TELE HONE ETI QUETTE

Structure of the
presentation
Basics
Why is it important
What it does for your customers
Barriers to concentration
Limitations of telephone
Answering the phone
Call transfer
How to take a message
Case studies
 Telephonic Skills
The essence of dealing with
people, politely and efficiently,
over the phone
 WHY ????
A friendly welcome sets the
stage for a positive exchange
of information

When callers receive a friendly

greeting, they are inclined to
talk more openly
What it does for your
Customers
This is emphatically reassuring
and puts the customer at ease
Tells him/her that you care
It shows that you’re friendly
It demonstrates to the
customer that you are focusing
on them
 Why??
It’s a basic courtesy
People who do 2 things at a
time don’t do either one very
well
When you split your attention,
you’re likely to lose something
important the customer says
 Barriers to
Concentration
Internal
• The mind can process information
faster than most people talk
 The mind has a habit of
wandering
 Pre -occupation
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
Emotional Barriers

Verbal Barriers

Mechanical Barrier
EMOTIONAL BARRIERS
ATTITUDE
Lack of interest
Negative personality
Preconceived ideas

TIME PRESSURE
Overworked
No time to prepare
No time to take notes
Failing to pass messages
 VERBAL BARRIERS
VOICE SPEECH
Too high Dialect
Too low Language
Too monotonous Slang
WORDS
Swearing
Too fast
No questions
Too slow
Too much of
jargon
Complicated
Negative
Too much “I” &
 MECHANICAL BARRIERS

Unable to see the object of

discussion.
Faulty Equipment.
Incorrect use of equipment.
No writing material at hand.
Distractions
Noise
People
Weather
Interruptions
Another phone / fax / telex
 The Moral
Give the caller your undivided
attention
Focus on what the caller is
saying
Avoid distractions
Do one thing at one time
 Practices to Avoid
Avoid interrupting the
customer. When you interrupt,
you aren’t listening

Let the customer talk, if you’re

doing the talking, you wont
learn anything

Let the customer finish what

Facts vs. Assumptions
Normally follow
Can be made at
an observation
any time with
which provides
insufficient
the evidence
evidence or no
leading to the
evidence at all
fact

May not be
Can be proven
proven

Leads to an
Leads to an
agreement
disagreement
 The Moral
Don’t interrupt. Let the
customer finish what they
start to say

Stick to the facts. Avoid

assumptions

Remain objective. Don’t jump

to conclusions
Let ‘Em Hear you
Listening
 The customer's side
When a customer does not
hear verbal feedback he might
think:
“I have been disconnected or put
on hold”

“ They’re just not interested”

“My call isn't important to these

people”
 Why ??
In face-to-face conversations,
you can give visual, signals,
such as a nod or a raised
eyebrow

There are no visual signals on

the phone.If you don’t give
verbal feedback to show you’re
listening, they wont know you
 VISUAL
ACTIONS

EXPRESSIONS/GESTURES

POSTURE/WRITTEN FORM

PICTURE/APPEARANCE
 VERBAL
The words we use:
 Dynamic words
 Comforting words

 Weakening,sensitive/risky words

 Words that paint pictures……..

 VOCAL
TONE
PITCH

RATE
VOLUME

DICTION
ACCENT
FACE TO FACE

Vocal Visual
38% 55%

Verbal
7%
TELEPHONE

16%
Verbal

Vocal 84%
 What is Verbal
feedback?
Verbal feedback are a variety
of short responses that let the
caller know that you’re
listening and paying attention

Verbal feedback responses

include expressions like “All
Right”, “I Understand”, “I’m
making a note of that right
 The Bottom Line
Give verbal feedback clues to
let the customer know you’re
listening

Use a variety of clues to avoid

sounding bored or mechanical
 Notes
Making notes is recommended.
The human memory is not
perfect
Written notes give you a
record of the customer’s name
and message
Tools to carry
 Paper for taking notes
 a pen or a pencil
Effective and Easy Note
- Taking
Remember writing takes longer
than saying it

