Telephone communication · 2017. 11. 21. · 6 Telephone communication 112 1. Telephone...

6Unit

In this unit you’ll learn how to:

• Assesstheimportanceoftelephonecommunicationwithinthecompany.

• Identifythedifferentdevicesandbusinessopportunitiesfortelephony.

• Analysethevariousservicesofferedbytelephonemedia.

• Makeandreceiveeffectivecorporatephonecalls.

• Properlyapplyverbalandnon-verbalcommunicationtechniques.

• Useyourphoneasatoolforbusinessandmarketingpurposes.

And you’ll study:

• Theimportanceoftelephonecommunicationforthecompany.

• Phonemediausedtoday.

• Themostcommonfeaturesofthefixedandmobiletelephonyandthroughcallcentres.

• Therulestoachieveagoodtelephonecommunication.

• Telemarketing:types,characteristicsanduses.

Telephone communication

Telephone communication6

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1. Telephone communicationTelephonecommunicationisone of the most important forms of communication within the company.Although today itsuse isbeing replacedbyother formsof communication(suchasemail),phoneuseisoneofthemostcommonmeansbywhichtomaterializebothinternal and external communications.

It isvery important inbusinessbecause it is themediumthroughwhichthefirst contactwith,orfromthecompanyismade.So,beforeanypersonalcontact,theusualthingistomakeaphonecalltoarrangeaninterviewortospecifyanymatterortopic.Theinterlocutorattheotherendofthelinewillformanideaaboutthecompanydependingontheimpressionafterthisfirsttelephonecontact.

Inanycase,beyondthebusinesssector,itisalsocrucialtofollowapropertechniquewhenhavingtelephoneconversations,asitisanessentialtooltoachieveourgoalsinaphonecall,eitherasitssendersoritsrecipients.

Fromthestandpointofbusinesscommunication,telephoneusehasanenormousadvantage: interlocutors don’t see each other, and thismaywork for solving trickyorunfavourablesituations.Asinterlocutorsdon’tseeeachother,theargumentsprovidedinatelephonecon-versationmaybemoresolidandcredibleifweapplythepropertechniquesandprocedures.

Anotheradvantageofthistypeofcommunicationisthatwecandootherthingsaswespeak,suchastakingnotes,searchforsomethingonthecomputer,asksomethingtoaworkmate(alwayswithdiscretion),andsoon.

Thus,wemaysaythatapplyingtheappropriatetelephonetechniquesisessentialtogetthemostoutofthiscommunicationtoolinbusiness.

Thankstoadvancesintechnology,telephonecommunicationdeviceshaveevolvedgenera-tingnewservicesandexpandingitscapabilities.

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)wasborninEdinburgh(Scot-land).Hewasraisedinafamilyofspeechtherapists.Bothhisgrand-father and his father were spe-cialists in this field, and he alsodecided to continue the familytraditiontoteachpeopletospeakproperly.

Throughout his life, he becameinterested in improvingeducationsystems for thedeaf, sohismainactivity was aimed at studyingthelearningsystemforthosewithhearingimpairments.

In1873hewasappointedprofes-sorofVocalPhysiologyatBostonUniversity.Inadditiontohisteach-ingtasks,Bellstudiedhowtodesignan electromagnetic device thatcould convert electrical impulsesinto sound. Initially, his idea wastobuildadevicethatwascapableof imitatingthehumanvoiceandreproducing vowels and conso-nants.In1878heopenedthefirsttelephoneexchangeinNewHaven(Connecticut), United States, andin 1884, the first long-distancecommunication within the coun-try from Boston (Massachusetts)toNewYorkwasmade.

Do you know that...?

AlexanderGrahamBell(1847-1922)hasbeentraditionallyregardedastheinventorofthetelephone.However,bothAntonioMeucciandElishaGrayclaimedthattheywerealsotheauthorsofthisinvention.Whatcanyousay?Findinformationonlineaboutthethreeofthem(forexample,www.asinorum.com/meucci-bell-y-gray/407orwww.xatakaciencia.com/telecomunicaciones/7-de-marzo-graham-bell-se-lleva-el-gato-al-agua).

Solution:

Fromtheinformationintheselinks,itseemsthattheinventorofthefirstvoice-transmis-siondevicewastheItalianMeucci;however,hecouldn’tinscribethepatentofhistelet-trofonobecauseofseveraleconomicandbureaucraticreasons.BothGrahamBellandGrayinscribedonFebruary14,1876twoseparateinventionsthatwereessentiallythesameinthepatentoffice,buttheformergotpriorityintheprocess(apparentlybecauseofhiscontactsintheoffice).Butin2002,theCongressoftheUnitedStatesofAmericaalsorecognizedMeucci’sinvention.

Case study 1. Who invented the telephone?

1. Today, there are several phone companies operating inSpain,butdoyouknowwhichcompanyhadthemono-polyonphoneserviceinourcountry?WhendiditbeginoperatinginSpain?

2. Customerphonesusuallystartwiththeprefixes900,901or902.Whatarethedifferencesamongtheseprefixes?

3. Doyouknowhowmanyusersofmobile telephonyarethereinSpain?Aretheymanyorjustafewregardingthepopulationinourcountry?Checktheselinksforfurtherinformation: http://www.ontsi.red.es/ontsi/es/indicador/evolucion-del-numero-de-clientes-de-telefonia-movil-en-espanaandwww.ine.es.

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6Telephone communication

2. Telephone media and equipmentAlmosteverybodyhasaphonetoday(mobile,mostly).Thisdeviceiswidespreadamongthepopulationand,aswestatedabove, isoneofthemost importantcommunicationtools inthefieldofbusiness.

Atthepresenttime,moreandmorecompaniesareusingtelephonesystemstoprovidetheirbusinessservices.

Thevariousdevicesusedintelephonyareusuallygroupedintothreetypes:

• Fixedindividualdevices.

• Privatebranchexchanges(PBX).

• Mobiledevices.

Wewillknowmoreaboutthesedevicesinthefollowingsections.

2.1. Fixed telephony devices

Thesedevicesareknownasfixed telephones.Theyarenon-portabledevicesthatconnecttootherphonesortoatelephoneexchangethroughanetworkofconductivemetals(copper networks,althoughtodaythesearebeingreplacedbyopticalfibernetworks).

2.2. PBX

Theyare located inplacesor locations thathold all the equipment thatplays the roleofconnecting two different geographical points. Telecommunication companiesmanage theequipmentandprovideservicestobothbusinessandindividuals.

Basically,PBXsaresmalltelephoneexchangesthatareinstalledintheofficesofacompany;theirbasicfunctionsarecalltransferamongextensions,callerID,conferencecalls,callwaitingandvoicemail,amongothers,accordingtotheneedsofthecompany.

Whiletheymaybeanalogueordigital,digitalPBXstodayhavevirtuallyreplacedtheanaloguedevices.

Furthermore, the development of services through the Internet has changed the classicalconceptofPBX,whichhasbeenreplacedbyIPPBXs.

A. IP PBXs

Also known as VoIP phone systems, thesecomprehensive telephone systems providetelephone calls over IP data networks(Fig.6.1).

An IP PBX is configured to send all callsusingdatapacketsthroughadata network (Internet), rather than through traditionaltelephonenetwork.Asweindicatedabove,companies are now replacing their tradi-tionalsystemsfor IPPBXsbecauseoftheirmanyadvantages.

Aprivate branch exchange or PBXistheequipmentthatconnectscallsbetweentwodestinationsorends.

• Optical fiber. Transmissionme-diumthat isoftenused intele-communications, consisting ofaverythinfiber(ithasthethic-kness of a human hair) that ismade of transparent material,glass or plastics. It sends lightpulses that represent data tobetransmitted.Thelightsourcemaybe laserorLED.Comparedto copper networks, it ismuchcheaper (the raw material issand), but it has the disadvan-tageofitsfragilityanddifficultytobewelded.

• Laser. Beamwith a singlewave-length(monochromatic),andthe-reforewithasinglecolour.

• LED.Light-emittingdiode.

• Diode. Electroniccomponentthatallowsanelectriccurrenttopassinonlyonedirection.

• IP. It corresponds to the acro-nym for Internet Protocol. Thissystem allows sending andreceivingdataovertheInternet.

Vocabulary

We must differentiate betweenthe concepts of Voice over IP(VoIP)andIPtelephony.

• VoIP isasetofstandards,pro-tocols,devicesandtechnologiesforthedeliveryofvoiceovertheIPprotocol.

• IP Network isthepubliclyavai-lable telephone service withVoIPtechnology.

Watch out!

Fig. 6.1. IPPBXmodel.


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PBXs also have telephone terminals or IP telephone terminals; the latter devices allowcommunication using an IP network, either through a local area network or through theInternet.Althoughtheylooklikearegulartelephone,thisisactuallyahardwarethatusesadatanetworkconnectioninsteadofatelephonenetworkconnection.

IPphonesoftenhavemoreoptionsandadvantagesthanaconventionaltelephone.Asthissystem is fullydigital andprogrammable, those terminalsusuallyhave special keys; someincludeavideocameratomakevideoconferences.Thepriceofthesedevicesisusuallythesameastraditionalphones.

