CS Training Manual

Customer Service Skills

Table of Content

1. CS Attitude

2. 6 Cardinal Rules of Customer Service

3. Basic Telephonic Skills

4. Handling Difficult Callers

5. Handling Callers with Foreign Accents

6. Alternate Dialogue

7. Active Listening

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1. CS Attitude
 Empathy
o Definitions: Putting oneself in the other’s shoes or understanding where
the other person is coming from.
o Customers need to feel and hear that we CARE first.
o More than words, a caring tone of voice allows the customer to hear your
concern.
o One of the best customer interactions happens when a customer feels
that he/she has been listened to and understood.
o No matter how large or small, empathy is an essential service mentality.
o Apathy: Lack of emotion or caring.

 Enthusiasm
o Definition: Bringing a high level of energy or interest to a project or
situation.
o The level of enthusiasm people exhibit is a critical component to how the
world perceives them as being able or willing to help.
o Enthusiasm influences a person's effectiveness in a service position.
o People who are truly enthusiastic don't discriminate between their
activities.
o Enthusiastic people enjoy being proactive and going the extra mile to
help customers without being asked.

 Ownership
o Definition: Possessing the commitment to solve a problem or steering to a
person who will.
o It should not take two people to provide good customer service.
o Ownership is partnering with the customer to address their need to solve
the problem.
o When we "own" the problem we are more committed to the resolution of
the problem.

 Responsibility
o Definition: Living up to previously agreed upon commitment.
o Responsibility is an important internal customer service issue.
o It's as important to be considerate and responsible to our co-workers as
it is to our customers.

 Adaptability
o Having the flexibility to effectively deal with different types of customers
and situations.
o Adapters can handle all types of customers and situations positively.
o Adaptability is changing your approach to each type of customer.
o Service each customer respectfully and effectively.

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 Balance
o Definition: Having the capacity to successfully satisfy the customer while
taking into account the resources and needs of your organization.
o Identifying a balanced solution meets the challenge of satisfying the
customer and meeting the needs of the organization.
o One of the greatest needs of the customer is to feel heard and be treated
fairly.
o A secret to achieving balance is knowing you can always acknowledge the
feelings of the customer even if you disagree with the facts presented by
the customer.

 Resiliency
o Definition: Having the ability to bounce back from adversity.
o Remain calm throughout adverse situations, recover quickly and don't
show signs of discouragement.
o Resiliency is seen when customer service providers speak with a
controlled pace and vocabulary.
o Life's setbacks and disappointments need to be handled by bouncing
back emotionally and professionally.
o Never take it out on the next few innocent callers or co-workers.

2. 6 Cardinal Rules of Customer Service

 People Come Before Paperwork
o Give the caller or visitor your complete attention.
o Remember - the caller or visitor always comes before paperwork

 Don't Rush Callers

o Learn how to redirect callers.
o Take time to get all the information.
o Remember - speed is not success.

 Be Friendly BEFORE You Know Who It Is

o Treat all callers equally.
o Use your personality.
o Remember that callers mirror how they're treated.

 Don't Be Too Busy To Be Nice

o Don't give short, one-word answers.
o Don't rush callers.
o Keep your sense of humor.

 Don't Use Military Language On Civilians

o Use easy, understandable words.
o Explain unfamiliar words and terms.
o Questions just mean that they don’t understand you.

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 Mannerism

"There Ya Go" Isn't "Thank You," and "Uh Huh" Isn't "You're Welcome"
o Remember your manners.
o Don't slip into slang.
o Say "Thank You" and "You're Welcome."
o Remember - good manners never go out of style

3. Basic Telephonic Skills

3.1 Greeting
 In a professional environment when giving out the greeting (in call centers) or
when answering a business call there are 3 parts:

a. The Pleasant Buffer

b. Company name

c. Your name
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

a. The Pleasant Buffer

 People tend to start listening to the call (that they’ve made) 2 or 3 seconds after
someone picks up.

 Pleasant buffer counters that by making sure that no valuable information is lost
(like company name and your name) while you’ve answered the call and giving your
greeting.

 Pleasant buffer or just “buffer” includes words like “Good morning/Good

Evening/Good Afternoon” or “Thank you for calling”

b. Company Name
It’s always good practice to include your company’s name when greeting the caller.

 Helps in identifying the company

 Reduces confusion especially if a person is not sure whether they have called the
right place.
 It will give a professional air (feeling) to the call.

c. Your name
 Including your name in the greeting will help in personalizing the call keeping in
mind that the caller would like to address you.
 It also keeps the air professional as well.

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The Complete Greeting

 Adding the 3 parts it can be done like:

“Thank you for calling XYZ company, this is (your name) speaking”

Or

“Thank you for calling XYZ Company, my name is (your name)”

Or

“Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, XYZ Company, my name is (your name)”

 Be sure to answer the phone in a friendly and professional manner.

