Module 4 : Trainee Handouts
Soft Skills
Total Duration: 40 Hours
We will Learn:
1. First Class Phone Manners: The Absolute Musts
of Telephone Best Practices
2. Tyrant Turnaround: Going from Difficult to
D li ht d C
Delighted Callers
ll
3. Collections Calling: Steps and Strategies for
Telephone Collections
First Class Phone Manners: The Absolute Musts of
Telephone
p Best Practices
The way you speak
Th k tto a customer,
t in
i terms
t off the
th
language you use, your tone of voice and clarity are
also important and often referred to as the ‘soft skills.’
Presenting a Professional Image
¾ Both in p
person and on the telephone,
p , is
very important in the Office skills
profession.
¾ Taking
g care of yyour customers over the
telephone and making them feel well
informed and appreciated is essential.
¾ The abilityy to listen is a p problem in
general but it is very important to listen
to what the caller has to say.
¾ It is always
y a g
good habit to repeat
p the
information back to the client when you
are taking a message.
Speaking Style
¾ A picture paints a thousand words but
the caller on the other end of the
phone can only hear you.
¾ Caller cannot see your face or body
g g
language.
¾ Taking the time to speak clearly, slowly
and in a cheerful, professional voice is
very important.
Usage of Tone
¾ Use your normal tone of voice when answering
a call.
¾ In case if you have a tendency to speak loud or
shout, avoid doing so on the telephone.
Usage of Language
¾ Spea in a normal
Speak o a way
ay bu
but in a
effective manner.
¾ Never use swear words.
¾ Words delivered should be clear &
understood to the caller.
Good Practice in Call Handling
¾ Good rapport with the ¾ Under promise
customer
¾ Repeat phoneticall
phonetically
¾ Type whilst talking &
¾ Summaries what has
listening
been done?
¾ Listen without
¾ Empathy with customer
interruptions
¾ Close
¾ Using the customer’s
name
¾ Print documentation off
whilst talking
Bad Practice in Call Handling
¾ Inconsistency ¾ Using jargon
¾ Stationery or documentation ¾ Interrupting the customer
not to hand
¾ Forget Data Protection rules
¾ Not taking complaints seriously
¾ Don’t always repeat
¾ Putting calls on hold without phonetically
permission (long periods)
¾ Unenthusiastic
¾ Wasting time during pauses.
Do’s & Don’ts
Do’s
¾ Be patient and helpful. ¾ Address the Caller Properly
¾ Respond clearly
clearl with
ith “yes”
“ es” or b his or her title.
by title E.g.
Eg :
“no” when speaking. (Good morning Mr. Brown,
¾ Always remember it is important Good afternoon Ms.
: -If yyou are answeringg a call on Sanders).)
behalf of your team member ¾ Listen to the Caller and what
please mention to the caller & they have to say.
try if you can assist them on the ¾ Always ask if you can put the
query -Else
query. Else note down the caller on hold.
hold
caller’s number so that a ¾ Verify that you have heard
concerned user can make a call and transcribed the message
back on the query for resolution. accurately.
Do’s & Don’ts
Don'ts
¾ Do
o not
o ea
eat o
or d
drink while
e you a
are
e ¾ Never
e e ssnap
ap bac
back o
or ac
act rude
ude
on telephone duty. to the caller.
¾ Do not use slang words or Poor ¾ Never leave the person on
g g
Language. hold for more than a few
seconds or they may become
¾ Never address an unfamiliar
upset and hang up.
caller by his or her first name.
Tyrant Turnaround: Going from Difficult to Delighted
Callers
Being on the frontline in a call center is a tough job, and it’s made even
t
tougher
h byb the
th occasional
i l (or
( frequent)
f t) caller
ll who
h is
i complaining,
l i i angry,
or even hostile. Add to the mix other challenging callers that are just mildly
annoying
y g such as talkative,, confused,, or jjust impatient.
p But anyy of these
calls can have a positive side with the satisfaction of being able to turn a
difficult call into a positive customer experience for both you and the
caller.
D-E-F-U-S-E
The Irate Customer
The following six steps will help
you to successfully manage the
irate customer.
D-E-F-U-S-E
The Irate Customer
“D” is
i ffor “Don’t
“D ’t lose
l your cool”.
l”
¾ Don’t take things personally.
¾ Listen.
¾ Take Notes.
¾ Stay Committed to the customer.
D-E-F-U-S-E
The Irate Customer
“E” is
i for
f “Encourage
“E venting”.
ti ”
¾ Listen.
¾ Don’t Interrupt.
¾ Give “Verbal Nods”.
D-E-F-U-S-E
The Irate Customer
“F” is
i ffor “Focus
“F on feelings
f li ”.
”
¾ Use empathy.
¾ Apologize blamelessly on behalf of the
company.
