Telephone Skills

Presented by:Deborah Edwards

Components of Communication

Verbal Communication Face-To-Face Phone

1. Body Language, 55% 0%

Gesture, facial

Expression

2. Tone of Voice 38% 85%

3. Word Content 7% 15%

Basic Listening Skills

1. Tone of Voice

2. Word Content

3. Rate of Speech

1. Tone of Voice

• Remember 85% of verbal communication happens through our tone (or our attitude).

• A good listener will listen for verbal clues from the caller (i.e. a sigh might mean the customer is frustrated or tired.

• Hint: When you smile while on the phone, the tone of your voice reflects your facial expression.

2. Word Content

• The third component of verbal communication is the words the speaker chooses.

• Improper use of technical words might indicate the customer has a lower level of expertise.

3. Rate of Speech

• A good listener will make note of the rate of speech the customer uses.

• A slower rate of speech might indicate confusion or fatigue.

• A faster rate of speech might indicate anger or impatience.

Seven Listening “Do’s”

1. Pay attention

2. Listen for ideas

3. Take notes

4. Assess the customer’s emotional state

5. Assess the customer’s level of expertise

6. Read between the lines

7. Listen for “unspoken” service requests

1. Pay Attention

Factors That Prevent Us From Listening

• Environmental Distractions• Listening To More Than One Conversation• Jumping Ahead• Emotional Filters (i.e. a known difficult

customer)• Mental Side Trips (What’s for lunch?)

2. Listen For Ideas

Listen for Ideas and Central Themes. Any number of speech idiosyncrasies can become a distraction. Resist the temptation to let the following from becoming a distraction:– Having an extremely high or low pitch– Using excessive vocabulary, or speaking with a heavy

accent.– Speaking excessively fast or slow

3. Take Notes

• Taking notes will help you stay focused.

• Jot down the major points of the problem.

• Draw pictures (particularly flow charts) of the problem.

• Combining your written notes and pictures can improve your problem solving capabilities.

4. Assess Emotional State

• A Customer might have worked a long time to solve a problem and might be quite frustrated by the time he or she calls you.

• A good listener can determine whether a customer is frustrated, bored, angry, or afraid.

5. Assess Level of Expertise

• A good way to tell a customer’s level of expertise is by listening to their vocabulary, their understanding of the problem, and the type of information they offer.

• When solving customers’ problems, it’s very valuable to know if they are novices or power users.

• Knowing your customer’s level of expertise can save a lot of time.

6. Read Between The Lines

• If the customer says they are attempting to do something that can be tricky or even dangerous (such as reformatting their disk) you need to ask them, “What do you want to accomplish? Why are you doing this?”

• You must read between the lines in the case where the customer might inadvertently destroy their data, and blame the person who told them to do it.

7. Listen For Service Requests

• Listen for “unspoken” service requests such as:– “I hear the newest version of Netscape is great.”

– “I really should clean up my hard drive, but I don’t know how…”

• These request for service can be addressed at the end of your call like so:– “I can refer you to Software Support for an

appointment to assist you with cleaning up your hard drive.”

Three Listening “Don’ts”

1. Don’t interrupt

2. Don’t finish a customer’s sentence

3. Don’t assume

1. Don’t Interrupt

• This is particularly important with an irate caller.

• Let the customer vent by telling their story – as painful as it might be.

• If you interrupt you might solve their problem, but they might still feel discouraged.

2. Don’t Finish Sentences

• Resist the temptation to tell customers the moment you know the solution to their problem – they may find this belittling.

• If you’re incorrect you may embarrass yourself and detract from your credibility.

3. Don’t Assume

• You need to avoid providing a solution to a problem until you know all the facts.

• Sometimes a customer will give you the general parameters of a problem that will lead you to the wrong solution.

Three Communication Styles

1. Passive

2. Aggressive

3. Assertive

1. Passive

• Passive people are characterized by over-agreeing.

• Passive people are characterized by sacrificing behavior.

• Passive people under-use their personal power. They don’t stand up for their rights.

2. Aggressive

• This behavior style is characterized by dominating language.

• Aggressive people blame others. They use phrases like “you should, you are wrong, it’s your fault.”

• Aggressive communication tends to be adversarial, excluding the other person from the problem-solving process.

3. Assertive

• Assertive behavior is characterized by I statements and we statements.

• Assertive people use direct, positive, participatory language.

• Instead of blame-oriented, assertive people are results-orientated.

• Assertive people stand up for their own rights, but understand and respect the rights of others.

Six Speaking “Do’s”

1. Smile

2. Use the caller’s name

3. Echo important points

4. Incorporate courteous remarks

5. Acknowledge the customer and the problem

6. Mirror your customer

1. Smile

• Smiling conveys a pleasant attitude by the tone of your voice.

• Your posture, body language, and facial expression will be communicated through the tone of your voice.

• If you make it a practice to smile, you will begin feeling more enthusiastic.

2. Use The Caller’s Name

• Using the caller’s name helps to establish rapport.

• It shows that you care and engages the customer in the conversation.

• Address the customer the way they introduced themselves to you (first or last name, or title, e.g. Professor).

3. Echo Important Points

• Repeat the main points of what the customer says, especially if you’re not sure what they said.

• You might find that you understood the problem incorrectly, or that the customer didn’t phrase the situation exactly right.

4. Incorporate Courteous Remarks

• Use words like: – Thank You– Please– I’m glad to help you

Your Customer will be left with a greater perception of our organization because it is staffed with courteous, helpful people.

5. Acknowledge Customer and Problem

• Try to use empathetic, assertive statements such as:– That happed to me once…– I know how you feel…

• “They don’t care what you know, until they know you care.”

6. Mirror Your Customer

• Listen to your customer and mirror their vocabulary, rate of speech, and point of view.– If your customer is a novice, mirror that.

– If your customer speaks slowly, slow down your speech.

– Don’t verbalize disagreements.

• It isn’t your job to win arguments, it’s to solve problems.

Four Speaking “Don’ts”

1. Don’t use jargon or acronyms (abbreviations).

2. Don’t mumble.

3. Don’t use negative language.

4. Don’t argue.

1. Don’t Use Acronyms

• Customers will sometimes pretend they know what you’re talking about so they don’t feel stupid.

• Speak as clearly as possible, even if you have to say the whole phrase.

2. Don’t Mumble

• Be careful not to mumble

• Don’t chew when you’re speaking.

• Mumbling makes your customer feel less important.

• Unclear communication detracts from your professional image and the image of your organization.

3. Don’t Use Negative Language

• Language NOT to use:– “I won’t/can’t do that.”– “That’s our policy.”– “I’ll try.”– “I’ll have to ask my supervisor.”

4. Don’t Argue

• Never, ever argue with a customer.

• Whatever “ego boost” you might gain by winning an argument with a customer is far outweighed by the harm it can do to business.

Conclusion

• Good telephone skills make for more satisfied customers.

• Effective telephone skills will help you solve problems more quickly and efficiently.

• By using good speaking and listening skills you will make a substantial impact on the Help Desk and OIT.