1. Customer Service Soft Skills Applied: Telephone Skills

2. Who is this man?

3. Alexander Graham Bell Invented the “harmonic telegraph” in 1876 "Mr. Watson -- come here -- I want to see you."

4. Morse/Vail Electric Telegraph cerca 1840

8. “These telephone girls are the human part of a great communication machine. No matter how many millions of dollars are spent on cables and switchboards, the quality of telephone service depends upon the girl at the exchange end of the wire.”* * Herbert N. Casson, “The History of the Telephone,” (Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1910)

9. Customer Service Soft Skills Module 2 Telephone Skills

10. The Five Golden Rules of Call Handling* *Real Bergevin, “Call Centers for Dummies” (John Wiley & Sons, Canada Ltd., 2005) 264-266

17. When the customer is from a generation older than yours – baby boomers & elderly.

18. When more formality or respect is required.

19. When more personalized relationship is appropriate.

20. When more a friendly tone needs to be established.

24. QUESTION: Who is our most important customer? ANSWER: Everyone! Everybody should be treated as a VIP!

25. Defining Really good Customer Service. Politeness Patience Empathy Rapport Listening Understanding Taking control of the call One call resolution

26. Communicating with Customers Tone of voice Attitude towards the caller Active listening The Extra Mile

27. Some Steps for a Successful Service Step #1: Motivation One of the most important things in telemarketing is motivation. Someone has to want to do the job. The overall motivation will determine how they speak to people. So, successful telemarketers are very motivated to do the job.

28. Some Steps for a Successful Service Step #2: Product knowledge In order to successfully speak about a product or a service, the agent must know about the product or the service. Customers will ask questions before they buy or sign up for something, so the representative shouldbe able to answer the questions. Knowing the product or service will help you make a successful deal.

29. Some Steps for a Successful Service Step #3: Know the call format The telemarketer should have a call format or a call plan. They should know the order of the call: the introduction, the description of the product, the price, the value of the product, how to order, and the closing. Many companies will have a script to follow. A successful telemarketer will know the script and use it personalize it.

30. Some Steps for a Successful Service Step #4: Attitude Attitude is evident on the phone. When someone is happy and excited, those emotions will be palatable, even on the phone. Anger, frustration and impatient are just as palatable. The successful agent will have a positive attitude while on the job.

31. Call Management Speak with a Smile Undivided attention Enthusiasm Build Rapport

32. Call Management Greeting: -Welcome -Identify Department - Your Name

35. Remember that if the customer doesn’t know or have the account number you may ask for the player nickname or e-mail address.

38. _____ Thank you! Can you please confirm your mailing address?

39. _____ What is your Date of Birth?

40. _____ and finally, what is your Phone Number and E-mail Address?

42. Explain why

43. Thank the caller

44. Apologize if there was a delay

45. Refresh the caller

48. “(Sir/Ma’am) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms. + Last Name) ______ they are still reviewing the account, once again thank you for holding”

53. DC Phone Call Procedure CALL TRANSFERS (cont’d): Always, make sure you read the notes in the account. You may be able to assist the customer without transferring the call. “(Sir/Ma’am) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) ______, according to the notes in your account, I can see that ________.”

54. DC Phone Call Procedure OFFER ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE: “Is there anything else I can do for you today (Sir/Ma’am) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _________.” “Would you like me to assist you with anything else (Sir/Ma’am) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _______.” “(Sir/Ma’am) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _______, do you have any further questions?”

55. DC Phone Call Procedure CLOSING: “Thank you very much for calling “(Sir/Ma’am) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) ______, enjoy the games and have a wonderful day/evening.” “ Please feel free to call us again if you need further assistance, thank you for calling “(Sir/Ma’am) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _____” “Thank you very much for calling. Please do not hesitate to call us back for further assistance, enjoy the games and have a nice day/evening “(Sir/Ma’am) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _______”

56. Call Management Assure the caller: -We need to let the customer know they are in the right place. We can use words such as: “Sure”, “Certainly” or “Absolutely” along with a phrase. Using this method will give us ownership of the call and our willingness to help the customer.

