COMMUNICATE ON

THE TELEPHONE
 WHAT IS
COMMUNICATION?
COMMUNICATION
 TELEPHONE SKILLS
 Communicating on the telephone is an essential part of
customer service. You must note that answering the phone at
work you are the ambassador for your company. A telephone
call is the first contact that a customer has with the company. If
your telephone manners is inadequate then the caller will
receive a bad impression of the business.
TELEPHONE TIPS
 Answer all calls whether internal or external promptly
 Greet the customer internal or external with a cheerful voice
 Ensure you have a clear tone
 Identify your organization
 Answer questions honestly DO NOT GUESS if you don’t know
tell the customer that you will call back with the answer
 Ask the caller for his/her name and contact number
THE COMMUNICATION MODEL
HOW TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE
WITH CUSTOMERS ON THE TELEPHONE
 Reduce wait time
 Be an active listener
 Call them by names
 Mirror their tone
 Make small talk
 Be patient
 Use positive language
 Maintain a friendly and consistent tone
TRANSFERRING CALLS PROMPTLY AND
EFFICIENTLY
 First find out if the person to whom you are transferring the call
is available
 Give the person receiving the call the name of the caller and
any helpful information
 Let the caller know id the number to which the call is being
transferred is engaged
 Take an accurate message or action if the transfer was not
successful
ITEMS RELAYING MESSAGES FROM
INCOMING CALLS
 Pencil /pen
 Message pad
 Not pad
 Telephone directory
 Internal directory
WHAT ITEMS SHOULD YOU HAVE BESIDE
YOU WHEN MAKING AND TAKING CALLS?
 RELAYING MESSAGES TIPS
A MESSAGE PAD SHOULD INCLUDE:
 The date
 Time
 Name of the person who called the telephone number of the
caller
 The message
 Your name
WHAT ARE SOME POSSIBLE
CONSEQUENCES FOR POOR
CALL HANDLING?
 CONSEQUENCES
 A damaged reputation

 Loss of revenue

 A decrease in customer loyalty

 You loose your best employees

 Demotivation at work
NON TYPICLA TELEPHONE CALLS
 These are calls received outside of your regular telephone
experience. These may include threatening obscene or
suspicious calls. These calls maybe directed to the
organization or a particular person each establishment will
have its own policy for dealing with these calls.it is your duty to
abide by these policies and take the necessary action.
THE IMPORTANT OF TELEPHONE SKILLS
 IT KEEPS CUSTOMERS

Good telephone skills retain customers, people are more likely

to do business with you again if your telephone conversations

with them are pleasant and helpful. If you provide a frustrating

telephone experience, customers are more likely to do business

elsewhere.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR TELEPHONE
SKILLS
 Practice regularly
 Be confident
 Spell out words and verbalize numbers
 Be polite
 Memorize key expressions
 Remember important calls and make a checklist
 Finally, smile!
 HANDLING NON-TYPICAL TELEPHONE
CALLS
 Remain calm and professional DO NOT PANIC
 Hang up as soon as you realize the call is harassing
 Do not ask the caller any questions to try and determine who the
caller is
 Do not respond with answers, this will only encourage the caller.
 Do not give out information
 Report the matter to a manager who will decide what action to
take
MAKING TELEPHONE CALLS
WHEN MAKING TELEPHONE CALLS THE FOLLOWING
SHOULD BE OBSERVED
 Be polite
 Listen keenly
 Acknowledge the callers request
 Have the necessary tools on hand
 Access telephone numbers within reasonable time
 Advise the customer
TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE
 Always Speak Clearly and slowly
 Do Not Yell
 Don't Use Slang
 Never Eat Or Drink
 Always Listen
 Use Proper Titles
 Have Patience
 Focus on the Task at Hand
 TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE
 Always keep in mind that effective business telephone etiquette
requires you to be:

 prepared

 present

 polite

 patient

 professional
 TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE
 BE PREPARED
they are looking for an immediate response.
 PRESENT

You need to given undivided attention

 POLITE

Being polite isn’t just about saying “please, excuse me, and thank you.” showing
respect
 PATIENT

remain calm and focused on the task at hand.

 PROFESSIONAL

your tone of voice, your pitch, the rate at which you speak, your pronunciation plays
a vital role in professionalism
 TELEPHONE SKILLS

 Effective telephone skills are predicated on strong

communications skills. The four major means of
communication are speaking, reading, writing, and
listening, with listening being the most important part.