OTS - Outstanding Telephone Service

This one-day instructor-led course will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to ensure that when your customers call they have a positive, and pleasant experience and the call is handled effectively, because making a call is often the first interaction that a customer has with your business, but HOW that call is answered can leave customers with a good or poor lasting impression. In this fun and interactive course you will have the opportunity to practise a range of techniques to improve your telephone manner and ensure that you are efficient and organised.

Upon course completion, participants will be able to:

• Describe the skills needed to communicate effectively over the phone
• Demonstrate good telephone manner
• Accurately identify the nature of the call
• Take accurate messages
• Leave effective messages
• Deal effectively with difficult customers
• Make effective outgoing calls
• Prepare an action plan for your future development

The telephone and customer service
• The importance of good telephone skills
• Creating outstanding customer experiences

Foundations of telephone skills
• Answering protocol
• Vocal communication
• Verbal communication
• Assertive conversations
• Transferring calls
• Closing calls

Receiving calls
• Accurately identifying the nature of the call
• Taking accurate messages

Handling challenging customers
• Why customers seem difficult
• Managing difficult situations
• Problem solving steps
• Assertive conversations
• Appropriate venting

Making effective outbound calls
• Clarify the purpose for your call
• Reaching the right person
• Leaving effective messages

Handling pressure
• Strategies for busy days
• Organise your work space
• Identifying and managing stress

Planning into Action
• Putting planning into action