Customer Service Soft Skills Applied: Telephone Skills

Who is this man?

Alexander "Mr. Graham Watson Bell -- comeInvented here -- I want the harmonic to see you." telegraph in 1876

Morse/Vail Electric Telegraph cerca 1840

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)

Customer Service Soft Skills Module 2

Telephone Skills

The Five Golden Rules of Call Handling*

Real Bergevin, Call Centers for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Canada Ltd., 2005) 264-266

1. BE POLITE Say please and thankfeel you. When you are polite customers respected and valued,
and it shows that you appreciate the time they have taken to speak with you.

2. USE EMPATHY
Empathy is showing concern for the customers situation & Put yourself in customers shoes. feelings without agreeing or disagreeing with what the customer is saying.

Appropriate Levels of Empathy Do say:

I understand your frustration I know how you must be feeling

Dont say:
I agree with you, our service is horrible!
I love you

3. USE THE CUSTOMERS NAME When you personalize the interaction, customers feel like Theres no greater music than the sound they are talking to a real person, perhaps even a friend. of ones own name.

Should you use customers first name or Mr./Mrs./Ms. (last name)?

Use first name: Always use Mr./Mrs./Ms (last name):

When more the first personalized name is not relationship known. is appropriate. When the customer is from a generation older When than more yours a friendly baby tone boomers needs & to elderly. be established. When more formality or respect is required. When a regular relationship has already been established from previous contacts.

Should you use customers first name or Mr./Mrs./Ms. (last name)?

Never use:
Mr./Mrs./Ms. + First Name Example: Mr. Charlie, please bear with me

4. TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE SITUATION & SOLUTION

Treat each customer as ifcall, she is the only customer your When you answer the you own the situation company has, and youre the only in your company. and are responsible for finding a person resolution.

5. USE POSITIVE, CAN DO LANGUAGE

Turn a roadblock into a roadway. Always tell the customer what you can do for him/her rather than what you cant do..

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

DC Phone Call Procedure

GREETING:

Good morning/afternoon/evening, thank you for calling the deposit center. My name is ______, how may I help you?
Good morning/afternoon/evening, thank you for calling. This is _____ speaking, how may I help you?

DC Phone Call Procedure

ASK FOR USER NAME:
May I please have your account user name? Remember that if the customer doesnt know or have the account number you may ask for the player nickname or email address.

(Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms. + Last Name) may you also please let me know your user name or e-mail address in order for me to assist you.

DC Phone Call Procedure

ASK FOR USER NAME: We can also, teach the customer how to find the account number. In order to find your user name, please go to the Cashier page, then click on the Account Info tab and select the Money and Rewards option. You will find your user name in red, right below the Real Money header.

DC Phone Call Procedure

ACCOUNT VERIFICATION:
(Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms. + Last Name), for security reasons, please allow me to verify your account information. May I please have your Account ID and Full Name? _____ Thank you! Can you please confirm your mailing address? _____ What is your Date of Birth? _____ and finally, what is your Phone Number and E-mail Address? _____ Thank you very much!

DC Phone Call Procedure

PLACING SOMEONE ON HOLD
Ask for permission Explain why Thank the caller Apologize if there was a delay Refresh the caller Offer to call back if it is taking longer than expected to resolve the issue

DC Phone Call Procedure

ON-HOLD PROTOCOL:
(Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _____, please allow me to put you on hold while I review your account/issue/situation. Do not keep the customer on hold, for a long period of time. The customer should not be placed on hold for more than 90 seconds. If the situation takes longer, refresh the customer on the call status be constantly thanking him/her for their patience.

DC Phone Call Procedure

ON-HOLD PROTOCOL - Refresh Caller:
Thank you for holding (Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms. + Last Name) . _____ the supervisor (or person in charge) is reviewing your case Ill get back to you shortly. (Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms. + Last Name) ______ they are still reviewing the account, once again thank you for holding If you have already returned to the customer more than twice please offer the customer a call back to avoid long hold times.

DC Phone Call Procedure

CALL TRANSFERS: After verifying the customers account and identifying the issues, ask permission from the customer to transfer the call. (Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms. + Last Name) ______, for further assistance, please allow me to put you through/connect you with the proper department (or person in charge).

DC Phone Call Procedure

CALL TRANSFERS (contd):
Once the person receives the call, inform him/her the account information and what the issue is all about. Give full details in order to avoid the customer repeating itself. Once this process is done, introduce the customer to the person that will take over the call. (Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms. + Last Name) _______, thank you for waiting, _______ from the ______ department will assist you now, thank you for calling the Deposit Center.

