Telephone Skills

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Telephone Skills

• Office Management

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Importance of the Telephone

• Difficult to conduct business without the
  telephone
• 80 of customer contact is provided by telephone
• Everyone is responsible for the practices client
  service reputation including
• Those who meet face to face with clients
• Those who talk to clients on the phones
• Doctors and technicians

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Answering Greeting

• Within seconds from the time you pick up the
  phone you begin to develop a rapport with the
  caller.
• Be polite, you may have answered the phone
  several times, but this may be the first time
  this person is calling and speaking with you
• Remember you never get a second chance to make
  a first impression.so make it count the first
  time!

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Features of the Telephone

• Take time to learn about the telephone system and
  features ahead of time. Dont practice on the
  caller.
• Hold
• Transfer
• 3-way calling
• Intercom
• Speaker phone

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Handling the Telephone

• Hold transmitter directly in front of mouth so
  you will be understood
• Speaking on the telephone requires better
  articulation than is necessary in face to face
  conversations
• Avoid unnecessary noises
• Avoid side conversations
• Never eat/drink while talking
• Answer in as few rings as possible (Max of 3)

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Important Elements of a Good Telephone
Introduction

• The tone of your voice
• How fast you talk
• The volume of your voice
• The words you say
• A warm, friendly greeting
• The full name of your hospital
• Your name
• A question that offers your assistance
• Ex Good morning, VTI Animal Clinic, this is
  Adam, how may I help you?

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Addressing the Caller

• When addressing a male
• Mr.
• Sir
• When addressing a female
• Miss /mis/ unmarried
• Mrs. /misis or misiz/ married
• Ms. /miz/ married or unmarried
• First name
• If the caller suggest you call them by their
  first name
• You have established a good rapport over a period
  of time
• You know the caller and they are comfortable with
  a first name basis

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Using the Hold Button

• Use sparingly
• Dont be too quick to put caller on hold
• Ask caller if you can put them on hold and WAIT
  FOR AN ANSWER
• Leave caller on hold for only 30 60 seconds
  before coming back with them with an update or
  answer
• If you have several callers on hold, remember the
  priority of each call (make notes)
• Play soft soothing music or pet care tips
• When you reconnect with caller, immediately thank
  her for holding

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Empathetic Statements

• Expresses your understanding in response to what
  your caller has told you
• I can understand
• I can understand your concern about Fluffy.
• I can appreciate
• I can certainly appreciate how hard it is for
  you to make this decision about King.
• What other empathetic statements can you come up
  with?

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Asking Questions to Assess Needs

• How old is Duke?
• When was he last examined?
• What vaccinations has Tippy had in the last
  year?
• What other pets do you have at home?

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Asking Questions to Assess Needs continued

• Asking questions does the following
• Gives you valuable information
• Helps you communicate better with your doctors
  and technicians
• Makes you appear knowledgeable
• Assist you in scheduling enough time for appts.
• Distinguishes you for competition
• Shows you care
• Makes caller feel good
• Makes a good impression

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Tips for Good Listening

• Stop talking
• Put the caller at ease
• Help caller feel free to talking by treating them
  as a friend
• Show caller that you want to listen
• Sound and act interested
• Remove distractions
• Empathize with caller
• Put yourself in their position to better
  understand their needs
• Be polite, dont interrupt
• Dont respond defensively
• Ager will distort the flow of communication
• Avoid argument or criticism
• Ask questions then actively listen

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Managing Objections

• Objection the caller is opposed to the proposed
  plan of action
• How to overcome this?
• Listen to what the caller says
• Always provide an immediate response
• State the response in clear and positive terms
• Do not provide unnecessary information and
  conversation

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Example of Managing Objections

• Client
• Objection Your prices see high and I think I
  should shop around and compare prices before I
  make an appointment.
• You
• Please do. Our client tell us we are very price
  competitive. We pride ourselves on offering the
  highest quality of medical care to protect your
  animals health. May I set up an appointment for
  you on Thursday morning at 9am?

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Follow-up Call

• If you can not follow up with every client, there
  are certain situations where it should be done
• Nothing went right
• A situation where despite everyones best
  efforts, nothing goes right. Once problems have
  been corrected, call client to determine is
  everything is now satisfactory
• The Irate Client
• Follow-up with every complaint. By calling to
  ask if the action you initiated was satisfactory,
  the client will be pleasantly surprised to hear
  from you

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Follow-up Call continued

• A new client
• Extend an extra courtesy with a follow up call to
  see if everything is satisfactory. This will
  enhance the clients perception of your practice
  and repeat visits will be likely.
• A difficult case
• Clients will appreciate your concern and be
  reassured. Also helps to ensure compliance with
  medical instructions

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Outbound Service Call

• Follow these steps
• Greet client in a friendly way
• Introduce yourself and your practice
• State the purpose of the call
• Deliver your message in a friendly, clear and
  businesslike manner, leaving room for questions
• State any client benefits
• Ask for agreement

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Delivering Bad News

• We all make mistakes
• Be honest with your client
• Inform them of mistakes as soon as possible
• 2 approaches when delivering bad news
• Direct approach
• Good news/Bad news

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Delivering Bad News continued

• Direct approach
• Good morning, Mr. King. This is Krista from VTI
  Animal Clinic. Do you have a moment? I need to
  talk to you about your bill. I made a mistake
  when I added it up yesterday. I told you it
  would be 287.00, but eh correct amount is
  337.00. I apologize for the error, but I wanted
  to let you know right away. Ill make sure to
  have an itemized statement ready when you come in
  so you can check the charges for yourself. I
  hope I can cont on your understanding on this.

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Delivering Bad News continued

• Good news/Bad news approach
• Good morning, Mr. King. This is Krista from VTI
  Animal Clinic. Im calling to let you know that
  I confirmed Sugars surgical appointment for
  Friday at 9am. I also wanted to let you know
  that I misquoted the amount on the surgical
  estimate I gave you. I told you it would be
  287.00, but it really is 337.00. I added
  wrong. I apologize for the error, and hope I can
  count on your understanding on this.

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Closing the Conversation

• Thank the caller for calling
• Let the client know you appreciate his/her
  business
• Provide assurance that any promises will be
  fulfilled
• Leave the client with a positive feeling
• Ex
• Thank you for calling. We appreciate your
  choosing our hospital.
• Thanks for you inquiry.
• Feel free to call us any time.
• We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.
• If you have any additional questions, please
  call me.

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Role Play

• Partner up (groups of 2) and practice answering
  the phone as you would if you were in a clinic
• Role play a situation in which you were having to
  deliver bad news
• Practice outbound service calls