Great telephone skills are the building blocks of every business and it is easy to see why. Many of the important experiences that your existing, new, and potential customers are having are based upon the level of customer service they are receiving from your employees while on the phone. Employees that can use their telephone skills to effectively deliver excellent service will grow and maintain a thriving business.
Top 10 Skills
There are many tips and techniques available on the market to help your employees build great telephone skills; however, there are only 10 that can truly deliver. The following Top 10 skills have been gathered from the Telephone Training Program, an award winning resource that is entertaining and simple for any practice to use.
1. Telephone Responsibility - It is important to identify and clarify whose role it is to answer the phone to avoid confusion and chaos.
2. The Greeting - It is much more than a "hello" or "good morning." Use your greeting to warmly welcome existing and potential customers to your business.
3. Telephone Etiquette - It's not so much "what you say," but "how you say it," that truly matters to your customers - continue to provide important information but focus on the delivery.
4. Scheduling Appointments - Make sure your employees know how to schedule those appointments - don't take it for granted that they already know!
5. Placing Callers on Hold - Establish a customer - friendly manner to place callers on hold without offending the customer.
6. Transferring Calls - Don't leave the caller hanging: let him or her know when and why you are transferring their call to another employee.
7. Leaving and Taking Messages - Identify what an appropriate message is to leave for a customer, as well as, how to gather all the necessary information when taking a message for other employees.
8. Handling the Unhappy Caller - It is important that employees keep their own cool when talking with an unhappy caller and work towards a mutually acceptable answer to the caller's concern.
9. Handling Tough Questions - Recognize how much information is okay to provide and when it is time to seek the assistance of a more seasoned employee.
10.Personal Calls - There really is no time that is acceptable for employees to make and receive personal calls. This behavior communicates to the customer that their time is more valuable than the customer's - a big put-off!
You can provide your employees with these necessary phone skills in your employee manual and through hands-on instruction. Consider adding a web-based front office and/or telephone training program to supplement your own training. This will ensure that you cover all bases and give your employees the best foundation possible.
In Short...
Do not ignore the significance of an employee that possesses great telephone training. Review the Top 10 skills with your employees on a regular basis and train a new employee as a part of their employee orientation. Your business will continue to thrive with every ring of the telephone.
1. Breathe! Before you pick up the phone, take a deep breath. Most of us are what they call "shallow breathers". We take small breathes in and out and therefore, sound tired when we answer the phone. The goal is to sound like you like your job and you are glad they called.
Practice taking a very big breath and answering the phone at the top of that breathe. You will continue speaking on the exhale of that breath and the caller will hear energy in your voice! You can also practice it when you are making a call and start your breath as the phone is ringing on the other end. You'll be surprised how you feel when you use this technique. You may try it the next time your mother-in-law calls!
2. Identify yourself. Give your full name and function and or the name of your company. Since they have taken the time to call you, you may answer the phone this way; "Thank you for calling Merchandise Concepts, this is Anne Obarski, how can I make it a great day for you?" Hokey, maybe; memorable, maybe; friendly, you bet. Since I have an unusual last name, this helps me say it first so that the caller doesn't have to fumble with the pronunciation. One tip that I seem to always repeat, is that of slowing down when you answer the phone or when you call to leave a message. How many times have you had to re-play your answering machine to understand what the person was saying or the phone number that rattled off too fast?
3. Be Sincere. If we are honest with ourselves, we are all "problem solvers" in some way. People call us on the phone to have a problem answered. Whether it is to get driving directions, or hours of operation or questions about our merchandise, they have a question and want it answered quickly, intelligently and politely.
It is important to put the customer's needs ahead of ours. Have you ever been in a store and you were just about ready to put your things down on the counter to pay for them and the employee says, "You'll have to go to another register, I am going on break now". A customer will remember how attentive you were to their needs when they are asked to make a referral!
4. Listen attentively. Put everything down when you answer the phone! Easier said than done, isn't? How many times have you been in your office answering email, talking on the phone, listening to your ipod and sipping on a Starbucks? Me too. Shame on us. Customers don't like to be ignored and by multitasking, we are not focused on the customer's wants and needs.
Visualize the person, even if you don't know them so that you remind yourself you are engaged in a two-way conversation. If you still have trouble listening, start taking notes on what they are saying. Use a headset if possible, to keep your hands free. By taking notes you can verify with them as well as yourself, the important points of the conversation and the action items that needed attention.
5. Outcome. If the phone call has been successful, the first 30 seconds established a positive perception about you through voice, and tone and focus. The last 30 seconds will be when the caller finalizes their opinion about you. You can make that a positive experience by thanking them for calling, reviewing the problem you were able to solve and then most importantly, thanking them for their continued business.
Given the time and money your company spends on urging people to call, isn’t it in your best interest to make sure those calls are handled with care? If they’re not, after all, much of your work as a marketer could be wasted. Fabulous new prospects may never stay on the phone long enough to talk with one of your salespeople just because they were given a lousy impression of your company by an operator or receptionist.
8 comments:
Great telephone skills are the building blocks of every business and it is easy to see why. Many of the important experiences that your existing, new, and potential customers are having are based upon the level of customer service they are receiving from your employees while on the phone. Employees that can use their telephone skills to effectively deliver excellent service will grow and maintain a thriving business.
