Telephone Skills Training

Course Overview
The importance of professional telephone skills
 Importance of professional telephone techniques to the business
 Benefits of professional telephone etiquette
 Small group exercise and facilitated group discussion

Telephone communication challenges

 The challenges of telephone communication
 Role of non verbal communication
 Building rapport and gathering information
 Small group practical exercises, facilitated group discussion

Answering the telephone

 Telephone guidelines when handling a call
 The verbal handshake
 Putting callers on hold, transferring callers
 Group exercise, demonstration, presentation and facilitated group discussion

Communication skills to handle enquiries

 Effective listening techniques
 Questioning techniques
 Recording information
 Using positive language and taking ownership of call
 Closing the call
 Small group practical exercises, presentation and group discussion

Communicating with customers with different communication styles 

 Recognising different communication challenges
 Main characteristics of communication styles
 Recognising your own communication preferences
 Adjusting to other styles of communication
 Presentation, individual questionnaire and group review, group exercises

Handling customer concerns and objections

 Pre-empting customers’ most frequent concerns
 Responding to customer concerns and objections
 Small group exercise, pairs practical activity, group review discussion

Handling customer complaints

 Handling emotional responses
 Responding to the complainant
 Escalating the complaint
 Small group exercise, facilitator tips, pairs practice session and group discussion

Reviewing the learning and next steps

 Review of learning and action planning
 Course feedback

The training will be supported with:

 An optional participant pre-course questionnaire and/or pre-course reading on telephone techniques
 A colour printed workbook with telephone tips, techniques and space for personal notes
 An electronic communication styles questionnaire sent prior to the course
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