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.