Top 10 Skills
There are many tips and techniques available on the market to help your employees build great telephone skills; however, there are only 10 that can truly deliver. The following Top 10 skills have been gathered from the Telephone Training Program, an award winning resource that is entertaining and simple for any practice to use.
1. Telephone Responsibility - It is important to identify and clarify whose role it is to answer the phone to avoid confusion and chaos.
2. The Greeting - It is much more than a "hello" or "good morning." Use your greeting to warmly welcome existing and potential customers to your business.
3. Telephone Etiquette - It's not so much "what you say," but "how you say it," that truly matters to your customers - continue to provide important information but focus on the delivery.
4. Scheduling Appointments - Make sure your employees know how to schedule those appointments - don't take it for granted that they already know!
5. Placing Callers on Hold - Establish a customer - friendly manner to place callers on hold without offending the customer.
6. Transferring Calls - Don't leave the caller hanging: let him or her know when and why you are transferring their call to another employee.
7. Leaving and Taking Messages - Identify what an appropriate message is to leave for a customer, as well as, how to gather all the necessary information when taking a message for other employees.
8. Handling the Unhappy Caller - It is important that employees keep their own cool when talking with an unhappy caller and work towards a mutually acceptable answer to the caller's concern.
9. Handling Tough Questions - Recognize how much information is okay to provide and when it is time to seek the assistance of a more seasoned employee.
10.Personal Calls - There really is no time that is acceptable for employees to make and receive personal calls. This behavior communicates to the customer that their time is more valuable than the customer's - a big put-off!
You can provide your employees with these necessary phone skills in your employee manual and through hands-on instruction. Consider adding a web-based front office and/or telephone training program to supplement your own training. This will ensure that you cover all bases and give your employees the best foundation possible.
In Short...
Do not ignore the significance of an employee that possesses great telephone training. Review the Top 10 skills with your employees on a regular basis and train a new employee as a part of their employee orientation. Your business will continue to thrive with every ring of the telephone.
1. Breathe! Before you pick up the phone, take a deep breath. Most of us are what they call "shallow breathers". We take small breathes in and out and therefore, sound tired when we answer the phone. The goal is to sound like you like your job and you are glad they called.
Practice taking a very big breath and answering the phone at the top of that breathe. You will continue speaking on the exhale of that breath and the caller will hear energy in your voice! You can also practice it when you are making a call and start your breath as the phone is ringing on the other end. You'll be surprised how you feel when you use this technique. You may try it the next time your mother-in-law calls!
2. Identify yourself. Give your full name and function and or the name of your company. Since they have taken the time to call you, you may answer the phone this way; "Thank you for calling Merchandise Concepts, this is Anne Obarski, how can I make it a great day for you?" Hokey, maybe; memorable, maybe; friendly, you bet. Since I have an unusual last name, this helps me say it first so that the caller doesn't have to fumble with the pronunciation. One tip that I seem to always repeat, is that of slowing down when you answer the phone or when you call to leave a message. How many times have you had to re-play your answering machine to understand what the person was saying or the phone number that rattled off too fast?
3. Be Sincere. If we are honest with ourselves, we are all "problem solvers" in some way. People call us on the phone to have a problem answered. Whether it is to get driving directions, or hours of operation or questions about our merchandise, they have a question and want it answered quickly, intelligently and politely.
It is important to put the customer's needs ahead of ours. Have you ever been in a store and you were just about ready to put your things down on the counter to pay for them and the employee says, "You'll have to go to another register, I am going on break now". A customer will remember how attentive you were to their needs when they are asked to make a referral!
4. Listen attentively. Put everything down when you answer the phone! Easier said than done, isn't? How many times have you been in your office answering email, talking on the phone, listening to your ipod and sipping on a Starbucks? Me too. Shame on us. Customers don't like to be ignored and by multitasking, we are not focused on the customer's wants and needs.
Visualize the person, even if you don't know them so that you remind yourself you are engaged in a two-way conversation. If you still have trouble listening, start taking notes on what they are saying. Use a headset if possible, to keep your hands free. By taking notes you can verify with them as well as yourself, the important points of the conversation and the action items that needed attention.
5. Outcome. If the phone call has been successful, the first 30 seconds established a positive perception about you through voice, and tone and focus. The last 30 seconds will be when the caller finalizes their opinion about you. You can make that a positive experience by thanking them for calling, reviewing the problem you were able to solve and then most importantly, thanking them for their continued business.
yeahhhhhha ummmmmmmmmmmm..
I keep them coming bac, I keep them COMING BACK!!!!!
Given the time and money your company spends on urging people to call, isn’t it in your best interest to make sure those calls are handled with care? If they’re not, after all, much of your work as a marketer could be wasted. Fabulous new prospects may never stay on the phone long enough to talk with one of your salespeople just because they were given a lousy impression of your company by an operator or receptionist.
Tips to improve inflection(tone of voice/pitch)
Smile
Stress Words
Exaggerate your tone of voice
Breathe
Never say "No"
Always be smile and happy to customer
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