 Treat every call like your first call of the day i.e. enthusiasm.
 Monotonous voice or if your voice shows lack of enthusiasm, it will kill the purpose
of the greeting.
 Greeting is your calling card…effective greeting will give a good impression about
you and your company.

3.2 Call to action

 Most companies will include “Call to Action” in their greeting script.

 The purpose of the Call to Action is explained by its name i.e. directly taking control
of the call by asking a particular or open ended question. This especially helps if the
purpose of the call is usually information gathering. Examples:

“May I have your first name please?”

Or “May I have your account number?”
Or more generally and more pleasant being simply “How may I help you?”

when there is a range of situations that usually arise etc.

 Attaching the call to action to the greeting will look somewhat like this by using one
of the examples above…
 “Thank you for calling XYZ Company. This is (your name). How may I help you?”

Keep in mind
 Tone and pace of your voice is very important.
 Make sure that you are giving the complete greeting and call to action in an
enthusiastic tone and sufficient pace so that the caller can understand.
 You might end up taking a lot of calls a day but it’s not the caller’s fault who’s
calling in the first time!

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3.3 Acknowledging call to action

 In a situation in which the caller inquires or needs something to be done once
you’ve asked the question never forget to “Acknowledge Call to Action”
 Acknowledging call to action means to let the caller know that you’ve heard the
caller’s request/inquiry by using Value Added Phrases like:
 Sure…
 Gladly…
 I’ll be happy to…
 I’ll be glad to…

Remember to rephrase what the caller has said as an assurance that you’ve heard
them.

3.4 Putting caller on hold

If for any reason you have to put the caller on hold, follow the steps below :

 Ask if they are able to hold by simply saying “Are you able to hold…”
 Give the reason why you’re placing the caller on hold
 Wait for response
 Thank the caller and put them on hold
 When you come back to the caller either thank them for their patience or apologize
for the delay.

3.5 Monogramming or personalizing

 Personalize or monogram the call by using the caller’s name
 Always use Mr. or Ms. with the last name and never with the first name.
 Spell and pronounce each caller’s name correctly.
 If you need help with spelling or pronunciation, ask for it

3.6 Avoid Excuses

 Keep from making excuses to your callers.
 Tell the caller what you can do, not what you can’t do.
 Take responsibility for the call and guide it to a successful conclusion.

3.7 Give the caller your undivided attention

 Give the caller your undivided attention.
 Never try to do anything unrelated to the call while you're on the phone.

3.8 Giving Spoken Feedback Signals

 Give spoken feedback. It’s the only way the caller knows you’re listening.
 Mix your responses to avoid sounding mechanical and insincere.
 Repeat or rephrase the caller’s words to confirm understanding.

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3.9 Controlling the Conversation

 If a caller gets off the subject, take control of the conversation.
 Use the “back on track” approach. Ask a question related to the purpose of the call.
 If that approach is ineffective, be more direct. Let callers know you want to help
meet their original needs.

3.10 Avoiding Mouth Noises

 Avoid mouth noises. When you’re on the phone, don’t:
 Eat.
 Drink
 Smoke
 Chew gum.
 Remember, the telephone mouthpiece is actually a microphone.
 Don’t distract or annoy your callers.

3.11 Closing: Leaving a good last impression

 A good last impression counts every bit as much as a good first impression.
 Make every caller feel important to you and to your company.
 End on a positive note. Let callers know you're glad they called and would be glad if
they called again.

4. Handling Difficult Callers

Why are they Difficult?
 Difficult/Problem callers don’t usually start out that way.
 Something happens to make them go ballistic.
 Customers have an expectation of how they ought to be treated and if you fail to meet that
expectation, they become agitated

Types of Difficult/Problem Callers

1. The Irate Caller
2. The Long-Winded Caller
3. The Rude/Abusive Caller
4. The Speedy Caller
5. The Impatient Caller

1. Handling an Irate Caller

 If the customer is angry; don’t get angry back it’ll “add fuel to the fire”.
 Treating an angry customer as an Opportunity. The real damage has not happened as yet, YOU have
the opportunity to fix it.
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The Don’ts
 Do not try logical argument
 Don’t be rude
 Don’t Hang up
 Do not grovel, and do not let an angry customer draw you into accepting his assumption that the
organization is generally inefficient because of his own single unhappy experience.
 Don’t offer excuses
 Don’t Dominate the caller; Control the call!

Remember – It’s not personal!

Strategy!? – ASAP Technique
 Apologize
 Sympathize/Empathize
 Accept Responsibility
 Prepare to Help

Apologizing
 It’s very simple it can be done by saying value added phrases like:
 I am so sorry to hear that….
 I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience…

Or any other verbiage that is polite, professional and sincere.