B. Call centres

Callcentres(Fig.6.2)managebothincomingcalls(inbound)andoutgoingcalls(outbound).Today,mostcallcentresaremanagedwithIPPBXsbecausethecostismuchlowerthanwithtraditionalPBXs,andalsoofferagreatervarietyofservices.

C. Contact centres

Theycanalsomanagetherelationshipwithcustomersthroughothermediasuchasfax,chatormessagingsystems,bothSMSandmultimedia.

Acall centre is a tool aimed at communicatingwith customerswhouse the phoneasaprimarydevice.

Contact centres are an evolution of call centres aimed atmanaging a large volumeofphonecalls,bothincomingandoutgoingcalls.

InternetprovidesuserswithIPtelephonysoftwarethatallowsthemtocallorreceivecallsatnoextracostonthepriceoftheirInternetconnection.OneofthebestknownisSkype,whichisveryeasytoinstallandconfigure.

Inthiscasestudywewilldownloadandconfigureitwiththefollowingparameters:

AccountnamewithSkype.

• User.• Password.• E-mail.• AddacontacttoyourSkypeaccount.

Solution:

CreatinganaccountwithSkypeisveryeasy.Thestepsarethefollowing:

• Downloadtheprogramfromtheweb:http://www.skype.com • Clickonthefilesetup.exe• Followtheinstallationsteps.Wemustenter:accountname,usernameandpassword

(acombinationoflettersandnumbers).

Iftheuserisavailable,ourSkypeaccountisreadytobeused.

Case study 2. Free registration in IP telephony software

4. SearchtheInternetforsomeVoIPserviceprovidersandwritedownthenameofthreeofthematleast.

5. ListthreeSpanishcompaniesthathaveacallcentre,andthreewithacontactcentre.

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Fig. 6.2. Callcentre.

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2.3. Mobile devices

Mobilephoneshaveundoubtedlymeantoneofthe great revolutionsofthetwentiethcen-tury,asithasprovidedcommunicationsandmobilityasnodeviceeverdidbefore.Ithasbeensosuccessfulthat insomecountries likeSpain, recentstudies indicatethatthenumberofmobilephonedevicesfarexceedsthenumberofinhabitants.

Apartfrommakingandreceivingphonecalls,therearemanyandvariedfunctionsthatcanbeperformedtodaythroughamobiledevice:makingpaymentsandbalancinginquiriesfrombankaccounts,connectingtotheInternet,sendingandreceivingemails,recordingvideos,ta-kingqualitypicturesandrunningmanyotherapplications,dependingonthephonewehave.

Themobileterminalsarenowgroupedintotwo typesofdevices:PDAsandSmartphones:

• PDA. It is virtually a small computer (Fig. 6.4). The acronym goes for PersonalDigitalAssistant.TheyallowustobrowsetheInternetandcheckouremailatanytimeandanywhere.

• Smartphone.Imagineamobilephonewithfurtherfunctionssuchaspicturesandvideos,radio,MP3playeror television: this isaSmartphone (Fig.6.5).The fundamental reasonwhythesedeviceshavearisenistotrytomakeiteasierforbusinessmanagementoverthephone.

Thefirstso-calledSmartphonewasdevelopedbythecompanyIBMin1992andwascalledSIMON. Its featureswerevery limited (sendand receivecalls, calendar,addressbook,andsendandreceivefaxes),especiallycomparedtocurrentdevices.

ThemainservicesthataSmartphonemayprovideare:

• Internet,whateveroursituation(work,home,etc.).

• E-mail.

• Filetransmission,mostlyimages.

• Videoconference.

• Digitalcamera(forvideorecordingandphotography).

• Audioandvideoqualityplayer.

• Electronicpersonalagenda.

• GPS(geographicallocationmapsofgreataccuracy).

• Ownoperatingsystem.

Amobile phoneisaportabledevice(wireless)thatallowsaccesstothemobilephonenetworkingeographicareaswheretheserviceproviderhascoverage.

Fig. 6.3. Thefirstmobilephone.ItistheMotorolaDynaTAC8000X.Itwentonsalein1983atapriceof$3,995.Ithadaweightof0.79kganditsbatterytooktenhourstocharge.Foritsdevelopment,Motorolainvestedonehundredmilliondollarsanditsresearchlastedalmostfifteenyears.

Fig. 6.4. PDAmodel.

Fig. 6.5. Smartphonemodel.

For some of the mentioned ser-vices, firstwemusthireor applyforthemtoourtelephoneserviceprovider.

Watch out!

6. Youprobablyhaveapersonalmobilephone.Makeashortlistwiththemainfeaturesofyourterminal.

7. SearchtheInternettofindoutthereasonwhymobiledevicesalwayshaveEnglishnames.

8. Doyouknowthemeaningofthefollowingiconsdisplayedonamobileterminal?

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3. Additional services offered by the telephone equipment

Theservicesthattelephonyequipmentcanofferarevaried,andavailabilitydependsonoursupplieroftheseservices.Inmostcases,theseservicesimplyanextracharge.

Supplementaryservicesmaybegroupedinto:

Scheme 6.1. Additionalservicesoftelephoneequipment.

3.1. Common features

Therearecertainfeaturesthatarecommonwithineachtypeofservice.Wewillstudytheminthefollowingsections.

A. Fixed telephony

Thesearethecommonfeaturesoffixedtelephony:

Notice of charge Itallowstheusertoreceiveinformationonthecostofacallduringand/orattheendofit.

Call forwarding Itdivertsincomingcallstoanyphonenumberthathasbeenpreviouslychosen.

Call hold Itkeepsacallonholdtoattendanotherincomingcallandretrievesitagain.

Call waitingItnotifiesanincomingcalltothesubscriberwhiletalking,sothatthesubscribermayreject,acceptorignorethatcall.

Call offer Itdisplaystheincomingcallonthescreenandallowstherecipienttoacceptorrejectit.

Identification of the calling line Itidentifiestheincomingcallnumbers.

Three-way calling Threepeoplecantalksimultaneously.

Completion of calls Incaseoffailuretoansweracall,orwhentheuserisbusy,thecallisfinished.

Call transfer Itenablesausertoconnecttwoincomingcalls.

Notice of initiation of multiconference Itallowsacommunicationwithmorethanonerecipientatatime.

Recall Itmakesacalltothelastdialednumber,evenseveraltimes.

Table 6.1. Typicalservicesoffixedtelephony.

9. TheservicesinTable6.1arenottheonlyones.Searchthewebandexplainthesetwosupplementaryservices:

a) Donotdisturb.b) Multiplesubscriber.

Activities

Fixedtelephony

PBX

Mobiletelephony

Billing-relatedservices

Business-relatedservices

Commonfeatures

Supplementary services of telephone equipment

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B. PBXs

InthecaseofPBXs,themostcommonsupplementary featuresare:

• Identification of incoming calls.

• Call restrictions. Itlimitsthenumberofcallsmadetotheoutside.

• Music on hold.Throughthisservice,theuserhearsamusicaltunechosenbythecompanyuntiltheoperatorortheappropriatetelephoneextensionanswersthatcall.

• Billing information. Throughthisfeatureweareinformedaboutthecostofaservice.

In addition to these features, there are others that are specific for IP PBXs, including thefollowing:

• Calltransfer,bothinternalandexternal.

• Callforwardingwhenthelineisbusyorthecallisnotanswered.

• Donotdisturb.

• Remoteextensionsoutofoffice(fortelecommutersoremployeesofotheroffices).

• Callgroups.

• Remotecallcapture.

• Voicemail(general,individualandgroup)protectedbypassword.

• E-mail.

• Managementofblacklists(phonenumberswithforbiddenaccess).

• Actionstobetakenaccordingtodatesandtimes(workinghours,holidays,etc.).

• Conferencerooms(twoormoreterminalssimultaneously).

• Listofincomingandoutgoingcalls,withconsumptiongraphics.

• Automaticdetectionofincomingfaxes.

• Queuingofincomingcalls(functionforcallcentres).

• Recordingofincomingandoutgoingcalls(functionforcallcentres).

• Videoconferencing,whichallowstocarryoutconversationsandseetwoormorepeoplelocatedindifferentgeographicalareasovertheInternet.

C. Mobile telephony

The features that mobile terminals can offer will depend on the specific model and theservice provider (telephonecompany).Themostcommonare:

• Length of calls:bothincomingandoutgoing.

• Voice mail: ifacallisnotanswered,amailboxwillcollectthemessages.

• Call forwarding.

• Call waiting.

• Missed calls: ifourphone isoff,outofcoverageorbusy, this featurewillnotifyustheincomingcallsthatwehavereceivedbuthaven’tanswered.ThisnoticeisusuallycarriedoutviaSMS.

• Address book: theterminalcanstorethephonenumbersofyourcontacts.Eachcontacttypicallyincludesseveraltypesofphonenumbers(main,work,home,etc.),aswellasotherdata,suchasemailorwebpage.

• Conference calling:itallowshavingconversationswithseveralpeopleatonce.

• Emergency call: it can communicate with an emergency telephone number, 112 (forEurope),regardlessofthemodeinwhichthephoneis.

