CONTACT CENTRE Communication, Customer Service & Telesales Theory

1. REFRESHER TRAINING CONTACT CENTRE Communication, Customer Service & Telesales Theory OCTOBER 2012

2. BRAIN WARMER PAY THROUGH THE NOSE TEEPEE FORK IN THE ROAD BUT ON SECOND THOUGHT TWO PEAS IN A POD SCRAMBLED EGGS OVERWHELMING ODDS OPEN AND SHUT CASE MATINEE

3. Session Goal The goal of today’s session is to give you the tools to help you maximise your sales potential and increase your ability to deliver stellar customer service.

4. Today’s Session By the end of today’s session, participants will be able to: • Discuss the differences in communication • Discuss Voice Tools • Identify Caller Types • Discuss the importance of making a great first impression • Demonstrate effective needs discovery • Discuss the importance of features and benefits • Discuss the theory of Objection Handling • Discuss the importance of Closing the sale correctly

5. Differences in Communication • The 'Mehrabianformula’ was established in situations where there was incongruence between words and expression. Dr Albert Mehrabian Non-verbal Paralinguistic Verbal

6. Voice Tools To many students, you are the first impression of OUA. Voice tools can be used to improve your telephone presence.

7. Voice Tools Pitch • Your pitch is the frequency of your voice. • A low frequency can be taken as threatening. • A frequency that is too high can be interpreted as stress.

8. Voice Tools Inflection • Inflection is the rising and lowering of the pitch of your voice. • The opposite of having inflection is being monotone which can come across like you are bored.

9. Voice Tools Inflection • Example: I didn’t steal your money

10. Voice Tools Inflection • Example: I didn’t steal your money

11. Voice Tools Inflection • Example: I didn’t steal your money

12. Voice Tools Inflection • Example: I didn’t steal your money

13. Voice Tools Inflection • Example: I didn’t steal your money

14. Voice Tools Courtesy & Can Do • ‘Please’, ‘Thank you’, ‘May I’ • Also, the use of positive language • Try to talk about the things you can do rather than the things you can’t • If you need to say something negative, follow it with a positive • What are some common negative statements you say to our students? • How can you follow that up with something positive to give a better customer experience?

15. Voice Tools Courtesy & Can Do • Examples of non intentional negativity:

16. Voice Tools Tone • Tone is the emotion in your voice • Regardless of what is spoken, the tone conveys the context. Group Exercise: How many ways can you say “I love you”and in what context/situation? • What traits do you feel your tone should portray over the phone?

17. Voice Tools Understandability

18. Voice Tools Rate of Speech • Rate of Speech is the speed in which you are talking • Speaking too slow – causes the caller to anticipate what you are saying next, causing anxiety • Speaking too fast – causes the caller to miss what you are saying, and may feel you are attempting to be misleading

19. Voice Tools Enunciation • Enunciation is speaking each syllable of each word clearly and distinctly.

20. Caller Types

21. Caller Types The Aggressor • Show empathy but don’t say “I know how you feel.” • Be calm and professional and confident • Do not fight with the caller • You are not the focus of their anger • Let the person vent • Confirm understanding • Focus on the solution • Know what is in the boundaries of your control

22. Caller Types The Know It All • It seems their primary goal is to make you slip up • Generally angry but logical rather than emotional • Try not to use useless placations • Remain professional, calm, confident, and friendly • Make sure the information you give is 100% correct • Put the caller on hold to find out anything you don’t know • To gain favour from the ‘Know It All’, offer extra relevant information that they might not know and will appreciate

23. Caller Types The Upset/Stressed • Let them talk • Use reassuring tones and demonstrate empathy • Don’t make promises • Don’t take on board their stress • Take control of the call • Know what is in the boundaries of your control

24. Caller Types The Unsure • Give them the facts! • Take control of the call • Use open and probing questions to find out the caller’s needs • The more options you give the more difficult the call • Guide the caller to a decision • Don’t get frustrated with the caller

25. Caller Types The Rambler • Remain polite and patient • Call control: Get them to focus back on why they called using ‘back on track’ questions • A ‘back on track’ question is: • Closed question – to take back control • Related – is about what they are talking about so you can segway back to why they are calling without it coming across abrupt or rude • Rapport building balanced with call flow

26. Caller Types The Flirter • Remain professional • Don’t engage in the flirtatious comments • Try to remain friendly • Call control back to the caller’s reason for calling

27. Staying in the Game Even the best salesperson has bad days.

28. Pre-call Environment • What could be happening to the customer before the call? • What feelings/emotions could they be experiencing before the call? • What is the potential mindset of the customer before the call due to: • Previous experience • Word of mouth • Personal fears

29. Making a Great First Impression • Can you fix any of these issues in the first 10 seconds of the call? • What are you in control of to reduce the negative emotions and feelings of the student at the beginning of the call?

30. How to come across over the phone

31. Getting Past the Gatekeeper ...or, Not Coming Across Like a Telemarketer • What is a Gatekeeper? • What will make a Gatekeeper turn you away?

32. Needs Discovery • Demonstrated Interest • Three steps: • Discover the student’s need • Find a solution • Trial the solution (selling the features and benefits)

33. Features and Benefits • What is the difference between features and benefits? • Tying in the benefit to the person’s need is a powerful selling technique. • Features tell, benefits sell.

34. Features and Benefits • Example:

35. Features and Benefits

36. COKE ZERO

37. PIZZA SINGLES

38. A PUPPY

39. AB KING PRO

40. POOL

41. THIS PROPERTY

42. Objection Handling • What is the difference between an objection and a rejection?

43. Objection Handling LAARC

44. Objection Handling • Make sure you get the full picture and understand the objection • Ask probing or clarifying questions if needed

45. Objection Handling • Recognise their right to object • This will help prevent aggression

46. Objection Handling • Assess the situation • This may mean asking various questions to probe for further detail • You know when you have completed the assessment stage when you can fully empathise with the person's objection

47. Objection Handling • Respond with the objection handler • Personalise the response based on the situation and deliver with confidence

48. Objection Handling • Check that they have understood your response and that it addresses their concerns • If it doesn’t: then repeat from the beginning • If it does: then you are back on track with your sale.

49. Closing the Sale • A simple question that is a natural extension to the conversation • Closing the sale is easy when you have done everything else beforehand correctly • Words should sound soft and consensual • "Ok, so is this what you want to go for then?“ • "Shall I go ahead and set them up for you now?“ • “Great let's start the ball rolling then shall we?"

50. Scenarios