Sympathizing/Empathizing
 By saying things like:
 I understand that this can be frustrating…
 We care about what you feel…
 I do appreciate your understanding attitude and so on.
 The basic idea is to let the caller know that you are sincere and are putting yourself in his/her shoes.
 Paraphrase the problem and repeat it to the caller – make the caller understand that you are
listening to what they are saying
 Get clarification before offering solutions

Accepting Responsibility
 Take ownership of the problem rather than just blaming a process or someone.
 Do not give excuses like it’s not my department or I’m new or I’m sorry it’s company policy… there is
always some way in which you can help or if not direct them to the best person/department that can
help.
 Focus on what the best solution is rather than just the solution at hand or who was at fault.

Prepare to Help
 Suggest agreeable solutions.
 If you can’t solve it, steer towards the direction that can help them solve it.
 It’s a good idea to know your company's procedure for referring irate callers when necessary.

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CS Training Manual

2. Handling a Long-Winded Caller

Don'ts
 Don’t show your frustration or boredom.
 Don’t Interrupt
 Don’t bully or badger
 Don’t try to dominate the caller; again Control the call!

Strategy?!
 Use every conversational gap
 Lead and steer
 Best way is to bring the caller “Back on Track” i.e. uses Tact.

3. Handling the Rude/Abusive Caller

Don'ts
 Do not get personally upset – it’s not personal.
 Do not get argumentative or rude with the caller
 Do not get defensive

Strategy?!
 Keep your cool.
 “The caller when being rude or abusive is behaving irrationally; it would not help
either party if you are losing your temper or are being intimidated”
 Assure the caller that you can help by saying:
 “…I can help you with the problem, that’s no problem…”
 Verbal Abuse/Swearing is unacceptable.
 Do not accept this kind of behavior; rather interject politely by saying “Excuse me…” immediately.
 Use the direct approach to address offensive language by saying:
 “I am unable to handle your abusive language”

4. Handling the Speedy Caller

 Callers who speak too fast to the point that you do not understand.

Don'ts
 Do not assume what the caller said when they are speaking too fast it will lead to misunderstanding.
 Do not lose your patience.
 Do not tell them directly “you are speaking too fast”; they might get offended.

Strategy?!
 The strategy is very simple; try using the following verbiage and see if it works out for you:
 “I’m sorry to interrupt sir/ma’am, but if you can slow down for me a little bit,
I need to take some notes down so I can make sure I have everything correct”

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Or

 “I’m sorry sir/ma’am I think I missed your name….”

 Do not worry about asking for clarification as long as it is done courteously and professionally; with
effective listening you can also avoid repetitive questions that can be very annoying for the caller.

5. Handling the impatient caller

Don’t
 Do not get intimidated or be pushed to rush.
 The caller does not know what information is required by you to help them out.

Strategy?!
 Assure the caller that you are more than willing to accommodate and you will be as efficient as
possible it will just take a few moments of their time.
 Although we might take as much time as the processes cannot be rushed try to make the caller
understand that keeping in mind not to go into technicalities.

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CS Training Manual

5. Handling Callers with Foreign Accents

 Do not pretend to Understand!

 Let customers know you want to help
 Acknowledge that you’re having a problem understanding.
 Gently ask the caller to slow down
 Ask the caller to repeat if the question/statement is not clear.
 Clarify your understanding by asking questions.

 Don’t Rush the Customer

 Encourage the caller to take his/her time
 Allow time for the customer to take extra steps.

 Don’t Shout
 It’s not going to help if they did not understand you the first time.
 Speak clearly without raising your voice.
 Remember it’s a communication barrier; not a hearing problem.
 Try a different approach e.g. if they don’t understand you the first time, paraphrase; ask simpler
questions with simpler vocabulary etc.

 Don’t be Rude!
 What you do affects how the customer feels about your organization.
 Be prepared at all times.

 Learn from Experience

 Anticipate the special needs of your customers.
 Be prepared at all times

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6. Alternate Dialogue

Instead of Say
“Will you hold while I…” (and wait for the
“Hold on” answer)
“May I have your name please?” or "Who is
calling, please?" or "May I ask who's
“Who is this?” calling?"

"Thank you for calling College of We are

“College of We Are the World, James"
“We can’t do that.”
“So and So is responsible for that.”
“Like I told you before…”
“I can take a message.”
“No one here would have promised you anything
like that.”
“If you would just listen.”
the World. My name is Global Warming,
How may I help you?"
“I believe we can offer (alternative)….will
that work for you?"
“I’m sorry you’re having this problem, what
can I do to help?"
“I’m really sorry you’re having this problem.
Let’s find a way to resolve this issue"
“I’ll be happy to take a message and be
sure it gets to (the correct person) right
away.”
“If I understand you correctly, you were
promised…”
“I understand you are upset, I apologize for
the trouble you’re having with this.”