Telecommuting or telework is amethodthatallowsdistancework.Today,moreandmorecompaniestake advantage of the benefitsthatthissystemhasforemployeesandforthecompany.

Do you know that...?


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• Voice recognition: it allowsyou tocall ausernumberusingyourvoicewithout typingorselectingthenumber.

• Infrared: it allows data transmission between devices.Now it is being replaced by theBluetoothsystem.

• GPRS:thistechnologyallowsaccesstovariousservicessuchasuserlocation,routesandmapschecking,onlineshopping,etc.

• SMS messages: service thatallowsyou to send shortmessages. Eachmessage isoftenbetween160and200characters.

• Multimedia messaging or MMS: it allows you to sendmessageswith pictures, videos,voicefiles,songs,etc.

• Video calling: youcanseeyourinterlocutorinyourterminalscreenasyouspeak.

• Downloads: youcanperformlegaldownloadsofmusic,videos,programs,andsoon.

• Email: youcansendandreceivee-mailsonyourterminal,butfirstyoumustconfigureyourmobilephonetodoso.

• Internet services: youcanaccessthewebviaamodemorWi-Finetworks.

• GPS navigation: itallowsyoutouseyourterminalasanavigationsystem,forexample,whendrivingincitiesthatyoudon’tknow.

3.2. Billing-related services

Both fixed and mobile telephony have billing-related services. Depending on the serviceprovider,theymaybeofferedforfreeorinvolveextracosts.

Theseservicescanbegroupedintothreetypes:

• Information on bills: itisthesetofdatathatappearsonyourbill,suchastheuser,phonenumbersthatyoucall,durationandcostsofeverycall,discountplans,andsoon.

• Consumption control: ifrequested,thisservicesendsanalerttotheuserwhenaspecificbillinglimithasbeenexceeded.

• Flat fee:itmeansthatwepayafixedamountinthebillingperiod,regardlessoftheamountand duration of calls. It is usually applied to fixed telephony users, but currently it isexpandingtomobiletelephony.

3.3. Business-related services

Whentalkingabouttelephonyservicesrelatedtobusiness(apartfromwhathasbeenalreadydiscussedinprevioussections),wemustrefertothesetofrelationshipswithsuppliers,emplo-yeesandcustomers.Thus,inthecorporatebusinessworldtherearetwoimportantconcepts:

• M-Business (Mobile Business Development): itistheuseoftechnologyandapplicationsthat enablesbusinessprocessesusingmobiledevices. It includes anumberof activitiesranging from communications via e-mail to receiving product information via SMS ororderingthroughthephone.M-businessincludesthefollowingbusinesstypes:

– B2B (Business to Business): applicationsorientedtothesaleofgoodsandservices.Forexample, ithappensbetweenacompanyandoneof itscustomers (which, in turn, isanothercompany).

– B2C(Business to Consumer):theprocessthatoccursbetweenacompanyandacon-sumer. For example, it happensbetweena companyandapersonbuying somethingthroughamobilephone.

• Bluetooth.Communicationtoolthatallowsvoiceanddatatrans-missionviaradio.

• WI-FI. The termwas coinedbythe"Wi-FiAlliance".Itisasetofstandardsforwirelessnetworks.Itworkswithradiowaves.

• WAP. Protocol that uses wire-lessnetworks(suchasaccessingthe Internet through a mobi-le phone). It means "WirelessApplicationProtocol".

• UMTS. Itmeans"UniversalMo-bile Telecommunications Sys-tem". It replaces the old GSMandisusedin3G(thirdgenera-tion)terminals.

• 3G.Abbreviationforthirdgene-ration. Services related to thirdgenerationterminalsprovidetheabilitytotransfervoce,dataandnon-voice data (such as down-loading programs, exchangingemailandinstantmessaging).

• Protocol. Set of rules that areestablished for two devices tocommunicatewitheachother.

Vocabulary

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– B2E(Business to Employee): setofactivitiesaimedatprovidingproductsorservicestoacompany’sownemployees.

– B2G (Business to Government): it isfocusedonbusinessactivitiesbetweenbusinessandgovernments(eitherlocally,regionallyornationallyandeveninternationally).

• M-Commerce (Mobile Commerce): this concept includes any transaction carried outthroughatelecommunicationsnetwork(suchasthosemadethroughamobilephoneorthroughPBXs).BuyingamovieticketusingthemobilephoneisanM-Commercesituation.Inturn,therearethreetypesofservicewithinM-Commerce:

– Mobile-ticketing: acustomercanorder,payfor,obtainandconfirmticketsfromany-whereandanytimewithamobiledevice.

– Mobile-banking:itistheuseofmobiledevicesfortransactions,paymentsoranyotherkindofoperationwithafinancialinstitution.ItisperformedviaSMSoronline.

– Mobile payments:itisthechargetocustomersthroughmobiledevices.

Weneedtomakeatelephoneappointmentatahealthcareservice,whichisprovidedthroughacallcentre.

Let’sseewhatkindofservicesareproducedwhenwecallfromamobilephoneand:

a) Wecalla902numberandweareinformedaboutitscost.

b) Theyinviteustochooseanextension(suchaswhenwehear:"Forconsultations,pleasepress1;foroutpatients,pleasepress2;otherwise,pleaseholdtheline").Atuneplayswhilewewait.

c) Anoperatortellsusthattheconversationwillberecordedforsecurityreasons.

d) Wearetoldthatthedateandtimeoftheappointmentwillbesenttousviaatextmessage(SMS)toourmobilephone.

Solution:

Thetypesofservicesthatwehavebeenofferedare:

a) Calltoapremium-ratephonenumber(informationoncosts).

b) Calltransferwithmusiconhold.

c) Queuingforincomingcallsandrecordingofincomingcalls.

d) SMSmessageservice.

Case study 3. Services through mobile phone

10. Indicatewhattypeofbusinessisoccurringineachofthefollowingcases:

a) AcarcompanysendsanSMSaboutanewcarmodel.

b) AbankoffersinsuranceforaclientcompanythroughanMMS.

11. Imagineyouhaveamobileterminalandyoureceivethefollowingmessages:

a) "SudineroBankinformsyouthatachargeof¤150hasbeenmadeonyourcard4546.XXXX.XXXX.8796 on 12.12.2012. Concept: purchasemade on Amazon.Moreinfo:909.11.22.33".

b) "Entradasdirectas.com:confirmationisrequestedforpurchaseson12.12.2012at19:30.Concept:3tickets.SendanSMSto600.56.89.75.SMScost:0.09cents+VAT".

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4. Rules for a good telephone communication

Achievingasmoothandeffectivecommunicationwhenweholdatelephoneconversationisessential,asweanticipated.Therefore,wehavetofollowcertainrulessuchasthoseprovidedbelow.

4.1. Basic rulesToday,thephonehasbecomeanessentialelementinthenormallifeofanycompany.

Insection2.5ofthepreviousunitwestudiedsometechniquesforestablishingeffectivetele-phonecommunicationfromthepointofviewofthechannel;inthissectionwewillseeothertechniquesnotonlytoachieveeffectivecommunication,butalsotogenerateapositiveima-geofourselvesandthecompanyandachievebusinessandprofessionalgoals.

Aphonecall isoftenthefirstcontactthatour interlocutorhaswithourcompany,sothiscall has to be perfect in order to transmit a good image. Similarly, when we makepersonalcalls,wemustalsoactinanappropriateway,becausewhatwepassonwillcreateanimageofourselvesinourinterlocutor.

Stages of a phone call

Whenmakingaphonecall,wecandistinguishfour stagesintheprocess:

Introduction

Atthisstage,whetherwecallorreceiveacall,wemustgreet,identifyourselves(bynameandsurname),identifythecompanyandincludethereasonforthecall.Forexample:"Hello,mynameisJosefaMartín,fromthecompanyMetalplus,S.A.Iwanttotalkwiththeheadofworks,please".

Develop-ment

Once we have contacted the person we want, the conversation starts. Forexample,ifwewanttointroducenewproductsorservices,wemustexplaintheadvantagesandthefeaturesthatdifferentiatethemfromsimilaroptions;wemaynamesomecustomerswhohavealreadypurchasedsomeofthem,andsoon.

Duringthecourseoftheconversation,wemustassesstheinterlocutorinordertoadjusttoadjustthevocabularyweusetohisorherlevel,becauseifweusetechnicaltermstheymightnotunderstandus.

Wewillalsopayspecialattentiontofillers,suchas:"Eeehhh…","um...",becausethe perception about our intelligence or security in the interlocutor may bedamaged.Insteadwecanuseapause,asitwillonlylastafewsecondsandthecallerwon’tnotice.

Closure

Itistheturningpointoftheconversation,aswemusthaveachievedthegoalofthecallbeforehangingup.Forexample,ifyouwanttheinterlocutortogiveyouanappointmenttointroduceyourproducts,youcansay:"Ifit’sOKwithyou,Mr.Díaz,wecouldmeetinyourofficenextweekandwouldshowyousomesamples.CouldyoumakeitonTuesday?".

