make telephone calls in a professional manner
Learn techniques to efficiently respond to a customer call
Build rapport with the customer and satisfy their needs quickly
Handle a customer’s concern or complaint, with empathy and understanding
COURSE CONTENTS
- This training course is divided into the following Modules:
MODULE 1: THE IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL TELEPHONE SKILLS
- Importance of professional telephone techniques to the business
- Benefits of professional telephone etiquette
- Small group exercise and facilitated group discussion
MODULE 2: TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES
- The challenges of telephone communication
- Role of non-verbal communication
- Building rapport and gathering information
- Small group practical exercises, facilitated group discussion
MODULE 3: ANSWERING THE TELEPHONE
- Projecting a professional image through voice presentation skills
- Telephone guidelines when handling a call
- The verbal handshake
- Putting callers on hold, transferring callers
- Group exercise, demonstration, presentation and facilitated group discussion
MODULE 4: COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO HANDLE ENQUIRIES
- Effective listening techniques
- Questioning techniques
- Recording or writing down correct and accurate information
- Using positive language and taking ownership of call
- Closing the call with proper courtesy
- Small group practical exercises, presentation and group discussion
MODULE 5: COMMUNICATING WITH CALLERS WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNICATING STYLES
- Main characteristics of communication styles
- Adjusting to other styles of communication
- Presentation, individual questionnaire and group review, group exercises
MODULE 6: HANDLING CUSTOMER CONCERNS AND OBJECTIONS
- Pre-empting customers’ most frequent concerns
- Responding to customer concerns and objections
- Small group exercise, pair practical activity, group review discussion
MODULE 7: HANDLING CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
- Handling angry and/or emotional callers
- Responding to the complainant
- Escalating the complaint
- Recovery strategies and how to turn a complainant into a happy customer
- The power of a good attitude
- Small group exercise, facilitator tips, pairs practice session and group discussion
REVIEW: REVIEWING THE DAY’s LEARNING AND ACTION PLAN FOR WORK
- Review of learning and action planning