Presented by Deanne Schulz

Transcription

1 Telephone Skills for Customer Service and Sales Professionals Presented by Deanne Schulz

2 TELEPHONE SKILLS Front line of a business How relationships are built and maintained

3 It takes a really short amount of time to decide to stay tuned in to a speaker.

4 Your Image on the Phone 1.Words you use 2.How you are saying them

5 OVERVIEW: 1. Techniques that can help us create a personal connection 2. Maintaining rapport 3. How to handle difficult types of people 4. Creating a telephone presence 5. Essential words and phrases

6 Use the customer s name

7 Use a Standard Greeting I m so glad you Helps to boost your company s reputation called today. How can I help you? It sets the tone for what the customer Be sure to sound authentic can expect

8 MANNERS May I place you on hold? I appreciate you holding. If they say no : Explain why you re putting them on hold.

9 If you wouldn t want it said to your grandmother, you probably shouldn t say it to whoever is on the other end of the call.

10 Words and Phrases to Avoid Positive Alternatives Just hang on one second until the computer loads. Give me just a moment to pull all of your information. We will be getting ABC product in next week, but in We are out of that product. the meantime I can show you CDE product that many people also like.

11 That won t work You know, I probably could have explained that a little better. Let me back up and go over some of the specifics. Like I already said I don t know Wow, that s been a hot seller for us, which is why we don t have it in stock It s not ready No We don t have it Just hang on a sec I guess you didn t understand me I don t think you are getting what I said before You know, I may have gone over that part too quickly because there are a lot of details, so let me back up and give you some of the specifics again.

12 Calls to Action A lot of people love this This is our top seller Social Support

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14 Calls to Action A lot of people love this Limited supplies This is a great product. I m going to have to check and see if we ve still got it in stock. This is our top seller Only a few left Social Support

15 Speak only when you can improve on silence.

16 Clear Concise Jargon VERBAL CLUTTER

17 4 Tips 1for Keeping Your Language Fluff-free Before you speak, write down any key points or goals you are trying to convey to your customer.

18 2 What s 4 Tips for Keeping Your Language Fluff-free Consider what you know about your customer. their reason for calling? What s their need? Is there a language barrier? Is there a cultural component? What do they already know?

19 3 Is 4 Tips for Keeping Your Language Fluff-free Consider how your company or product can help them. it going to save time? Is it going to save money? Does it help them?

20 4 Tips 4for Keeping Your Language Fluff-free Tell the truth.

21 BEHAVIORS CUSTOMERS HATE Being put on hold Being transferred Rudeness Customers love Bad tone confidence and knowledge. Not listening

22 ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS 1. Paraphrase and repeat 2. Don t interrupt 3. Take notes 4. Ask questions 5. Visualize how they see you 6. Thank them anyway

23 Tired Bored Not in the mood Distracted REASONS WE STOP LISTENING

24 Goal Setting

25 ACTIVE LISTENING TECHNIQUES Organization Flow of the call Assumption We jump in with a reaction or solution. Association Words trigger thoughts from previous calls.

26 Note-taking

27 PHONE ETIQUETTE TIPS Use phrases that encourage the caller to stay engaged. There is a 7-second window to move the customer to a positive and receptive place.

28 Handling Difficult People Situationally Strategically Simply

29 Situationally Difficult Normally well-behaved, but they become negative Temporarily ill-tempered Techniques: Keep your voice calm Stay calm Listen, but don t join in Provide solutions

30 Strategically Difficult Uses anger as a strategy Techniques: Know the facts Use buzzwords Seek win-win solutions Be prepared to walk away

31 Simply Difficult It s part of their character. Techniques: Don t expect to please everyone Stay calm and professional

32 Vocal Techniques Match your rate of speech to your customer s rate. Be aware of your volume. Be respectful and give customers your complete attention.

33 End Calls on a Positive Note Provide them with a brief review Offer additional help, assistance or more products Give them a call-back number and your company s Web site Use a positive and professional tone, and stay upbeat End the call with a professional closing statement

34 FINAL THOUGHTS Select techniques and make a habit of practicing them.