Ifyoudon’treachthegoalinthefirstcall,trytoarrangeanotherphonecallforamoreconvenienttimefortheinterlocutor.Inthatcallyouwillrepeattheprocess.

FarewellIt is time to finish the communication with our interlocutor. To say goodbyeproperly,wemust thank the interlocutor for the attention anduse a polite setexpressionsuchas:"Thankyouforyourtime,Mr.Díaz.Haveaniceday".

Table 6.2. Stagesofaphonecall.

Rules relating to aspects of non-verbal communication Rules relating to aspects of verbal communication

Answercallsassoonaspossible:thefirstorsecondring.Answerpolitelyandcourteously.Forexample:"TadamiMuebles,goodmorning","TadamiMuebles,thisisMaríaspeaking,howIcanhelpyou?".

Speakinarelaxedandsofttone.Payattentiontoyourdictionandpronunciation.Youmusttakespecialcareifyouhaveaverystrongregionalaccentthatmaypreventourinterlocutorfromunderstanding.

Voicevolumemustalsobemoderate.Beverycarefulwithwordsthatwedon’twanttheinterlocutortohear,ascoveringthehandsetmaynotbeenough.Ifyourinterlocutorhearswhatyousay,youwillcreateaverybadimpression.

Donotkeepthecalleronholdforlong.Amaximumof30seconds.Donotforgettherulesofcourtesyandalwaystreatyourinterlocutorwiththeword"usted",unlessheorshetellsyounottodoso.

Ifweknowthatitwilltakealongtimeuntilweassistthecallerorifthepersonheorshewantstotalkisnotavailable,itisbesttoinformthecaller,askhimorhertocallsomeothertimeorgivethechanceofleavingthenameand/oramessage.

Youmustgivetimetosaygoodbyeandwaitforthecallertohangupbeforewedo.

Stopwhatyouaredoingandpayattentiontothecall.Ifyounoticethattheinterlocutorisaforeigner,youwillspeakslowlyandvocalizing,butnevershout.


Whengreeting,youwilluseavoicetonetransmittingstrengthandconfidence,avoidinghesitation.

Whenmakingacall,wemustgreettheinterlocutorandidentifyourselveswithournameandsurnameandthenameofthecompanyweworkfor.Forexample:"Goodmorning.I’mJoséPedrosa,fromthecompanyCompleteConsulting.MayIspeakwithMr.Juanes,please?".Ifwearenotcallingforprofessionalreasonswecansimplysay:"It’spersonal".

Youmustvarythetonethroughouttheconversation.Thereisnoneedtoexaggerate,butusingamonotonetonebotherstheinterlocutor,asitshowsalackofenthusiasmorboredom.

Ifweaskforaspecificperson,therightthingistouse"Don"or"Doña"beforethename,or"Señor"or"Señora"beforethesurname.Neverusefamilynamesornicknames.

Ifthepersonyouwanttotalktoisnotavailableatthistime,wemayaskwhattimeisbesttoreachhimorher.

Ifyouhavealreadycontactedtherightperson,youshouldaskwhetheritisgoodtimeforhimorhertotalk,asthispersonmaybebusy.Iftheinterlocu-torcantalkatthattime,wewillcontinuewiththeconversation;ifheorshecannot,wewillarrangeanothertimetomakethecall.

Ifyouleaveamessagewiththereasonforthecall,themessagemustbeclearandconciseandshouldreflectthereasonforthecall,aswellasournameandphonenumberforfuturecontact.

Ifyouarecallingsomebodyback,youmuststatewhenyouwerecalled.

Ifwehaveagreeddayandtimetocall,wewillrespecttheagreement.

Aunqueenestaunidadhayvariosejemplos de frases que suelenutilizarse al teléfono en inglés,aquí tienesalgunasmásparaquepuedas afrontar la difícil tareade comunicarte a través de estecanal:

• Hello, this is María Gutiérrez. How can I help you?:comove-rás,alpresentarnosnodecimosIam,sinothis is.

• May I speak to the HR mana-ger, please?: fíjate en que esmáscorrectousarmayquecancuando queremos expresar elmotivode la llamada.Sinem-bargo, otra formamuy comúndeexpresar losmismoes:Can I have the HR manager, please?

• Please hold (the line): esta eslaformadepediraquienllamaque se mantenga a la esperamientras pasamos la llamadao consultamos que la personaquepuedesolventarelproble-ma.

Spanish assistant

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4.2. Rules for answering a call

Now, we will study certain rules that will allow us to answer a phone call properly andto transmit a good image of our company. Table 6.3 groups them into two types: thoseassociatedwithnon-verbalcommunicationandthoseconcerningverbalcommunication.


Answercallsassoonaspossible:thefirstorsecondring.Answerpolitelyandcourteously.Forexample:"TadamiMuebles,goodmorning","TadamiMuebles,thisisMaríaspeaking,howIcanhelpyou?".

Speakinarelaxedandsofttone.Payattentiontoyourdictionandpronunciation.Youmusttakespecialcareifyouhaveaverystrongregionalaccentthatmaypreventourinterlocutorfromunderstanding.

Voicevolumemustalsobemoderate.Beverycarefulwithwordsthatwedon’twanttheinterlocutortohear,ascoveringthehandsetmaynotbeenough.Ifyourinterlocutorhearswhatyousay,youwillcreateaverybadimpression.

Donotkeepthecalleronholdforlong.Amaximumof30seconds.Donotforgettherulesofcourtesyandalwaystreatyourinterlocutorwiththeword"usted",unlessheorshetellsyounottodoso.

Ifweknowthatitwilltakealongtimeuntilweassistthecallerorifthepersonheorshewantstotalkisnotavailable,itisbesttoinformthecaller,askhimorhertocallsomeothertimeorgivethechanceofleavingthenameand/oramessage.

Youmustgivetimetosaygoodbyeandwaitforthecallertohangupbeforewedo.

Stopwhatyouaredoingandpayattentiontothecall.Ifyounoticethattheinterlocutorisaforeigner,youwillspeakslowlyandvocalizing,butnevershout.

Table 6.3. Rulestoansweraphonecallproperly.

4.3. Rules for making a call

Therulesthatallowustomakesuccessfultelephonecallsandtocreateagoodimageofourcompanyandourselvesarethefollowing:


Whengreeting,youwilluseavoicetonetransmittingstrengthandconfidence,avoidinghesitation.

Whenmakingacall,wemustgreettheinterlocutorandidentifyourselveswithournameandsurnameandthenameofthecompanyweworkfor.Forexample:"Goodmorning.I’mJoséPedrosa,fromthecompanyCompleteConsulting.MayIspeakwithMr.Juanes,please?".Ifwearenotcallingforprofessionalreasonswecansimplysay:"It’spersonal".

Youmustvarythetonethroughouttheconversation.Thereisnoneedtoexaggerate,butusingamonotonetonebotherstheinterlocutor,asitshowsalackofenthusiasmorboredom.

Ifweaskforaspecificperson,therightthingistouse"Don"or"Doña"beforethename,or"Señor"or"Señora"beforethesurname.Neverusefamilynamesornicknames.

Ifthepersonyouwanttotalktoisnotavailableatthistime,wemayaskwhattimeisbesttoreachhimorher.

Ifyouhavealreadycontactedtherightperson,youshouldaskwhetheritisgoodtimeforhimorhertotalk,asthispersonmaybebusy.Iftheinterlocu-torcantalkatthattime,wewillcontinuewiththeconversation;ifheorshecannot,wewillarrangeanothertimetomakethecall.

Ifyouleaveamessagewiththereasonforthecall,themessagemustbeclearandconciseandshouldreflectthereasonforthecall,aswellasournameandphonenumberforfuturecontact.

Ifyouarecallingsomebodyback,youmuststatewhenyouwerecalled.

Ifwehaveagreeddayandtimetocall,wewillrespecttheagreement.

Table 6.4. Rulestomakeaphonecallproperly.


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When we answer the phone wemustbepreparedtotakenoteofanymessage theywant to leave,so remember to have a pen andsomepaperathand.Ask the caller his or her name,company, reason for calling, con-tactinformation(ifheorshewillcall again, leave a contact num-ber...),andotherinformationthatmay be of interest to recognizethe caller (for example, the per-sonandtheoccasioninwhichtheinterlocutorisaskingtomeet).

Beforehangingup,wewillrepeatthe most important informationofthemessagetomakesurethatwehavetakentherightdata.

Important

If we answer the phone and wemust lie and say, for example,that someone is not in theofficeatthattime,wemustrespectthepropertimestosoundcredible.Forexample:

—Z: "Zapatines, S.L., good mor-ning".

—M: "Good morning, I want tospeakwithMr.Méndez,please".

—Z: "One moment, please, justletme check is he is available.Who’sspeaking?".

—M: "Mariano Torre, from thecompanyMegacord".

—Z:"Holdon,please".(Pause to ask questions or to pre-tend you do)

—Z:"Heisinameetingrightnow.Doyouwanttoleaveamessa-ge?".

—M: "No, thankyou verymuch.I’llcalllater".

—Z:"Thankyou,haveaniceday".

—M:"Youtoo".

Examples

4.4. Skills to act as a filterWhenoneofyourtasksinyourjobisansweringthephone,youmustdevelopseveralskills,suchasactingasafilter.

