Professional Telephone Techniques
1 Day Course
OVERALL AIM:
This fun and interactive course is designed to highlight effective and efficient techniques in answering and using the telephone, and illustrates how to avoid common pitfalls thereby promoting a professional image to the outside world.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE:
All staff who have telephone contact within the business world, in particular those who have had no formal training in professional telephone techniques.
COURSE CONTENT:
- Introduction/objectives: Course objectives are handed out. Delegates are asked for their objectives
- Benefits of professional technique: Delegate group work: “List the benefits of utilising professional telephone techniques - to our customers, to our Company and to ourselves”
- Telephone limitations: Tutor led discussion
- Practice session (ice breaker): Demonstrating the limitations of the telephone
- Personal qualities/skills: Delegate group work: “List the personal qualities and skills of one who is professional on the telephone”
- Professional customer service: Answering incoming calls (How many rings? How do we answer?); incoming/outgoing calls (voice speed, jargon, accents, favourite words, familiarity, repeating back numbers); bad telephone technique; internal customers. Tutor led discussions. Pre-recorded scenarios set up on cassette played to the delegates
- Taking messages professionally: What to record. Delegates are given an opportunity to practise taking a message
- Handling irate customers professionally: Routine for handling. Delegates are given an opportunity to practise handling a difficult call
- Self-improvement plan: Tutor invites delegates to write out actions they will now take in the workplace to improve their performance.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this course, participants will be able to
- Have an appreciation of the benefits of professional telephone technique
- Recognise the importance of the telephone in caring for our customers and presenting the correct Company image
- Recognise the limitations of the telephone
- Appreciate the personal qualities of one skilled in providing excellent customer service on the telephone
- Answer the telephone/transfer calls/take messages effectively
- Handle complaints/difficult customers objectively and professionally and will have practised handling them
- Develop an action plan to improve performance.