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Top 10 Telephone Skills |
By:
Cathy Warschaw |
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Great telephone skills are the building blocks of every business
and it is easy to see why. Many of the important experiences
that your existing, new, and potential customers are having are
based upon the level of customer service they are receiving from
your employees while on the phone. Employees that can use their
telephone skills to effectively deliver excellent service will
grow and maintain a thriving business.
Top 10 Skills
There are many tips and techniques available on the market to
help your employees build great telephone skills; however, there
are only 10 that can truly deliver. The following Top 10 skills
have been gathered from the Telephone Training Program, an award
winning resource that is entertaining and simple for any
practice to use.
1. Telephone Responsibility - It is important to identify and
clarify whose role it is to answer the phone to avoid confusion
and chaos.
2. The Greeting - It is much more than a "hello" or "good
morning." Use your greeting to warmly welcome existing and
potential customers to your business.
3. Telephone Etiquette - It's not so much "what you say," but
"how you say it," that truly matters to your customers -
continue to provide important information but focus on the
delivery.
4. Scheduling Appointments - Make sure your employees know how
to schedule those appointments - don't take it for granted that
they already know!
5. Placing Callers on Hold - Establish a customer - friendly
manner to place callers on hold without offending the customer.
6. Transferring Calls - Don't leave the caller hanging: let him
or her know when and why you are transferring their call to
another employee.
7. Leaving and Taking Messages - Identify what an appropriate
message is to leave for a customer, as well as, how to gather
all the necessary information when taking a message for other
employees.
8. Handling the Unhappy Caller - It is important that employees
keep their own cool when talking with an unhappy caller and work
towards a mutually acceptable answer to the caller's concern.
9. Handling Tough Questions - Recognize how much information is
okay to provide and when it is time to seek the assistance of a
more seasoned employee.
10.Personal Calls - There really is no time that is acceptable
for employees to make and receive personal calls. This behavior
communicates to the customer that their time is more valuable
than the customer's - a big put-off!
You can provide your employees with these necessary phone skills
in your employee manual and through hands-on instruction.
Consider adding a web-based front office and/or telephone
training program to supplement your own training. This will
ensure that you cover all bases and give your employees the best
foundation possible.
In Short...
Do not ignore the significance of an employee that possesses
great telephone training. Review the Top 10 skills with your
employees on a regular basis and train a new employee as a part
of their employee orientation. Your business will continue to
thrive with every ring of the telephone.
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Article Source: http://www.PopularArticles.com/article29145.html |
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