¾ Offer to help.
D-E-F-U-S-E
The Irate Customer
“U ” is
i ffor “Uncover
“U th
the facts”.
f t ”
¾ Ask questions.
¾ Fill in the information gaps.
D-E-F-U-S-E
The Irate Customer
“S ” is
i ffor “Suggest
“S t a solution”.
l ti ”
¾ Don’t make excuses for the problem.
¾ Keep the customer involved.
¾ Let the customer know what YOU intend to
do to solve the problem.
D-E-F-U-S-E
The Irate Customer
“E” is
i ffor “End
“E d positively
iti l byb checking”.
h ki ”
¾ Make sure that the customer understands
the action plan.
¾ Thank the customer.
¾ Use your companies closing script.
The 6 Steps Made Even Easier...
A I R it outt b
A-I-R by...
¾ Acknowledging the customer with human feelings.
¾ Inquiring about the problem and feelings.
¾ Responding to the issues and feelings.
Other Challenging Customer Types
The Chatty Customer
¾ Remember that satisfying the customer’s need is more
important than expediting the call.
¾ Hear the customer out initially.
¾ Keep the customer focused by asking closed-ended
questions.
Do’s For Managing The Hard-to-
Understand Customer
¾ Inquire if there is anyone else you can talk to
to.
¾ Speak slowly and clearly.
¾ Paraphrase back to ensure that you understand what the
customer is saying
saying.
Don’ts For Managing The Hard-to-
Understand Customer
¾ Don’t mimic the customer’s accent.
¾ Don’t use broken language or slang.
¾ Don’t talk louder.
¾ Don’tt inquire if they speak English
Don English.
The Confused Customer
¾ Offer more guidance.
¾ p yyour explanations
Keep p simple
p and brief.
¾ Eliminate all technical language or cable jargon.
¾ Be patient!
The Chronic Complainer
¾ Actively listen and paraphrase what you have identified as
the main points.
¾ Resist the temptation to apologize.
apologize
¾ Ask how the customer thinks the problem should be
solved.
¾ Focus the customer on the action plan
plan.
The Aggressive Customer
(a.k.a. “The
The Bully
Bully”))
¾ Allow him/her to vent.
vent
¾ Don’t argue.
¾ Use knowledge and facts.
¾ Get straight to the point.
The Know-It-All Customer
¾ Get straight down to business.
¾ Rely on your product and company knowledge.
¾ Let him/her know that you are aware of his/her expertise
and are willing to learn from it.
The Silent Customer
(a.k.a. The “Brick
Brick Wall”)
Wall )
¾ D ’t ffeell compelled
Don’t ll d tto “fill iin”” th
the silence.
il
¾ Encourage talking by asking open-ended questions.
¾ Be patient!
Now, do you feel more equipped to
manage challenging customer
situations?
Collections Calling: Steps and Strategies for
Telephone Collections
6 steps and strategies for collection calls:
1
1. Al
Always B
Be P
Prepared
d – Generally
G ll and
dSSpecific
ifi
2. Think Positively
3. Speak Professionally and Authoritatively
4. Take Control and Don't Let Go
5. Nail Things Down
6
6. L
Learn tto be
b Fl
Flexible
ibl
1. Always Be Prepared – Generally and
1
Specific
¾ Arm Yourself with the Facts
a) Exact amount owed
b) Terms of sale
c)) Products/services
/ purchased
d) Payment due date
e) Other open invoices, even those not yet
past due
¾ Know Who You're Calling
2 Think Positively
2.
¾ Your mental state has a strong impact both on how you
handle the debtor and how they respond to you.
¾ Treat each call as if it was your first call of a very good day.
¾ Put a smile on your face.
¾ If you were irritated on the previous call, take a few minutes
to calm yourself and start afresh.
3 Speak Professionally and Authoritatively
3.
¾ Don'tt chew gum or drink when you're
Don you re on the phone
¾ Speak a bit slower and enunciate
¾ Use a lower pitched voice
¾ Pause more often
¾ Make sure you pronounce the ending consonants of words
and don't
don t slur
¾ Smile while you talk
4 Take Control and Don't
4. Don t Let Go
¾ Address the customer by
¾ Make the customer right
¾ Ask open-ended questions
¾ Listen carefully and take notes
¾ Use silence
¾ Stay focused
¾ Don't let the customer manipulate you
5 Nail Things Down
5.
¾ Don'tt ask,
Don ask "When
When can you get back to me on this?"
this?
¾ Don't hang up the phone without summarizing the results of
the call
¾ Emphasize the urgency of the matter.
¾ Stress the importance that the customer call you back on the
date they promise payment
6 Learn to be Flexible
6.
Listen carefully to the debtor and you will pick up clues to the
best way to handle each situation.
