TELEPHONE SKILLS

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TELEPHONE SKILLS
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Course Objectives

• By the end of the course you will be able to
• Identify ways of using the telephone as a more
  effective business tool
• Understand how to structure calls for maximum
  results
• Learn how to avoid common communication pitfalls
• Turning difficult situations into potentially
  positive outcomes

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Session Plan

• Session 1
• Identifying Barriers to Effective Use of the
  Telephone
• Session 2
• Structuring a Telephone Call
• Session 3
• Communication on the Telephone
• Session 4
• Managing Different Caller Types and Situations

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Activity Worksheet 1

• Delegates to complete Worksheet 1 in Delegate
  Resource
• Own objectives for the course

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• Session 1
• Identifying Barriers
• to Effective Use of the Telephone

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Activity Worksheet 2

• Think about and then write down notes on
  Worksheet 2 of a memorable recent work call then
  answer the following questions
• What was the purpose of the call
• What happened
• If it went well, why
• If it didnt, in hindsight is there anything
  about the call that you would have handled
  differently?
• What was the importance of the call to your
  business? Rate on a scale of 1 not important to
  5 very important
• Then discuss with a partner and feedback to
  the group
• 3 essential factors that make a telephone
  call effective

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Activity Worksheet 3A and B

• Group divided into 2 and with a flip chart
  each at either end of the room.
• One group to concentrate on identifying all
  the internal barriers to effective telephone use
  and the other group to identify all the external
  barriers.
• Make your own notes using Worksheets 3A and 3B

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Barriers to an Effective Telephone Call Key
Areas

• Cant see other person
• Work area distractions
• Personal focus
• Personal health
• History with call recipient
• Understanding the call recipient
• Faulty/unfamiliar equipment
• Call recipients distractions
• Unprepared for incoming call

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Attitude Affects Behaviour
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Negative Attitude Example
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Positive Attitude Example
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• Session 2
• Structuring a Successful Telephone Call

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Activity Worksheet 4

• How well do you use the telephone?

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How many of us would stand up and make a 2 minute
speech without any preparation?
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Structure of a Telephone Call

Stage 1 Preparation Before the Call
Stage 2 Opening Remarks
Stage 3 The Message
Stage 4 Questioning, Listening and Responding
Stage 5 Clarify Misunderstanding, Handle Objections/Complaints
Stage 6 Summary and Closing the Call
Stage 7 Follow Up
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Activity Worksheet 5

• In pairs, small groups, discuss best practice for
  all stages 5 and write guidelines for 2 stages
  each.
• (About 10 minutes.)

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Activity Worksheet 6

• Write a succinct Voicemail message

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• Session 3
• Communication on the Telephone
• Effective questioning
• Active listening
• Voice control

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Open Questions

• Are useful for fact finding and require an
  informative response.
• What, why, when, how, where, who?
• Example
• What exactly has gone wrong?
• Who did you speak to before?
• When did it start?

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Closed Questions

• Useful for getting short answers and decisions
• Example
• Would you like the blue or red?
• Can I speak to you?
• Do you have time to

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Activity Worksheet 7Are You A Good Listener?

• Whats the difference between listening and
  active listening?
• How do we know someone is listening on the
  telephone?
• How can we show that we are listening?

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• Session 4
• Managing Different Caller Types and Situations

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Activity Worksheet 8

• How do you know when a call is going wrong? What
  do people say and/or do?
• How would you handle these challenging caller
  types?

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Activity Worksheet 9

• Choose 3 calls you need to make and put together
  an outline plan.

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Handling Complaints/Objections

• Respect the callers point of view
• Use the callers name
• Apologise
• Give them your action plan
• Check for agreement
• End call courteously

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Telephone Skills Summary

• We have
• Identified ways of using the telephone as a more
  effective business tool
• Discussed how to structure calls for maximum
  results
• Learnt how to avoid common communication pitfalls
• Discovered how to turn difficult situations into
  potentially positive outcomes