Cis103 Telephone Skills

8/13/2019 Cis103 Telephone Skills

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Chapter 3:

Winning Telephone Skills

A Guide to Customer Service Skil ls for the

Help Desk Professional

Second Edition


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A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e 2

Objectives

Understand the power of the telephone

Handle calls professionally

Avoid the most common telephone mistakes

Use proven techniques to place callers on hold

and transfer calls in a positive, professional way

Use a variety of techniques to continuously

improve your telephone skills

Consistently convey a positive, caring attitude


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Winning Telephone Skills

The telephone is the primary way that customers

obtain service from many help desks

The telephone will always play a role in customerservice

Professional telephone skills help to ensure that the

help desk handles customer requests in a prompt,

courteous, and consistent manner

Consistency builds trust and teaches customers what

they can expect during calls


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Creating a Positive Telephone Image

Responsiveness and a caring attitude are

fundamental to a positive telephone image

A customers perception is influenced by: How long it takes to answer the telephone

The energy and enthusiasm analysts convey

Conducting business over the telephone can be

frustrating and impersonal

When handled properly, the telephone can be an

efficient, effective way to deliver support


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Understanding the Power of the

Telephone The telephone is one of the most common

ways that businesses and customers

communicate At a help desk, analysts may handle:

Incoming calls

Outgoing calls

Telephone technology automates many of

these activities


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Telephone (continued) Factors that influence the telephone

technologies a help desk selects include:

The help desks size

The companys goals

The nature of the companys business

Customer expectations

The technology a help desk uses affects howcustomer contacts are directed to analysts and

how analysts performance is measured


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Telephone (continued) The best companies diligently manage

voice mail messages

Calls are returned promptly, even if only tolet customers know:

The call was received

It has been logged in the companysincident tracking and problemmanagement system

It is being handled


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Handling Calls Professionally from

Start to Finish Jan Carlzon refers to service encounters

as Moments of Truth for a company

Each and every service encounter is

critical to the success of the company

Each of these moments contributes

considerably to how customers perceivean analyst and the entire company


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Start to Finish (continued)


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Start to Finish (continued) Using a script is a common help desk practice

Script- A standard set of text and behaviors

Scripts enable analysts to focus their energy onsolving problems and handling unique situations

Analysts may use scripts when they need to find a

positive way to say something they do not feel

comfortable saying, such as No to a customer Scripts also enable customers to perceive that the

help desk delivers services consistently


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Start to Finish (continued)Answering the telephone:

How you answer the telephone sets the tone for theentire conversation

Pick up the telephone promptly, but with composure

Use your companys standard script to ensure thatcustomers are greeted in the same, consistent way

1. Announce the name of your company or department2. Give the caller your name

3. Ask the first question


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Help Desk, this is Carmen. How may I

help you?

Help Desk, this is Sue. May I have your

name please?

Hello, Options Unlimited, this is Leon.

May I have your Customer ID?


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Start to Finish (continued) Listen actively to the customers request

Ask for the same information in the same ord er everyt ime

If you speak with a customer regularly, verify theinformation rather than skipping over the step

Skipping steps is a disservice to your customers andyour coworkers

The help desk is a team setting; by being consistentyou:

Communicate your companys policies

Convey to customers that anyone can assist them


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Start to Finish (continued)Handling Calls About Unsupported Products or

Services:

Few companies can be all things to all people

The cost would simply be too high

Many companies define a list of supportedproducts and services

Internal help desks support products most used byemployees and that contribute to company goals

External help desks support products and services thatare developed or sold by the company (unless they arebeing compensated to do so)


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Start to Finish (continued) Analysts often have a hard time referring

customers to another group or company

Particularly analysts who may be familiar with the

product the customer is calling about

The number of analysts assigned to a help desk

is determined by its projected workload

Analysts who assist customers with unsupported

products undermine the ability of the team to

handle the work within its scope of responsibility


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Start to Finish (continued) Remember that there is always something you cando

What I can do is transfer you to the group that supportsthat product. They will be able to help.

If you do not know who supports a product, let thecustomer know you will look into it and get back tothem

Best-effortA policy that means you do your best toassist the customer within a predefined set of

boundaries, such as a time limit Let the customer know in advance that you are under a

time constraint, or that you may have to refer them toanother group or vendor


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Start to Finish (continued)Taking a message:

If a particular analyst is unavailable, let the customer know

that and ask who is calling

Explain the analysts absence in a positive way

Ask the customer if there is anything you can do to help

Offer to take a message or transfer the customer to the

analysts voice mailbox

When taking a message, write down all important

information The callers name, telephone number, the best time for the

analyst to return the call, any message the caller chooses to

leave


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Start to Finish (continued)Closing the call:

There is often a temptation to rush theclosing of a call

Trust and customer confidence comes bytaking a little extra time and making sure thatthe customer is comfortable with the stepsyou have taken, before you hang up thetelephone

Ending the call on a positive note leaves thecustomer with a lasting, good impression


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Start to Finish (continued) Target resolution time- The timeframe within

which the support organization is expected to

resolve the problem

Severity - The category that defines how critical a

problem is based on the nature of the failure and

available alternatives or workarounds

WorkaroundA way to circumvent a problem

either partially or completely; usually before

implementing the final resolution


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Avoiding the Most Common

Telephone Mistakes (continued)Putting a customer on hold:

When necessary, putting customers on hold in aprofessional manner instills confidence

Let customers decide if they would prefer to have youcall back rather than being put on hold

If you are taking longer than expected, return to thecaller and provide an update on your progress and

the option of either continuing to hold or receiving acall back

A good guideline is to never ask a customer to hold ifyou are going to be longer than three minutes


