Telephone Customer Service Excellence: Proven Techniques for an Awesome Over-the-Phone Image  

CEUs: 0.35

• Customer Service

The first impression of your organization often comes over the telephone.  It is critical that these make-or-break interactions be positive and professional.  In this practical (and fun) half-day session, you'll learn the important basics of great telephone customer service.

Length:  One 4-hour session

Instructor:  DuPonte

Who should attend: Any employee will benefit from this training, but it will be especially useful to those who have "front-line" telephone responsibility.

Benefits:

• A credible, professional image for yourself, your work unit, and your organization.

• A reputation for outstanding customer relations.

• Reduced stress--especially when dealing with difficult telephone situations.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this program, you will be able to:

• Describe the critical difference between face-to-face and over-the-phone communication.

• List personal and organizational benefits of effective telephone communication.

• Explain what is meant by image why it is important to you and your organization.

• List at least 5 factors that affect image.

• Explain what is meant by the "A.S.K. Theory."

• Define attitude and how it relates to good telephone customer service.

• Discuss the 10 key skills needed in delivering telephone customer service excellence.

• Use active listening in managing telephone interactions.

• List the key information to collect when documenting a telephone call.

• Describe customer-friendly methods for putting someone on hold.

• Describe the proper way to transfer a call to ensure a positive outcome.

• Demonstrate how to deal effectively with the top 5 difficult caller situations.

• List important telephone time management techniques.

• Explain what is meant by the 7 C's of Excellent Customer Service.

Program Outline:

I.          Laying the foundation

            A.         Telephone versus face-to-face communication

            B.         Benefits of good telephone customer service

            C.         Image--it makes all the difference

            D.         The "A.S.K.Theory"

II.          Attitude is everything

III.         Key telephones skills

            A.         Put a smile in your voice--they can hear it!

            B.         Building rapport with the caller

            C.         The power of positive words and phrases

            D.         Effective listening (it's magic!)

            E.         Taking notes and documenting calls

            F.         Know your equipment

            G.         Putting the caller on hold--a customer service "moment of truth"

            H.         Transferring a call and avoiding "dead ends"

            I.          Managing difficult telephone situations

                        1.         Hard-to-understand callers

                        2.         Complaints

                        3.         Angry callers

                        4.         Aggressive/passive-aggressive callers

                        5.         Talkative callers

            J.          Flawless follow-up

IV.        Telephone time management--how to increase productivity, reduce stress and still provide great customer service

V.         Summary

            A.         The 7 C's of excellent customer service

            B.         The golden rule

VI.        Action planning