Handbook of Essential Phone Skills

$79.95

Your training package includes 10 booklets plus a downloadable leader’s guide, quiz, and certificates of participation.

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Description

Customer Service Training in Phone Skills.

This essential training package covers all of the basic skills needed to work with customers over the phone. From making a positive first impression, to avoiding common pitfalls of poor phone service, to wrapping up the call with a good closing.

Give your team the essential phone skills they need with this four part training tool.

Your package includes 10 copies of the Training Booklet plus downloadable Leader’s Guide, Quizzes, and Certificates.

The Training Booklets may be used on their own for self-study or you may conduct more formal training sessions with the Leader’s Guide, Quizzes, and Certificates.

It’s a complete customer service phone skills training package.

Training Booklet

The Handbook of Essential Phone Skills covers all of the core techniques that frontline reps need to ensure every customer conversation is positive and professional.

In its pages your staff will find information on the importance of voice quality and how it can be improved through correct diction, pacing, tone, and breathing.

They’ll discover the important voice-body connection and learn how smiling, good posture, and even gesturing can enhance voice quality.

And they’ll learn how to make a positive impression through their greeting, use of the caller’s name, active listening, and a professional closing.

They’ll even learn to avoid the common mistakes made when answering the phone, putting a caller on hold, transferring, and leaving voicemail messages.

This booklet is packed with these and other essential phone skills, which will help anyone who uses the phone present a more professional image.

Read the table of contents and sample below to see how much useful information is packed into this brief booklet.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Voice quality: It’s what you say AND how you say it
  2. Articulation exercises
  3. Say it with body language
  4. Choose the right words to say what you mean
  5. Make a positive impression on the phone every time
  6. Avoiding the common pitfalls of poor phone service
  7. Work well with callers who are difficult to understand

SAMPLE
Section 2: Say it with body language

You may not realize it, but body language has a huge impact on your voice quality and the impression you make over the phone.

Use these body language basics to enhance your phone presence.

  • Smile. No, callers can’t see it, but they can hear it. Place a mirror on your desk to remind yourself to smile. It may sound strange, but talking to your image and seeing yourself smile really does come across in your voice.
  • Practice good posture. Don’t slouch, rest your head on your hand, cross your arms, or fall into any other bad posture habits. Instead, sit up straight and act as though the caller is standing right in front of you. It will come through in the quality of your voice. It will also allow you to breathe more easily.
  • Vocalize visual cues. In a face-to-face conversation, you might nod or use eye contact to show that you are listening and understand. But the caller can’t see these cues, so use phrases like “yes” or “I see” to show your attention and understanding.
  • On the other hand, feel free to gesture. While the caller can’t see your motions and body language, your actions will add energy and a little zip to your voice.

Leader's Guide

To help you get the most from your training materials, you’ll receive a copy of the Leader’s Guide. It will show you how to introduce the materials to your staff in a positive and motivating way. How to reinforce important points in the booklet. Plus techniques to keep the message fresh long after the booklets have been distributed.

Best of all, you don’t have to be a professional trainer. The Leader’s Guide includes discussion topics, activities, trainer’s tips, and more.

Read the sample below to see how much useful information is packed into a brief section of this Leader’s Guide.

SAMPLE
Activity 2: Body language

The second section of the booklet focuses on the benefit of body language when talking on the phone. Readers are encouraged to enhance their phone presence by:

  • Smiling
  • Practicing good posture
  • Vocalizing visual cues
  • Gesturing.

But does it really work? This exercise will convince your staff that yes, it does.

Divide your team into groups of two. Give one person in each group a brief script. The script should reflect the type of message your staff typically leaves on customers’ voicemail. For example,

“Good morning. This is Jane Johnson in the ACME customer service department. My number is 555-123-4567.

“I am calling about the new pricing schedule for our widgets. You’ll now save 20 percent when you purchase in quantities of 25. To take advantage of this special offer, please call me tomorrow after 10 am.

“Again, my name is Jane Johnson and my number is 555-123-4567.

“Good-bye.”

Ask each team to stand back to back. Have the person holding the script read it aloud. Now ask the teams to turn and face each other. This time the reader should speak directly to her partner, she should smile, and gesture freely.

Invite all of the participants to discuss the changes that they saw and heard when body language was added to the message.

Certificate

Use these certificates to acknowledge significant learning and development, and to provide motivation to put new skills into action.

Certificates may be downloaded, personalized, and printed.

Quiz

A brief quiz is included to ensure that students have retained the most important information and are ready to put it into action.

Quizzes may be downloaded and printed.

Guarantee

Handbook of Essential Phone Skills is guaranteed. We want you and your reps to use this valuable resource and put its ideas to work in your department. Then, if you are not 100% satisfied, you may return your materials within 30 days for a full refund.

About the Publisher

The Customer Service Group provides ready-to-use tools for customer service training and frontline motivation including a monthly newsletter, training packages, DVDs, and Customer Service Week celebration materials.