Thefilterfunctionalsoinvolvestryingtofindoutthereasonsforthecallsandknowingwhoistheright persontoanswereverycall.

Techniques to act as a filter

• Act naturally: youmustkeepakindandgentletoneinallcircumstances,especiallywhenyouhavetolie,asituationthatwewilloftenfacewhenansweringthephoneatthecompany.

• Find out the relationship thatthecallerhaswiththeorganizationand ifthisperson isalreadyknowninthecompany.Inmanycases,therightquestionis:"Couldyoupleasetellmethereasonforyourcall?".

• Check exactlywho the callerwants to talk to. This is particularly relevant in the caseofsales calls:thesalesagentorrepresentativeusuallyasksforthemanagerortheheadofadepartment,buttheymaynotbetherightpersonstoanswerthecallproperly.

• Ifwedon’tknowwhetherthecallercanbeassistedornot,wewillleavethecallon holdforareasonabletimetofindout.

• Ifourinterlocutorcannotbeassistedatthattime,wewillapologiseandgivethereason,whetherrealor invented,whythepersonthecallerwantstotalktocannotanswerthephoneatthattime.Inaddition,wewillofferthepossibilitytoleaveamessage.

4.5. Skills for dealing with complaints over the phoneMore and more medium and large companies are providing a department or a personresponsibleforhandlingthecomplaintsthatcustomersusuallymake.

However, many other companies are too small to afford the specific coverage of thisservice, and then any employee must be ready to meet any customer and/or suppliercomplaint,whicharemainlycommunicatedover thephone.Therefore,wemust take intoaccountanumberoftechniquesthatallowustoproperlyaddressthesecalls.

Techniques for dealing with complaints over the phone• Greetandidentifyourselves:wewilltransmitsecuritytothecaller.

• Staycalm,withasoftvoicetoneandanaveragevolume,althoughtheinterlocutor-asitusuallyhappens-isnervous,raisesthetoneandevenscreams.

• Letthecallerexplainthewholesituationthatcausesthecomplaint.This isbetterthantryingtointerruptwithexplanations.

• Showthatyouarelisteningbyusingbriefstatementssuchas"Iunderstand","Isee"andthelike.

• Takenotesofkeypointsofthecomplaintsothatyoucananswerthemonebyonewithoutforgettingany. Ifyouhavequestionsoryouarenotsurewhetherthecallerunderstoodeverythingcorrectly,wemayask.Thiswillalsohelpustomaintaincontroloverthecon-versation.

• Don’tunderestimatetheproblem,eventhoughthecustomerisexaggerating.

• Agreethatthecallerisrightonlyifheorsheis,butnotjusttoendthecall.

• Don’tpromisethingsthatyoucannotkeep.Ifwehavedoubtsabouthowtosolvethesitua-tion,takenoteofeverythingyouhavetalkedabout,writedownthenameandtelephonenumberofthecallerandpromisetocallbackassoonasyouhavemadesomeinquiries

• abouttheproblem.Thiscallbackshouldn’ttakemorethan24hours.

Acting as a filter istoselectthosecallsthatwemustpasstooursuperiorsamongallthecallswereceiveinthecompany.

Aspects of non-verbal communication Aspects of verbal communication

Showapositiveandoptimisticattitude. Speakslowlyandvocalize.Don’tletnervesaffectyou.

Useastrongandassertivetone.Whenweareaskedaboutthereasonforourcalltothecompany,wewillclearlyexplainit,indicatingthepositionortheresponsiblepersonwewanttotalkto.

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4.6. Job search with the phone

Althoughtheuseofthephoneisnotaverycommonmethodforactivejobsearch,itcanbevery effective,particularlyinSMEs,whereitisrelativelyeasytocontactthepersonrespon-sibleforrecruitment(anditoftencoincideswiththefigureofthemanagerorowner).

Tousethismethodproperlyandeffectively,wemust followaseriesofstepsthatwewillstudynow.

A. Preparation

Firstofall,wemustknowtheappropriateplacetocall.Forthispurpose,wehavetoselectthecompaniesthatmightbeofferingajobpositionthatfitsourtrainingandexpectations.

Oncethecompanieshavebeenselected,weshouldcollectinformationaboutthemandaboutthesectorstowhichtheybelong(Fig.6.6).

If possible,we should alsoobtain thename of the personwewant to contact: theheadof HR, the head of the department, the manager of the company... Another usefultechniqueistofindapossiblecontactwithinthecompanywhocanopendoorswhenwecall.

Wemustpreparewhatwewanttocommunicate,sothatthere isnothing lefttomentionafterthecall.Todothis,itisadvisabletohaveourprofessionalandacademicprofileavailable,allowingustoansweranyquestionsthatwemightbeaskedduringthecall.

Finally,wemustbear inmindtheultimate goal: toobtainan interviewortofindoutthenameofthepersonwecansendourwritteninformation(CV,coverletter...).

B. Calling process

Onceprepared,weshouldmakesureifwearecallingatanappropriate time;thus,wewillavoidpeakhoursandthemomentsrightbeforethedeparturetimeofthecompany.

Then,wewillmakecallsintheorderthatwehaveestablished,andwilltakenoteofeachoneofthemtoknowwherewehavetocallbackandwhenwehaveagreedtodoit,whowewilltalktoandotherissuesofinterestthattheyhaveprovided.

Keepinmindthatthecallmaybeinitiallyansweredbyanemployeethatwillactasafilter,sowemustbepreparedtopassthisfilterandtoinsist.Intheeventthatthepersonyouwanttotalktoisnotavailable,askwhattimeisgoodtolocateandtalktohimorher.

C. Reaching the goal

Ifwehavesucceededincontactingtherightperson,wemustspeakwithout a plaintive tone, and brieflyandcalmlyexplainwhoweareandwhatwebelievewecanprovidetothatpar-ticularcompany.

Inourcommunicationwewillusethefollowingkeys,creatingagoodimpressionoverthephone:

Fig. 6.6. Beforecallingthecompanyofferingtheposition,weshouldbeinformedaboutitasmuchaswecan.Visitingitswebsitemaybereallyuseful.


Showapositiveandoptimisticattitude. Speakslowlyandvocalize.Don’tletnervesaffectyou.

Useastrongandassertivetone.Whenweareaskedaboutthereasonforourcalltothecompany,wewillclearlyexplainit,indicatingthepositionortheresponsiblepersonwewanttotalkto.

Table 6.5. Keystogiveagoodimpressionoverthephone.

Finally,ifwehaveanappointmentforaninterview,wewillmakesuretheday,timeandper-sonwehavetheinterviewwith,andwewillwriteitalldowntorememberit.


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JuliaMartínworks for a company that sellsoffice supplies,Caperplush.Shewantstointroducetheseproductstotheres-ponsiblepersonforpurchasingofficesuppliesintheconsulting

companyCachónyAsociados,butshedoesn’tknowthenameofthepersonshehastospeakwith.Let’sstudythedevelop-mentoftheconversation.

—G:Well,we’reverysatisfiedwithourcurrentproviderandhavenoplanstochange.

CLO

SURE

—C:Iunderstand,I’msurethecompanyyouworkwithhasagoodservice.Butwecanofferexceptionalpricesbecausewearemanufacturersanddon’tworkwithintermediaries.

—G: Ididn’tknowyouweremanufacturers.—C: Yes,wehavetwentyyearsofexperienceinthesector.Doyou

thinkwecouldmeetthisweek?CouldyoumakeitonThursday?—G: Yes,Thursdayisagoodday.IsthatOKathalfpastthree?

—C:OnThursdayathalfpastthreeI’llbethere.Thankyouverymuchforyourtime,Mr.Gómez.

—G:Thankyou.Haveaniceday.—C:Youtoo.

—C:Thankyouforyourtime,Mr.Gómez.Haveaniceday.

—G:Thankyoutoo.

INTR

OD

UCTI

ON —Recepcionist (R):CachónyAsociados,goodmorning.ThisisMaríaLópezspeaking.How

Icanhelp?—Caperplush (C): Goodmorning.MynameisJuliaMartín,fromthecompanyCaperplush.

MayIspeakwiththepersonresponsibleforpurchasingofficesupplies,please?

—R: Holdonasecond,please.I’llcheckifhe’savailable.(Pause)

DEV

ELO

PMEN

T

—R: Ms.Martín,I’llputyouthroughtoMr.Gómez.—C: Thankyou.

—Mr. Gómez (G): Goodmorning.AntonioGomezspeaking.WhatIcandoforyou?

—C:Goodmorning,Mr.Gómez.MynameisJuliaMartín,fromthecompanyCaperplush.Mycompanysellsofficesuppliesandthereasonformycallwastoarrangeaninterviewtointroduceournewproductcatalogue.

—R: Mr.Gómezisnotavailableatthistime.Doyouwanttoleaveamessage?

—C:Yes,please.TellhimJuliaMartíncalled,fromthecompanyCaperplush,tointroduceournewrangeofproductsandservices.(Write down the name: Mr. Gómez)

—G:Thisisn’treallyagoodtimetotalk.Weareclosingthefiscalyearanddon’thavemuchtime.