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Telephone Mistakes (continued)Knowing when and how to transfer calls:

There are a number of reasons why you may need totransfer a caller

There are a number of different ways to transfer acaller:

Hot transfer (conference call)

Warm transfer

Cold transfer

A primary consideration of which technique to use isthe amount of information you have received or givenuntil the point when you determine a transfer isneeded


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Telephone Mistakes (continued)Hot transfer(conference call):

Occurs when you stay on the line with thecustomer and the service provider

Appropriate when:

You can continue to contribute to theresolution of the customers request

You can benefit from hearing how the problem

is resolved Time allows


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Telephone Mistakes (continued) Before establishing a conference call:

Ask if its okay and if not, ask what the customer would prefer

When establishing a conference call:

Explain the problem to the service provider along with howyou feel he or she can contribute to the resolution

Ask the service provider if its okay

Use common sense!

When permission is granted:

Bring the customer on the line and introduce the customer to

the service provider Explain the reason for the call and provide any information the

customer has given you thus far

Stay on the line until the call is complete and close the call


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Telephone Mistakes (continued)Warm transfer:

Occurs when you introduce the

customer and the service provider towhom you are going to transfer the callbut you do not stay on the line

Appropriate when:

There is no perceived value to be gained orgiven by staying on the line

Time does not allow you to stay on the line


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Telephone Mistakes (continued) Before you warm transfer a call:

Ask if its okay and if not, ask what the customer would prefer

When warm transferring a call:

Your companys policy will determine whether you place thecustomer on hold first, or simply transfer the call

Ask the service provider if its okay to bring the customer onthe line

When permission is granted:

Bring the customer [or service provider] on the line and

introduce the customer to the service provider Explain the reason for the call and provide any information the

customer has given you thus far

Give the customer and the service provider the ticket number

Ask them to let you know if you can help and then hang up


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Telephone Mistakes (continued)Cold transfer:

Occurs when you stay on the line only longenough to ensure that the call has been

transferred successfully Appropriate when:

The customer asked to be transferred

You quick lyrealize that the caller has dialed the wrongnumber or should be transferred to another person or

department

A cold transfer is no tappropriate when thecustomer has provided detailed informationabout the nature of their request


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Telephone Mistakes (continued) Before you cold transfer a call:

Let the customer know you are going to transfer him orher to the correct department

If the customer does not want to be transferred, askwhat he or she would prefer

If a call back is preferred, set a time that is convenientfor the customer

Clearly communicate to the other service provider

when the customer wants to be contacted When appropriate, provide the customer with the

telephone number of the person or group to whomyou are transferring the call


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Fine-Tuning Your Telephone Skills

Telephone skills, like any other skills, need to be

honed

Periodically attend a refresher course

Learn new best practices

Dont forget the basics!

Be responsive

Demonstrate a caring attitude

Acknowledge the fact that customers are living,

breathing human beings who have called because

they need your help


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Fine-Tuning Your

Telephone Skills (continued)

Using a speaker phone:

If possible, use the speakerphone behind closed

doors

Ask all callers for permission before using a

speakerphone

Introduce each person that is present

Briefly explain why each person is present Participants who are speaking for the first time or

who are unfamiliar to other callers may want to

identify themselves before they speak


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Fine-Tuning Your



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Fine-Tuning Your


Self-Study:

Books, videotapes, and audiocassettes

are available Take advantage of any training programs

offered

Make your supervisor aware of training

possibilities that you think will help


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Fine-Tuning Your


Monitoring:

An excellent training technique when usedproperly

Analysts receive specific feedback on how theycan improve their call handling

Promotes the consistent handling of calls andprovides employees and supervisors specific

guidelines used in measuring performance Some companies use as both a training tool and

as a way of measuring performance


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Fine-Tuning Your


A monitoring program must be implemented carefullyand analysts must perceive they are being given theopportunity to be successful

Most companies: Involve the help desk staff when designing a program

Define guidelines

Provide analysts a checklist or scorecard

Used properly, monitoring enables you to put yourself inyour customers shoes and objectively assess the

quality of your service!


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Fine-Tuning Your


Customer satisfaction surveys:

Event-driven surveys- Customer satisfaction surveys thatask customers for feedback on a single recent serviceevent

Overall satisfaction surveys- Customer satisfactionsurveys that ask customers for feedback about all callsthey made to the help desk during a certain time period

Help desk managers use survey responses to:

Measure the performance of the team Identify improvement opportunities

Measure individual performance (event-driven surveys)

Identify training needs


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Fine-Tuning Your


Use feedback to identify your weaknesses

and determine ways you can improve.

Remember that your recollection of an event

and anothers perception of an event may

represent different perspectives!


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Letting Your Caring

Attitude Shine Through

Providing superior customer support is a habita

state-of-mind that requires enthusiasm and passion

Using scripts is an excellent habit-building technique

Help desks that respond to calls in aconsis tentmanner are perceived as more professional

Understand your companys policies and resist the

temptation to deviate from those policies

If you believe a policy needs to be changed, explainwhy and provide reasonable alternatives

Remember there is always something you cando


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Chapter Summary

The telephone is the most common way that

businesses and customers communicate today

Telephone technologies used by help desks range

from simple voice mail boxes and fax machines tohighly complex, automated systems

Support providers must see each and every customer

encounter, or Moment of Truth, as critical to the

success of the organization Two things that frustrate customers most are being

placed on hold for an extended period of time andbeing repeatedly transferred


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Cis103 Telephone Skills

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