DC Phone Call Procedure

CALL TRANSFERS (contd):
If the customer just asks to get transferred, ask him/her for the account details and why he/her wants to get transferred.

(Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.), in order for me to transfer this call properly, may I please have your name, account number, and a brief description of your case?

DC Phone Call Procedure

CALL TRANSFERS (contd):
Always, make sure you read the notes in the account. You may be able to assist the customer without transferring the call.

(Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) ______, according to the notes in your account, I can see that ________.

DC Phone Call Procedure

OFFER ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE:
Is there anything else I can do for you today (Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _________. Would you like me to assist you with anything else (Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _______.

(Sir/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _______, do you have any further questions?

DC Phone Call Procedure

CLOSING:
Thank you very much for calling (Sir/Maam) 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/Maam) 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/Maam) or (first name) or (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) _______

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.

Call Management
Use Can instead of Cant: The MUST Factor: - When communicating instructions watch out for words such as: must, have toand need to. Some better alternatives are: youll want to, Simply, Be sure to.

Call Management
Irate Customers - Don't let them get to you. We often allow the other persons 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 nondefensively and actively. People may make disparaging and emotional.

Call Management
Irate Customers You can follow the HEAT acronym:

- H ear - E mpathize - A pologize - T ake ownership

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

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."

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.

Call Management
TAKE OWNERSHIP: Take responsibility for the issue as the representative of the company and dont point fingers at others. Finally tell the customers what you will do about the situation.

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" -

Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use

No: Hello, Hey whats up, what can I do for you..

Yes: Good morning/afternoon/evening, thank you for calling, this is _____ speaking, how may I help you?

Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use

No: What? Huh?

Yes: Excuse me sir/maam, would you be able to repeat that for me please, I was having difficulty hearing the last question.

Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use

No: Buddy, friend, lady, man, dude, hey you

Yes: Sir/Maam, Mr./Mrs..

Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use

No: I cant, wont, dont, 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).

Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use

No: Hold on, one moment, one minute..

Yes: Sir/maam, please allow me to put you on hold Thank you for holding!

Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use

No: As I already told you, didnt I explain that to you already, pay attention. Yes: Sure sir/maam, allow me to clarify..

Expressions to Avoid vs. Expressions to Use

No: Good luck!

Yes: Enjoy the game!

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.______

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.

Lets Listen: Whats wrong with this call?

http://192.168.1.66:8467/aheevaccs/mnt_rscostarica/nosales/2007-1110/default_client.default_campaign.1178.2007.11.10.09.03.30.2604849066.192-168-211-15.1194706973-61246.000.mp3

Lets Listen: Was this call resolved appropriately?

http://192.168.1.66:8467/aheevaccs/mnt_rscostarica/nosales/2007-1113/default_client.default_campaign.1178.2007.11.13.09.32.43.4402582510.192-168-211-15.1194967926-68186.000.mp3

Lets Listen: Do you like this call?

http://192.168.1.66:8467/aheevaccs/mnt_rscostarica/nosales/2007-1110/default_client.default_campaign.1164.2007.11.10.00.35.25.9734938909.192-168-211-15.1194676488-60801.000.mp3

Why is tone of voice important?*

Real Bergevin, Call Centers for Dummies, (Mississauga, Ontario: John wile & Sons Canada Ltd., 2005) 302

Lets Listen: What is the tone of this agents voice?

http://192.168.1.66:8467/aheevaccs/mnt_rscostarica/nosales/2007-1110/default_client.default_campaign.1024.2007.11.10.01.50.19.7149338704.192-168-211-15.1194680982-60864.000.mp3

Elements of Personal Communication

Spoken Words 7%

Tone of Voice 38%

Body Language 55%

Elements of Tone of Voice: Speed Volume Inflection

Speed and Volume of Speech:

If you are attempting to get a customer excited about a feature of your product, service or solution, a slight increase in speed an volume helps.
When you want to emphasize a particular point you may lower your voice and slow your speed.

Inflection:

The natural modulation of tone you have in your voice Little to no inflection = monotone
More inflection sounds more engaging and interesting

Posture:

Body language can impact the way you sound Your voice will not project as well if you are lying on your back as opposed to sitting up straight
Open your vocal chords and diaphragm

Mood:

A sad or depressed mood will be detected

Your mood will come across in your tone of voice If you are having one of those days, then rake it, til you make it.

Lets Try: Tone & Inflection Activity*