—C:Icancallanyothertime.Whataboutintwoweeks?CouldyoumakeitonTuesday19?

—G:Thatwouldbeperfect.I’llbewaitingforyourcall.

Repeat the call

FARE

WEL

L

12. Divide the class in pairs and prepare the followingsituations.Forsomesituationsyoucanaskathirdstudenttoplaytheroleofreceptionist,ifnecessary.

• Situation 1. StudentAhas justobtainedadegree inAdministrationandFinanceandislookingforacompanytoprovidesometraining.StudentBwillberesponsiblefortheHumanResourcesdepartment.

• Situation 2.StudentAisthesalesagentofatelephonecompany that wants the company Pandehoy to hireitsservices.StudentBisresponsiblefortheprovisionoftheseservicesinthecompanyandisverysatisfiedwiththeserviceofthecompanytheyhaverightnow.

13. Following the pattern presented in the previous casestudy,developatleastthreepossibilitiesforthisconver-sation.

MarcosGutiérrezownsarepairshop.Juanisresponsibleforaccountingandalsohandlesphonecalls.AlfredoLópezisayoungmansearchingforhisfirstjobasamechanic;hehasmadeathree-monthtrainingperiodinanotherrepairshopandhasstudiedacourseonvehicleelectricsduringthelastsixmonths.

Alfredomakes a phone call toMarcos’ repair shop, buthedoesn’tknowthepersonhehastotalktoinordertoarrangeapossiblejobinterview.

Activities

Case study 4. How to establish telephone contact with someone

Solution:

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5. Telemarketing

Telemarketingitselfisnotacomprehensivesalesstrategy,but a sales orsupporting methodfor the companywithin its overall sales strategy, and it has specific characteristics. Thus,mobilephonecompanies, forexample,oftenuse telemarketing to increasesales,but theyalsouseothercomplementarytoolssuchase-mailcommunication,conventionaladvertisingcampaigns,etc.aswellastheirconventionalstores(Fig.6.7).

The two functions performedbythistoolare:firstly,asameansofcommunication,andse-condly,asamarketingchannel.

• As a means of communication,itallowsustoselectandcustomizeeachcontact,assistingeveryclientorpotentialclientindividually.Italsoallowsforinteractivity,sincewecanob-taintherecipient’sresponseatthesametimethatweissuethemessage.

• As a marketing channel, itallowsustoscheduleasalesvisitatonce inordertomakethesaleofaproductorservice,andeventoperformadirectsale(teleshopping),ifthatisthegoalofthecall.

5.1. Telemarketing applicationsTelemarketingapplicationsareverydiverse,butmostofthemarecommercialandmarketingapplications.

• Commercial applications. Their goal is to make a sale, either during the call itself orarranginganappointmenttomakethatsale.Examplesofsuchapplicationsare:

– Locatingpotentialcustomers.

– Arranginginterviewsforthesalesteam.

– Keepingtrackofpreviouscontacts.Forexample,toconfirmtheinterestshowninapre-viouscall,tosellortoconfirmanorder.

– Teleshopping.Thatistosay,closingthesaleofaproductorserviceintheveryactofthecall.

– Generatingnewsalesofaproductthathasbeenpreviouslypurchasedorsellanotherrelatedproducttothesamecustomer.

– Renewingsubscriptionstoservices,publications,etc.

– Communicatingnewoffersandcustomoffers.

– Attractingnewcustomersorrecoverformerones.

– Reactivating"silent"customers,thatistosay,toworkagainoninactiveuseraccounts.

• Marketing applications. Their main objective is to gather information on actual orpotentialcustomers.Theirneeds,customs,traditions,ideologies...Thistypeoftelemarke-tingdoesn’thaveaclearsalespurpose.Theseapplicationsare:

– Conductingcustomersatisfactionsurveys.

– Creatingorupdatingcustomerdatabases,whetherrealorpotential.

• Upgrading. Generatinganotherpurchaseofthesameproduct.

• Cross-selling. Make the saleof a product that is related toanother that the customer haspreviouslypurchased.

• Follow-up. Keeping track ofcommercial offers that havebeen previously provided bypostalmail,e-mailorvisit.

Vocabulary

Fig. 6.7. Telemarketingworkersmustdevelopforoptimallisteningandcustomercarewitheachclient.

Telemarketing isamarketingactioninwhichthetelephoneisusedasthecommuni-cationchannel;itisdirectlyaimedatcontactingcustomersorpotentialcustomersforcommercialpurposes(forexample,sales)oratimprovingcorporateimage(forexample,technicalsupport),amongotherthings.

There are twodifferent activitieswithin telemarketing, dependingonthedirectionofcalls:• In outbound telemarketing

thecompanygetsintouchwithcustomers or potential custo-mersaccordingtoacontactsda-tabasethathasbeenpreviouslydeveloped.

• In inbound telemarketing thecompany receives calls fromcustomers or potential cus-tomers. These contacts resultfrom a previous action of thecompany. For example, a com-pany launches a newspaper,e-mail or SMS campaign, inwhich it invites customers tocallinordertoobtainsomepro-ductorserviceinreturn.

Important


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– Market research.This section includesmultipleapplications: surveyson consumptionhabits,onbrandawarenessorpositioningandonimmediateresponsetoanadvertisingcampaign,amongothers.

– Launchingandkeepingloyaltyprograms.

– Customerservicecentres.

– Surveysonvotingintentions.

5.2. Advantages and disadvantages of telemarketing

Likeotheradvertisingtools,telemarketinghascertainadvantagesbutalsosomedisadvanta-ges,whichmustbeassessedtodecidewhetherornotitisappropriatetoapplythistechniqueinourbusinessstrategy.

Advantages Disadvantages

There is a direct and immediate contact with the actual or poten-tial customer. By establishing a feedback channelwemay know thecustomer questions and clarify any doubts on the spot, prevent-ing potential uncertainty in the purchase decision and encouragingthefinalpurchase.

Thereisnovisualinformation,sothatpeoplewhomakeoranswercallsmustbeawareofalltherecommendationswehavementionedaboveintheprocessoftelephonecommunication.

Thecostislowerthanmakingpersonalvisits,astheserequiremoretimeandtravelcosts. Ifourcompanyhasnodatabaseofpotentialcontacts,theacquisitionor

creationofacustomdatabaseisveryexpensive.Ifwebuyanexistingdatabase,manycontactsmightnotmatchourpotentialcustomers.Andifourcompanyalreadyhasone,wemustconsiderthecostsofmaintainingandupdatingitsothatcanbeeffectiveanduseful.

Itallowsthetaskoffindingpotentialcustomersquickly.

Wecankeepintouchwithcustomersevenwhenwecannotvisitthempersonally.

Thesalesterritorymaybeexpandedwithoutcreatingbranchesorhiringrepresentativesinotherregionsorcountries.

Thistoolisoftenregardedasanintrusion,andmanycompaniesdon’tmakeaproperuseofit;thus,thistypeofcommunicationhasbecomeanuisancetomanyphoneusers,whorejectanytelemarketingactionassoonastheyknowthepurposeofthecall.

It provides immediate results on the benefits of the action or itsacceptance.

Table 6.6. Advantagesanddisadvantagesoftelemarketing.

5.3. Skills to develop a telemarketing professional

Tomakeasuccessfultelemarketingcampaignwemustconsider three aspects:

1.The contact file or database of potential customers must be properly updated andconsistentwiththeobjectivesoftheserviceorcampaign.Forexample,ifwewanttoofferanInternetconnectionviaopticalfiber,itdoesn’tmakemuchsensetohavecontactsinourdatabasewhoalreadyhavethistypeofconnectionorwholiveinareaswherethistypeofconnectionisnotpossible.

2.Wemusthavetheappropriate technical and technological means.Forexample, ifwewanttomakefivethousandcontactsadaywehavetocalculatehowmanyphonelineswewilluse,howmanycomputers,whatisthequickestwaytofillintheforms,andsoon.

3.Finally,wemusthaveasufficientworkforce that istrainedandskilledenoughtomeetthe objectives. For example, if we want to extend our sales network, we must haveteamavailabletomovetotheclient’sofficetoclosethesaleifnecessary.Furthermore,whenthetelemarketingteamislarge,orinmassivecampaigns,wemusthireasupervisorfor every eight or tenworkers tomonitor both quantitative (for example, the numberof calls) and qualitative aspects (for example, if phone assistance is being polite,correct,etc.).

If you want to learn more abouttelemarketing applications, readthisarticle:

http://w w w.puromarketing.com/23/6979/maneras-utilizar-llamadas-masivas.html

Web


Thevoicetonemustalwaysbesoftandgentle. Alwaysuseproperandpolitelanguage.

Checkyourvoicevolume.Useanaveragetoneorraiseitjustabitifthecallerdoesn’thearyouproperly.

Speakslowlyandclearlysothatthecallercanunderstandyou.

Maintainanuprightbodyposition,akindgestureandevenasmile,astheattitudeisalsoperceivedthroughthevoice.

Whengreeting,alwaysmentionyournameandthecompanyyouworkfor.Ifwearecalling,wewillalsoexplainourpurpose.

