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Effective Telephone Skills

Effective Telephone Skills. Learning Services Staff Development Workshop. Aims. Project a positive Learning Services image Develop effective telephone skills Enhance customer service skills . Objectives On completion of the training you will be able to:.

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Effective Telephone Skills

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  1. Effective Telephone Skills Learning Services Staff Development Workshop

  2. Aims • Project a positive Learning Services image • Develop effective telephone skills • Enhance customer service skills

  3. ObjectivesOn completion of the training you will be able to: • Begin and end a call with greater confidence and efficiency. • Take clear and concise messages • Demonstrate techniques for positive listening & speaking

  4. Learning Services Image • There is a standard script for answering any telephone within Learning Services (see next slide) • Use it consistently • Give your name - and use the customers name if you know it

  5. A standard greeting Ideally each call received within Learning Services should be answered with a standard greeting. For example: “Good morning, LINC Help Desk, Emma Whitfield speaking” or “Good morning, Lending Services, Jon Swift speaking” This will ensure that the caller knows he is through to the correct department, and that he has the name of the person he is speaking to.

  6. Basic Telephone Skills 1 Effective communication/ speaking skills • Tone of voice - • FLAT & INDIFFERENT- bored, lack of interest in job, not interested in caller or conversation • ENTHUSIASTIC - interested in the conversation, likes job, wants to help caller • CARING - interested in caller, wants to help • COLD - hostile, hates job, wants to be anywhere but here

  7. Basic Telephone Skills 1 cont Effective communication/ speaking skills • Word content • Keep jargon to a minimum in order to avoid confusing customers • Your use of technical words could intimidate the customer who may have a lower level of expertise in a particular area. Use language they understand!

  8. Basic Telephone Skills 1 cont Effective communication/ speaking skills • You need to speak at a rate that can be understood, and how the customer responds will effect this - • A slower rate of speech may indicate confusion or fatigue • A faster rate of speech might indicate anger or impatience

  9. Basic Telephone Skills 2 • Effective Listening skills • Pay attention • Assess the customers level of expertise • It’s very valuable to know if they are novices or experts • Knowing their level can save a lot of time • Echo important points • Take notes Unit 4 covers listening skills

  10. Answering calls effectively • Answer the phone promptly • within 3 rings is standard practice • Identify the Department and yourself immediately • Let the caller hear you smile! • Smiling conveys a pleasant tone to your voice. Use the callers name if you can as it gives a personal touch and helps to establish rapport. • Transfer calls only when you have to • try to resolve the callers problem yourself whenever possible. If you must transfer the call ensure you explain why!

  11. Answering calls effectively • Think about your words and how they might be received “He’s not in yet” - the caller thinks: what’s wrong with this guy, can’t he get to work on time? “He’s in a meeting” - Oh Yes... just giving me the run around “She’s still at lunch” - must be nice to take such long lunches “I don’t know when he’ll be back” - nobody knows what’s going on in that department!

  12. Taking better messages • Get complete information • Use a pad • Record date and time • Spell names accurately • Don’t be afraid to ask how names are spelt - people will be flattered • What does the caller want? • a return call? The caller will call back? • Avoid telephone tag. When is a good time to call?

  13. Taking better messages cont • Ask, can you help? • This does two things. It provides you with information about the purpose of the call that you can pass on in the message, or it may eliminate the necessity for a return call if you can help by providing the caller with the information required. • Take responsibility - follow through • its amazing how lax people are about returning calls and following up enquiries. It is OK to say “I don’t know but I’ll find out for you” but ensure you follow this up by calling them back with an answer to their question.

  14. Improved Customer ServiceWhat callers like! • Flexibility • Follow-up • Answering the phone promptly • Friendliness & Courtesy • Responsiveness • Updates on progress • Pleasant & Helpful Staff • Personalized treatment • Going above and beyond

  15. Conclusion • Good telephone skills mean more satisfied customers • They are just as important as face-to-face communication skills • Effective telephone skills mean problems are solved more quickly and efficiently • Good speaking and listening skills give customers a more positive image of the service and Learning Services as a whole

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