Professional Telephone Skills Training

This professional phone skills course from pd training teaches you on how to represent your organization in a clear, friendly yet professional way. Remember, excellent customer service is an important ingredient to the success of any organization. 

Clients who experience high-quality service are more willing to build a lasting relationship with your company. These clients can turn out to be long-term, loyal customers who spread the word about their positive experience.

This Professional Telephone Skills training course can be delivered at your premises by one of our expert local or international trainers or live online using our Hive technology.

The telephone is considered as the most convenient and quickest instrument to establish contact with clients by the majority of companies. In fact, call centers are the leading operational departments of many organizations. So, it is fundamental that employees assigned to take or make phone calls to clients must possess superior telephone etiquette. These employees must display good communication skills, willingness, courtesy and the abilities to efficiently assist clients.

Your Learning Outcomes
After completing this course participants will:

• Learn how to provide effective client service over the phone
• Project a professional image over the phone
• Master a professional, effective & reassuring telephone voice
• Gain client's trust using proven communication techniques
• Learn to question effectively over the phone
• Master proven techniques to manage irate customers professionally
• Learn tips for handling a busy reception
• Phrase more effectively for positive and clearer communication
• Establish the right words for unambiguous, positive & productive communication

This Telephone Skills Training course will provide your staff with the awareness and skills they need to handle phone calls professionally.  This will ensure the positive image of your organization is reinforced and strengthened with every conversation.

In today's business environment, telephone etiquette displayed in organizations is indicative of its willingness and ability to efficiently assist customers, both internal and external. The skills and the attitude projected over the telephone forms a lasting impression in the minds of an organization's customer, making it a critical customer 'touch point'.

Today virtual teams are the norm rather than the exception, and one of their primary channels of communication is the telephone. Hence, it is imperative for external employees to have a good understanding of business telephone etiquette in order to aid efficient information exchange.

This Professional Telephone Skills Training Program aims at helping employees create a lasting impression in their customers' minds - one that shows the organization reflected in the best light possible. It focuses on developing telephone etiquette and skills to deal with customers assertively, empathetically, with a sense of care and a positive attitude.

Course Outline for Professional Telephone Skills
See the Live Online tab for the course outline for the live online course

Topic 1 Providing Effective Client Service

• Welcome
• The Ten Commandments of Good Business
• What Makes An Effective Client Communicator?
• The Seven Deadly Sins of Service
• Reflection

Topic 2 Your Personality/Your Telephone Voice

• REACH Review – Communication Evolution Tool
• The Communication Model
• The ABCDE (Five Qualities) of a Good Telephone Voice
• Your Welcome – Should HAIL
• Voice Modulation – The 6 P’s to Para verbal Communication
• Reflection

Topic 3 Gaining Your Client’s Trust

• You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a Good First Impression
• Create a Positive First Impression:
• 4 Key Parts to Your Phone Greeting
• Put Your Clients at Ease with Positive Language
• Show Urgency
• Getting to the Point Quickly - Saying Too Much
• Ending a Call Politely and Professionally
• Put It Into Practice
• Reflection

Topic 4 Handling Barriers Over The Phone

• Managing the 5 Barriers
• Words That Must Never Be Used
• Reflection

Topic 5 Effective Questioning

• WIIFM
• Good Questioning Techniques
• Ask Yourself the Following 5
• Open and Closed Questions
• Clarifying Questions
• Seek Satisfaction/Understanding
• Questions to Keep Control of the Call
• Arrange When You Will Call Them Back
• Reflection

Topic 6 Irate Clients

• How to Deal with Angry Clients
• The Challenge of Angry Clients
• Do Not Allow Negative Emotions to Affect You
• High Emotion – Low Intelligence
• Use the HEAT to Defuse an Irate Client
• Reflection

Topic 7 Prepare Yourself

• Planning Phone Calls
• Check Your Ringtone
• Transferring Calls
• Asking a Client to Hold
• Taking Messages
• Reflection

Topic 8 Reception Tips

• Serving Clients at the Reception: The Dos
• Serving Clients at the Reception: The Don’ts
• Reflection

Topic 9 Professional Voicemail Messages

• What to Include in a Voicemail Message?
• Customised Messages for Different Callers
• Closed Greeting
• Internal Greeting
• Practice, Practice, Practice
• Reflection

Topic 10 Reflections

• Create an Action Plan
• Accountability = Action