Speakwithconfidenceandprofessionalismsothatthecallercanalsofeelsafe.

Developstrategiestopassthefiltersandreachtherightperson.

Duringtheconversationalwaystrytokeepeverythingundercontrol.Forexample,usequestionstoguidetheconversation.

Keepacollaborativeattitudewiththecaller,answeringquestionspolitelyandchec-kingifheorsheunderstandsyourexplanations.

Letthespeakertalkwithoutinterruptinguntiltheendofhisorherexplanation.

When finishing the conversation, always thankthe caller for their attention before ending thecommunication.

Alwayswaitforthecallertohangup.

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Let’shavealookatthestagesthatwemustfollow:

Before the call

• Wewillcarefullyprepare it:wemusttestourvoicetone,thewordsthatwewillusetosayhelloorgoodbye,andevenhowtoreacttosituationsofrejectionorverbalaggressivenessbytheinterlocutor.

• Wemustbelieve in our work.Ifwesellaproduct,webelieveinitsquality,andifweworkincustomerservice,wemustwanttohelpthosewhocall.

During the call


Thevoicetonemustalwaysbesoftandgentle. Alwaysuseproperandpolitelanguage.

Checkyourvoicevolume.Useanaveragetoneorraiseitjustabitifthecallerdoesn’thearyouproperly.

Speakslowlyandclearlysothatthecallercanunderstandyou.

Maintainanuprightbodyposition,akindgestureandevenasmile,astheattitudeisalsoperceivedthroughthevoice.

Whengreeting,alwaysmentionyournameandthecompanyyouworkfor.Ifwearecalling,wewillalsoexplainourpurpose.

Speakwithconfidenceandprofessionalismsothatthecallercanalsofeelsafe.

Developstrategiestopassthefiltersandreachtherightperson.

Duringtheconversationalwaystrytokeepeverythingundercontrol.Forexample,usequestionstoguidetheconversation.

Keepacollaborativeattitudewiththecaller,answeringquestionspolitelyandchec-kingifheorsheunderstandsyourexplanations.

Letthespeakertalkwithoutinterruptinguntiltheendofhisorherexplanation.

When finishing the conversation, always thankthe caller for their attention before ending thecommunication.

Alwayswaitforthecallertohangup.

Table 6.7. Aspectsofverbalandnon-verbalcommunicationtobeconsideredduringthecall.

After the call

• Ifthecallwassuccessful,wewillreviewthekeypointsoftheconversation:howwekepteverythingundercontrol,thestrategythatweusedtoavoidanegativeresponse,andsoon.Thesepointswillbeanalysedandusedforfuturecalls.

• If the conversationwas not successful, wewill review ourweak points and assess ourmistakestoavoidmakingthemagain.

• Ifthecalleralwaysgivesthesameexcuses,doubtsorobjectionstoaquestionoraboutafeatureoftheproductorserviceweoffer,wemustchangeourargumentsornotifyoursupervisor,becausetheremightbeamistakeintheplanningofthecampaignorservice.

14. Dividetheclassinpairsandpreparethefollowingtelemarketingcampaigns.Thenperformthemusingyourclassmatesasrealorpotentialcustomers.

a) Outbound. Youworkforanaturalgascompany.You’regoingtocallyourcurrentcustomerstopersuadethemtoalsohirehouseholdelectricity.Preparethebusinessstrategyintermsof:customerbenefits,advantagesofhavingasinglesupplier...Youmustbereadytoansweranyquestionsthatmayarise.

b) Inbound. Youworkforacompanythatsellsbreakfastcerealandyouhavesetaphonelineforcustomerstocallandaskthequestionstheyhaveaboutthenewrangeofcereal:fiberandvegetables,puffedricewithcheeseandred-wine-flavouredcornflakes.Developthefeaturesofeachproduct,suchasnutritionalvalues,possiblecounter-indications,etc.Youmustbereadytoansweranyquestionsthatcustomersmayask.

Activities


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TheNGONiñosenelMundoisperforminganactiontoattractnewmembersthroughatelemarketingcampaign.MaríaLlopisisoneofthetelephoneoperatorsworkinginthiscampaign;shelikesherjobandperformsitwithkindnessandprofessionalism.

Let’s have a look at the following telephone conversationbetweenMaríaandapotentialmember.PayattentiontothefriendlyandgentletoneofMaría,totheknowledgeshehasabout theNGOshe representsandto theuseofquestionstokeeptheconversationundercontrol.

—X:Hello,goodmorning.

—ML:Goodmorning.MynameisMaríaLlopis,fromtheNGONiñosenelMundo.What’syourname,please?

—X:JoséFernández.

—ML: Good morning, Mr. Fernández. I was wondering ifmaybewecouldtalktwominutesaboutsomethingthatwillmakeyouthink...

—X:I’mkindofbusyrightnow.

—ML: I understand, butdidyou know that25,000 childrenaroundtheworldstarvetodeatheveryday?Andthatthiscouldbeavoidedwithasmallcontributionofeachoneofus?

—X:Well,Ididn’tknowthat.

—ML: OurNGO,Niños en elMundo, has worked for overtwentyyearswithcommunitiesinthirdworldcountriesto

developself-sufficiencyprojectsforthesecommunities,sothattheycansupplythemselvesanderadicatethisproblem.Don’tyouthinkthisisaveryimportantjob?

—X:OfcourseIdo.

—ML:Itis.Butweneedpeoplelikeyou,Mr.Fernández,tohelpus develop these projects.More andmoremembers arejoiningourNGO,becausewithonly¤10permonth,notabigdealforus,youcansavethelivesofmanychildren.I’msureyouwanttohelpuswiththis.

—X:Sure.

—ML:Thankyou,José.WouldyoubesokindtogivemeyouraddressandyourIDcardnumber?

—X:Yes,Ilivein…

—ML:Thankyouverymuch.NowIneedyourbankaccountnumber.Takeyourtime,I’llbeholdingon.

—X:Hereitis.Takenote…

—ML:Thankyouverymuchforyourtime,José.Inafewdaysyouwillreceiveyourmembershipbypostalmail.Withthisactionyouarehelpingussavemanylives.

—X:Thankyou.

—ML:Haveaniceday.

—X:Youtoo.

Case study 5. Telemarketing calls

15. Give fiveexistingexamplesofphonenumbersof inboundtelemarketing.Searchthewebifyouneedit.

16. In pairs, think of three examples of commercial applications, and other threeexamplesofmarketingapplications.Once listed, explain the reasonswhy thesephonesareincludedineithergroup.

17. Workinpairsandperformthefollowingtelemarketingconversations.Whenpre-paringtheconversations,rememberthatthetelemarketermustknowtheproductorservice,soyouwillhavetoprovidetheproductorsevicewithhistory,characte-ristics,advantagesfortheconsumer,andsoon.ApieceoftheteethingringDienti-tos2000gotstuckinthemouthofa10-montholdbaby.Thetoycompanyreactsbywithdrawingtheproductfromtheshops;thenitmakesanadvertisingcampaignwarningconsumersofthedangerandinvitingthemtoreturntheteether.Italsoprovidesconsumerswithaphonenumbertosolveanydoubts.

a) StudentAisaworriedfatherormotherwhodoesn’tunderstandthecompositionofababyfoodjarthathasjustgiventohisorherson,whoisallergictolactose.Heorshealsowantstoconfirmtheproductionprocess.StudentBispartofthetelemarketingcompanyBebesanoteandmustanswerthesequestions.

b) StudentAbelongs to the teamof a telemarketing campaignof the companyFoodExpress,aimedathomedeliveryserviceoffood.ThecompanywantstosetupinthecityofCádiz,butfirstitwillperformasurveyofpotentialcustomerstoassesstheacceptance.StudentBisayoungbachelor,aged30,whoworksfull-time:theidealconsumerofFoodExpressmenus.

Activities

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Summar y

Importance of telephone communication within the company.

Additional services provided by the

telephone equipment

Common features.

Business-related services.

Billing-related services.

Basic rules.

Rules for answering a call.

Rules for making a call.

Skills to act as a filter.

Skills to handle telephone complaints.

Job search over the phone.

Aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication.

Communication tool that uses the phone as the main communication method in a systematic and planned way.

Telemarketing applications.

Advantages and disadvantages of telemarketing.

Skills to develop a professional telemarketing.

Telemarketing

Fixed telephony devices.

PBXs.

Mobile devices.

Fixed telephony.

PBXs.

Mobile telephony.

M-Business.M-Commerce.

Stages of a phone call: introduction/development/closure/farewell.

Aspects of non-verbal communication. Aspects of verbal communication.

Aspects of non-verbal communication Aspects of verbal communication.

Techniques to select the calls that must be passed to our superiors.

Preparation/Process/Reaching the target Keys to create a good impression

over the phone.

Commercial applications.Marketing applications.

Before the call

During the call

IP PBXs.Call centres.

Contact centers.

PDA.Smartphone.

After the call

Telephone communication

Rules for a good telephone

communication

Telephone means and equipment


130

Test review1. Afixedphoneis:

a) Amobiledevice.

b) Aportabledevice.

c) Anon-portabledevice.

d) Noneoftheabove.

