These skills are particularly useful when you're working in a call center or you receive calls as part of your work routine. Now, what's different about the phone, lack of visual contact? You can't see facial expressions or body language. So your focus on words and voice becomes heightened. Time distorts. 10 seconds seems like an eternity.

Listen to this phone ringing time how long it is before you get frustrated because it's not being answered. Usually it's only about 10 seconds. With the telephone. There is an expectation of speed and action. We rush to answer phones. We see it as a quick way to get in touch.

The phone demands urgency, it takes on importance. It's usually a disruption. We stopped something to answer the phone. Unless we're in a call center, there is the potential to alienate. The caller can feel powerless if they're left on hold or cut off. This is especially true if they've been in a queue or have had to go through a series of menus.

There is an increased need for courtesy because you can't see facial expressions smile or whatever. The phone is anonymous, it's often harder to recognize people. The telephone instrument or position is also limiting. You might have to leave the phone to go and check on something and the customer can't see where you're going or what you're doing. And with the internet, the phone has taken on a new role in the sales conversation. Often people research about a product or service on the internet and then call the business For further information, this means the phone becomes an important tool for you to entice the customer, either to come to your organization or to make an online purchase.

Good telephone skills are becoming more and more important. Now, what frustrates you about the telephone? And what can you do about it? take personal responsibility for making changes. When we answer the phone, we do so in a particular way, we use what's called a monogram. Mine is Hello, this is Leslie.

Notice I use my name last. This is because people are more likely to remember the last words in your greeting. I suggest you write yours in the workbook. We're going to pizza and this is Brian. How can I help you? Yep, pickup or delivery which story going to So the one in Victoria or New South Wales Oh, we'll see with a national call center so I don't know what state you're in until you tell me for that, would you like to order?

What? What kind of pizza lamb What can I get for you tonight? What's your name? And your phone number. And what's your address? The cool and what do you want tonight?

Hello, this is great Incorporated. How can I help you? Uh huh. Okay, just transferring, you know. Okay, is there a problem with the computer? Are you just getting feedback?

Yeah. Okay, that is a support issue I need to transfer. Okay, thanks. Bye. How happy would you have been to talk to those people? Yet we hear these voices all the time.

So what can we do to give a better experience to our customer and get a better response? Let's talk about the whole message words voice and body language. It's so important that we put animation into our greeting. It sounds weird, but if you smile when you answer the phone, you almost always give a friendly a greeting. That's the impact of your body language on your voice. And if you're actively listening as we discussed, you won't sound so disengaged as our previous examples did.

Let's look at some steps that will help you provide a better conversation and get a better response. In your greeting be prompt, efficient, courteous, businesslike, establish your greeting monogram. Remember, we're treating our customers like guests, so be good idea to say good morning or whatever is appropriate and to give your name. This helps to lessen the customer's concern about dealing with someone where they don't have body language to look at. Remember our listening skills? Listen carefully understand the caller's need.

Listen for instructions. find out who's calling and the nature of the call. You might be required to deal with the call transferred, retain the caller until you can transfer it or take a message. Acknowledge the customer's situation without accepting responsibility on behalf of the organization. Get the details take control by asking questions and clarifying identify what are the best products or services for your customer and offers products or services which features and benefits are most relevant to this particular customer. And what additional products or services might they need to fully meet their requirements?

Identify whether the customer wants to come into the store or purchase online. And when you're on the phone, it's also important to take notes so you have a record of the transaction for later or for transferring the customer. Whether it's to another department or a different store. Here are our scenarios again, see what you think of their telephone skills now. Hi, welcome to pizza land. This is Bryce, can I start the order with your phone number there, please.

Cool. And is that a pickup or delivery today? Good morning. This is Jane. How can I help you? Yeah, sure.

Yep. I'll just transfer you through now. Okay, have a good day. I'm sorry, I'm not getting what you need today. Unfortunately, I can't help but there are some people here that can can I transfer through to them instead? Okay, one sec.

Hey Mike, I've got someone here that's got an operating system error. I can't help them cleverer than 30. Yeah, they've got the latest one. Okay, thanks. Bye bye. When you're dealing with a customer who has a problem over the phone, you should also use empathy.

Be interested, empathize and listen. And we say empathize, not sympathize. empathizing means saying, I feel what you feel. People don't want sympathy, but they want to be understood. Avoid excuses. The caller probably doesn't care why something's happened.

They just want it fixed. So fix the problem. Take responsibility, but only promise what you can personally deliver. Ensure the customer is not bounced from department to department, get them to the right person in helps to have a copy of the relevant phone or extension numbers at hand. When you reach the right person, explain briefly what the city is so the caller doesn't have to repeat themselves. Take a personal interest in delivering the message, make sure it gets through where possible till the call or when they can expect to have their call returned.

If you haven't got them through to the right person immediately. And remember to the caller, you are the organization. As we said in an earlier lesson, one experience can call your view of the whole organization. With the internet, there is still an expectation of quick if not instant response. It can be frustrating for the customer because they can't converse with the person. It's important that the website is well laid out so people can interact with it easily.

You want a summary page on top and detail pages just one click away. Consider the live chat function. If you expect to have customer inquiries, consider using videos to show your products to involve all three ways of receiving information. Remember VA Qk pays special attention to procedures for returns. Make sure the policies and procedures are clear and easy to locate on your website and make sure the customer has a phone contact so they can get further information and you can entice them into the store if that's what they want. Please take a few minutes to review the notes in the workbook and complete the exercises.

If you review the notes in a day or two, your retention of the material will increase considerably. Thanks