57. Call Management Use “Can” instead of “Can’t”: The “MUST” Factor: - When communicating instructions watch out for words such as: “must”, “have to”and “need to”. Some better alternatives are: “you’ll want to”, “Simply”, “Be sure to”.

58. Call Management Irate Customers - Don't let them get to you. We often allow the other person’s attitude to irritate or annoy us. This becomes obvious to the other person through our tone of voice and our body language. This only fuels a difficult situation. When dealing with difficult people, stay out of it emotionally and concentrate on listening non-defensively and actively. People may make disparaging and emotional.

59. Call Management Irate Customers You can follow the HEAT acronym: - H ear - E mpathize - A pologize - T ake ownership

60. Call Management LISTEN: Listen carefully and hear what the customer has to say. Let the customer talk and vent.

61. Call Management EMPATHIZE: Deal with their feelings - then deal with their problem. Using empathy is an effective way to deal with a person's feelings. Empathy isn't about agreement, only acceptance of what the person is saying and feeling. Basically the message is - "I understand how you feel."

62. Call Management APOLOGIZE: Apologize for the inconvenience. While you and the company may not be responsible for the situation, you can at least apologize for the delay.

63. Call Management TAKE OWNERSHIP: Take responsibility for the issue as the representative of the company and don’t point fingers at others. Finally tell the customers what you will do about the situation.

64. Call Management Words to avoid: There are certain trigger words that can cause people to become more difficult especially in emotionally charged situations. These include: "You have to" - "But" - "I want you to" - "I need you to" - "It's company policy" - "I can't or You can't" - "Jargon" or "Buzz" words - "Sorry" - "I'll try" -

65. Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use No: “Hello, Hey what’s up, what can I do for you…..” Yes: “Good morning/afternoon/evening, thank you for calling, this is _____ speaking, how may I help you?”

66. Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use No: “What? Huh?” Yes: “Excuse me sir/ma’am, would you be able to repeat that for me please, I was having difficulty hearing the last question.”

67. Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use No: “Buddy, friend, lady, man, dude, hey you…” Yes: “Sir/Ma’am, Mr./Mrs……..”

68. Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use No: “I can’t, won’t, don’t, no,….” Yes: “What I can do for you is…..” “Unfortunately, at this moment…….” “I want to apologize but at this moment……” (The first part of your “no” statement should begin with an apology and the final piece should tell your customer what you can do for them, always offer alternatives).

69. Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use No: “Hold on, one moment, one minute…..” Yes: “Sir/ma’am, please allow me to put you on hold” “Thank you for holding!”

70. Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use No: “As I already told you, didn’t I explain that to you already, pay attention….” Yes: “Sure sir/ma’am, allow me to clarify…..”

71. Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use No: “Good luck!” Yes: “Enjoy the game!”

72. Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use No: “See you, talk to you later, bye….” Yes: “Thank you for calling, do not hesitate to call us back for further assistance, have a nice day/evening Mr./Mrs.______”

73. Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use No sounds such us yawns, chewing, eating, burps, hum, etc are allowed while you are with the customer on the phone.

74. Let’s Listen: What’s wrong with this call?

75. Let’s Listen: Was this call resolved appropriately?

76. Let’s Listen: Do you like this call?

77. Why is tone of voice important?* * Real Bergevin, “Call Centers for Dummies,” (Mississauga, Ontario: John wile & Sons Canada Ltd., 2005) 302

78. Let’s Listen: What is the tone of this agent’s voice?

79. Elements of Personal Communication

81. Volume

84. Little to no inflection = monotone

86. Your voice will not project as well if you are lying on your back as opposed to sitting up straight

88. Your mood will come across in your tone of voice