2. Callcentrestodayare:

a) Digital.

b) Analogue.

c) Analogueanddigital.

d) Noneoftheabove.

3. AnIPPBX:

a) Sendscallsthroughpacketdata.

b) UsesIPtelephoneterminals.

c) Sendsdataoveranetwork(forexample,Internet).

d) Alloftheabove.

4. Thefirstmobilephonewasa:

a) Motorola.

b) Nokia.

c) Samsung.

d) Noneoftheabove.

5. ThePersonalDigitalAssistantis:

a) Asmartphone.

b) AtypeofIPphone.

c) APDA.

d) Alloftheabove.

6. WithaSmartphoneyoucannot:

a) Sendanemail.

b) Makeavideocall.

c) Playmusic.

d) Noneoftheabove.

7. Whenauserreceivesinformationonthecostofacall,thisserviceis:

a) Callforwarding.

b) Completedcall.

c) Recall.

d) Noticeofcharge.

8. Whatarethestagesofaphonecall?

a) Introduction,development,closureandfarewell.

b) Greeting,presentation,developmentandfarewell.

c) Presentation,developmentandclosure.

d) Greeting,development,closureandfarewell.

9. Whichisthemostappropriategreeting?

a) "Correllacompany.Goodmorning".

b) "Correllaspeaking".

c) "Correllacompany,Juliaspeaking.HowcanIhelpyou?"

d) "Correllacompany,whatdoyouwant?"

10. Whichofthesestatementsisnottrue?

a) Wecanuse"tú"withtheinterlocutorifheorshegivesuspermission.

b) Iftheinterlocutorisaforeigner,wemustspeakslowlyandclearly.

c) Wemustanswerthephonebeforethethirdring.

d) Theinterlocutormusthangupbeforewedo.

11. Whichisthebestwaytointroduceoneself?

a) Goodmorning,mynameisJuanPeláez.MayItalktoTito,please?

b) Hello,mayItalktoJavierCasares,fromtheContractsDepartment,please?

c) Good afternoon, my name is Nerea Terán, from thecompany Marcola. May I speak with Mr. Gutiérrez,please?

d) Goodafternoon,mayIhavethemanager,please?

12. Whichofthesestatementsregardingtelemarketingisnottrue?

a) Theteamthatmakestelemarketingcampaignsshouldreceivespecifictraining.

b) Thecustomerdatabasesarerevisedwhilethecampaignisconducted.

c) Telemarketingallowscontactwithcustomersinremoteareas.

d) A good telemarketer should practice before makingcalls.

13. Whichofthesestatementsregardingthedevelopmentofatelemarketingcallisnottrue?

a) Youmustkeepanuprightbodypositionwhenyoutalkonthephone.

b) Youmustmaintaintheconversationundercontrol,forexample,usingquestionstoleadtheinterlocutor.

c) Youmustspeakwithconfidenceandprofessionalism.

d) At theendof thecallyoumustapologise forhavingwastedtheinterlocutor’stime.

131


Check your learning

131


Assess the importance of telephone communication within the company

1. Explaininyourownwordswhytelephonecommunicationisimportantforthecompany.

Phone media that are currently used

2. Listtheclassificationofexistingtelephonymedia.

3. Whatkindofwiringnetworkisusedtoconnectfixedtele-phonyequipment?

4. Whatisthefunctionoftheclassictelephoneexchange?

5. IndicatewhattypeofPBXisusedinmostcompaniestoday.

6. WhatkindofnetworkdoIPphonesusetoconnect?

7. Define:

a) AnIPPBX.

b) Acallcentre.

c) Acontactcentre.

8. Todaymobilephonesareoftwotypes,whichare…

Most common features of fixed and mobile devices and PBXs

9. Listsomeoftheservicesofferedbymobiletelephony.

10. Mentionthreefeaturesthatfixedtelephonyusuallyoffers.

11. ListfourfeaturesthatareusuallyperformedbyIPPBXs.

12. Identifysevenfeaturesofmobilephones.

13. Whatbilling-relatedservicesareusuallyprovidedoverthephone?

14. Define:

a) M-Business.

b) M-Commerce.

c) Mobile-banking.

d) Businesstobusiness.

15. Whatconceptdoesthefollowingdefinitionreferto?

"Chargetocustomersmadethroughmobiledevices".

16. Thesetofbusinessprocessesoccurringbetweenacom-panyanditscustomersthoughmobiledevicesiscalled...

17. Whatisthecallforwardingservice?

18. Whattelephoneserviceallowsyoutalktothreepeopleatonce?

19. Matchtheconceptsinthesetwocolumns:

Making and receiving effective corporate calls

20. Explain with your own words the different stages of aphonecallandgiveexamplesofeach.

21. Imagine that you have finished your Vocational Trai-ningandthatyouwanttostartajobsearchinyourarea.Whatarethepreviousstepsbeforestartingtocall?Findthenameofthreecompaniesinyourareaandtrytofindthenameofthepersonresponsibleforhumanresources.

22. Rewritethefollowingconversationsfollowingthepatternsandrecommendationsthatwehavestudiedinthisunit.

Conversation 1

—X:GómezyAsociadosspeaking.

—Y:Goodmorning,miss.Myname is JustinoPaz, fromthecompanyMTX.MayIspeakwithMr.Rodríguez?

—X:DoyouwanttospeakwithLalitoRodríguezorPacoRodríguez?

Conversation 2

—X:Fresnadillocompany.Goodmorning.

—Y:Hi.I’mLuisPol.GivemeDonArmando.

—X:Yes,holdonasec.

Pause

—X:DonArmandoisnotavailablerightnow.Doyouwanttoleaveamessage?

—Y:Yes,tellhimthathisbrother-in-lawcalledandthatIneedhimtocallmeback.

—X:Okay,I’lltellhim.Bye!

B2B

Mobileticketing

BusinesstoGovernment

B2E

Mobilepayments

M-Business

M-Commerce


132

Check your learningConversation 3

—X:Goodafternoon.Zapatines,S.L.This isPedroLoresspeaking,howIcanhelp?

—Y:Goodafternoon.MayIspeaktoMr.Méndez,please?

—X:Yes,holdonasec.Who’scalling?

—Y:I’mMarioTorre,fromMegacord.

—X: Mm… I think Mr. Méndez has just started ameeting.

23. Ifyouhavetotakeacallfromanunhappycustomer,whattechniqueswouldyouapplytohandleit?

Properly apply verbal and non-verbal communication techniques

24. Explainbrieflytheimportanceoftone,volumeandbodyposition in telephonecommunications.Also indicate thetonethatyouwoulduseinthefollowingsituations:

a) Whenansweringacall.

b) Whencallingacompanybecauseyouare lookingforajob.

c) Whendealingwithacomplaint.

25. Indicate whether the following statements are true orfalse:

a) Ifthepersonyoutalktoonthephonesoundsyoungerthanyou,youmayuse"tú".

b) Ifwecallback,wemuststatethedayandtheapproxi-matetimewhenwecalled.

c) If the caller is a foreigner, we will speak slowly,vocalizingandraisingourvoicesothatthecallercanunderstand.

d) Regional accents are not a problem in communica-tion.Wemustuseourownaccentinsteadoftryingtocorrectit.

e) Ifwecallacompanyandwehaveacloserelationwiththepersonwewanttospeakwith,wemayuseanick-nametorefertothatperson.

f) Ifwemakeamistakewhilediallingaphonenumberwehavetoapologizebeforehangingup.

Use the phone as a tool for commercial and marketing purposes

26. Indicate whether the following statements are true orfalse.Iftheyarefalse,explainwhy.

a) Telemarketingallowsyoutohavedirectcontactwiththecustomer.

b) Manyusersfeelanimmediaterejectionbeforeanytele-marketingaction.

c) Theconsumerhelplineisnottelemarketing.

d) Thecostofonetelemarketingactionislowerthanthecostofvisitingclientsathomeorintheiroffice.

e) Intelemarketingactions,ittakesbetweenaweekandafortnighttogettheresultsontheprofitabilityoftheaction.

f) Adatabasemustbeupdatedtobetrulyeffectiveanduseful.

g) Theimmediatefeedbackweobtainwithtelemarketingdoesn’thelpinanypurchasingdecision.

27. Whataretheapplicationsoftelemarketing?Explainthemwithyourownwordsandgiveatleastthreeexamplesofeach.

28. Explaininwhichoftheseactionswouldyouusetelemarke-ting.Justifyyouranswer.

a) Youwant to sell a new range of household items todistributors;yourproduct ischaracterizedbymodernandcontemporarydesign.

b) Youwanttoarrangemeetingswithpotentialcustomerstointroduceatrainingcompanyanditsservices.

c) You want to inform your customers that the billingprocedure of the company will change in the nearfuture.

d) Youwanttosetupahelplineforcustomerssothattheycansolvetheirdoubtsaboutthenewhighwaycode.

e) Youwanttocreateahelplineforcustomerstocallandgivetheirviewsonanewhorseradish-flavouredyogurtthatyouhavejustlaunched.

Telephone communication · 2017. 11. 21. · 6 Telephone communication 112 1. Telephone...

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