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7. Active Listening
What is ‘Listening’?
 listening (ILA, 1996): the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and
responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages; to hear something with
thoughtful attention

What’s the difference?

 There is a difference between “Hearing” and “Listening”
– Hearing: Is a Natural and Passive Physical Process.
– Listening: Is a Physical and Mental Process, which is active and is an
acquired skill!
Facts
 People use 45% of the time Listening
 We listen at 125-250 wpm, think at 1000-3000 wpm
 75% of the time we are distracted, preoccupied or forgetful
 20% of the time, we remember what we hear
 More than 35% of businesses think listening is a top skill for success
 Less than 2% of people have had formal education with listening

Types of Listening
a. Passive or Inactive Listening
b. Selective Listening
c. Active Listening
d. Reflective Listening

a. Passive Listening
 Simply put, “In from one ear out the other”
 You HEAR the words, but the mind is wandering and no communication is
taking place.

b. Selective Listening
 Basically listening to what you want to hear.
 Hearing some of the message and in the event formulating a reply or second
guess the speaker without waiting for him/her to finish.

c. Active Listening
 Listening to both content as well as intent.
 Looking out for the emotional meaning of the speaker.
 Occurs when listening barriers are being blocked.
 It should be non-judgmental and empathetic.

d. Reflective Listening
 Part of Active Listening in which steps are being taken to clarify what the
speaker is saying and coming up with a mutual understanding.
 Some also call this Active Listening as well.

Why be a good listener?

 Going back to needs of a customer:
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– To be recognized and remembered

– To feel valued
– To feel appreciated
– To feel respected
– To feel understood
– To feel comfortable about a want or need
 Listening builds stronger relationships…creates a desire to cooperate among
people because they feel accepted and acknowledged.
 Listening creates acceptance and openness…conveys the message that “I am
not judging you.”
 Listening leads to learning openness encourages personal growth and
learning.
 Listening reduces stress and tension...minimizes confusion and
misunderstanding, eliminating related stress and tension.
 Listening is CRITICAL in conflict resolution…much conflict comes from the
need to be heard.

Factors affecting Active/Reflective Listening

 Just Hearing (Passive Listening!)
 Uninteresting Topics
 Speaker’s Delivery (Monotone, Irate, Slow etc)
 External Distractions (noise being the biggest factor)
 Mentally Preparing Response (while the speaker is talking)
 Listening for Facts (will go into selective listening)
 Repetition (in most cases, most information is repetitive, treat it as if listening to
it the first time)
 Personal Concerns
 Personal Bias
 Language/Culture Differences
 Faking Attention

Do Not!

 Criticize the subject or the speaker

 Get over-stimulated
 Listen ONLY for facts
 Take notes OR outline everything
 Tolerate or create distraction
 Let emotional words block message
 Waste time difference between speed of speech and speed of thought

Active Listening Steps

a. Listen with Interest
b. Probing
c. Reflect/Paraphrase
d. Agree

a. Listen
 To Feelings As Well As Words
– Words – Emotions -- Implications
 Focus on Speaker
– Don’t plan, speak, or get distracted
 What Is Speaker Talking About?
– Topic? Speaker? Listener? Others?

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 Look At Speaker
 Use Verbal & Non-Verbal Encouragers
 Listening opens the door for good conversation…show interest and make the
speaker feel that you are listening by using encouragers like…
– “I see”
– “Right”
– “Uh huh”…
– “Okay”
– “Sure”
– “Yeah”
– “Yes”
– “Wow”
– “Really?”
 It is also important that you do so without judgment.

b. Probe
 Probing with open ended comments draws the speaker out.
 Simply ask to show interest by saying “I’d like you’re opinion on this.
 Or ask to encourage more information with comments like “What do you think
the problem is?”
 Or simply to keep the person talking with comments “tell me more”
 Probing serves three purposes:
 Demonstrates you are listening
 Gathering information
 Clarification

c. Reflect/Paraphrase
 Reflect in your own words.
– Act like a mirror to the speaker to show that you are listening but DO
NOT parrot back
 Reflect feelings with sincerity
 Reframe
– Capture the essence of the communication
– Remove negative framing
– Move toward problem solving
How to Paraphrase
 Use paraphrasing to:
– Avoid confusion
 “It sounds like…”
– Bring out the speaker’s intent
 “Let me see if I heard you right…”
– Confirm understanding
 “Are you saying that…?”
– See situation as speaker sees it
 “In other words, what you mean is…”

d. Agree
 Get Speaker’s Consent to Your Reframing i.e. moving towards problem solving
after taking care of the negative frame by having effectively captured the essence
of the communication
 At the end the Speaker should feel that he/she has been heard and knows It!

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CS Training Manual

 With applying active listening you and the speaker have both agreed that the
solution Is near!

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