A good idea is to develop an

abbreviations system for quick use

Remember to prioritize information

Always remember the objective of

the call …..this will help you sort
what information you would want to
take note of
 The Next Step
Paraphrase/Rephrase Read them
back to the customer. Tell the
customer what he/she said in our
own words

If the customer changes anything

correct your notes and promptly
read them back

Helps you get the right information

 Lets Revise
Always have a paper and
pen/pencil by every phone

Use a system of abbreviations

to make note taking easier and
effective

Repeat or rephrase the

message back to the customer
Basics of Service on the
Phone
Answering the Telephone
Putting callers on hold
Transferring a call
Ending a call
 How to answer the
phone
The way a company picks up
the phone tells the entire story
about the kind of service you
can expect to receive
How you answer the call sets
the pace & tone
of the entire call
How to put a customer on hold

Putting a customer on hold is a frequently faced

situation, and more than often escalates to great
levels

The etiquette for putting your customers on hold

will help you avoid becoming confused and be
fuddled and thereby avoid the several negative
moments of truth that customers associate with
the telephone
 Ask the customers
if you may put them on hold
Because it is an
inconvenience to your Does anybody know I’m here?
customers to be put on hold, Have I been forgotten?
Why is this taking so long?
you should always ask Should I hang up?
permission before putting #*%*#
them on hold
 Wait for a response
“Can you hold”click is a situation so common that
customers might be surprised to see you waiting for a
response.

The second part of of putting someone on hold is to

wait for a positive response from the customer’s side.

As soon as the customer agrees to hold say “Thank You”

before clicking off
 Tell the customers ‘Why’’

Most customers are very patient if they are politely

informed as to why they must hold.They find it easier
and comfortable to wait on hold if they have a mental
picture of what’s the service associate is doing while
away from the phone
 Give a time frame
Giving the customer a time frame helps kill the
I-have-been-forgotten factor and has a calming effect.
How specific the time frame needs to be depends on
the length of time you think your customer might have
to hold.Here are three examples with a suggested path
of action. When the time for holding is
Short(up to 60 seconds) - This will take a few mome
Long(1-3 minutes) This could take me 2 or 3 minutes
Are you able to hold?
 Thank the customer for holding
Saying “ Thank You” for holding is very basic,
Good and common courtesy.This action nicely rounds
off the on-hold sequence and acknowledges the caller’s
understanding and patience
 RE
How to put a customer on hold

Tell the customers ‘Why’’

Ask the customers

if you may put them on hold
Give a time frame

Wait for a response

Thank the customer for holding

 How to Transfer a call

Customers are prone to be least tolerant

when being transferred over and over
again.To customers this means that the
staff is too overwhelmed to care or
the company just doesn’t care for them
 Explain why the call is being
Transferred
The customer’s basic questions are
“where am I going?
who am I going to?”
By informing your customers whom they are
being transferred to and why, you are answering
one of the most basic questions

Also if a customer gets disconnected he can call back

and ask for the person by name
 Ask if the customer minds
being transferred
Customers get angry if transferred, when they
don’t want to be.Sometimes after being transferred
several times a customer may just want to leave a
message
If the person is calling on a cellular phone this
might be an expensive proposition
Always ask if a customer minds being transferred
Ensure someone is there to pick up the call
before hanging up
The simple step saves the customer the frustration
to be transferred to someone who is not there

By staying on the call till the recipient picks up,

you are being responsible for connecting customers
to a person who can help them
 RE
How to transfer a call
Explain why the call is being
Transferred

Ask if the customer minds

being transferred

Ensure someone is there

to pick up the call before hanging up

Tell the person the customer’s

name an purpose of call
 Ending the c all
‘I always remember the last thing I heard.’

The ending is one the most critical part of the

conversation
The last 30 seconds of the call is what leaves the
maximum impact on a customer’s mind

It is critical to always end on a positive note

Key actions for Ending
the call
Repeat any action steps that
you and the customer have
agreed upon
Ask the caller if you can do
anything else for him/her
Thank the customer for calling
and appreciate his effort and
time
Let the caller hang up first
Write down any relevant