Call Handling skills

Superior Customer Serviceon the Telephone.

Gaurav Bhatnagar

RT Outsourcing Pvt ltd.

Goals

• Improve comfort and confidence on the phone

• Use customer-service strategies that get results

• Enhance the public’s image of HP by providing superior customer service over the phone


ObjectivesAt the end of this training, you will be able to

define and describe:

1. A Customer’s Basic Needs2. 5 Dimensions of Customer Service3. How to Manage a Call4. Projecting a Positive Image5. Techniques for handling difficult phone

situations


”Keep Them Calling: Superior Customer Service on the

Phone”

By: Sherry Barrett


Questions to Ask Yourself

• Do my current skills help reduce my stress when dealing with difficult calls?

• Do I enjoy being at work when I make a valuable contribution to the Company?

• Do I feel personally satisfied when I’m doing a great job?


Why Should You Improve?

Every call is an opportunity to enhance customer relations, your image, and the image of the university.

Remember: The typical person tells 20 people about a negative experience and tells only 5 people about a positive experience.


The Basic Needs of the Customer on the Phone

• 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

View each caller (both internal and external) as a customer

Satisfying customers over the telephone is often more challenging

than serving face-to-face.


5 Dimensions of Customers Service

1. Professionalism2. Speedy Responses3. Accurate Information4. Genuine Concern5. Reliable Follow-through


5 Dimensions

1. Professionalism - use thank you and please, control background noise, don’t use office-specific jargon or acronyms

2. Speedy Responses - predict follow-up time, don’t pad conversation with idle chatter, don’t take more than 24 hours to return a call, time is money


5 Dimensions (Con’t)

3. Accurate Information - use easy-to understand examples, don’t blame others, don’t use outdated material

4. Genuine Concern - use empathy, don’t judge caller’s feelings, don’t let one negative call “bleed” into another

5. Reliable Follow-up - responsibility to carry out promised action


Positive Attitude

The Engine that drives excellent service

forward...

The key ingredient in providing the 5 Dimensions of Customer Service.


1. Creates goodwill with caller2. Reduces the potential for irritating the

caller3. Lessens stress for you4. Helps you enjoy your job more5. Creates a more productive work

environment

Advantages of a Positive Attitude


Projecting a Positive Attitude

• Keep organized work space• Make conscious effort to be

positive• Link being positive with

consequences• Choose role model who is positive• Focus on the caller’s needs instead

of your own• Feelings are a choice


Managing the Call

• Answer Promptly (within 2 rings)• Greet the Caller and Identify

Yourself• Offer to Help• Listen Carefully• Use Caller’s name


Example

“Thank you for calling Hp, this is Jan, how may I assist you today?”

“Yes, Mr. Dev, I will check on the status of your complaint. Would you like to hold or would you prefer I call you back in a few minutes with an answer?”)


Applying Positive Attitude to Create Positive Impressions

• Word choices seem simple, but small changes make a dramatic difference

• Positive phrasing creates an environment where caller can respond with an open mind

“Hold on a minute?” – positive?


Turn Negative Into Positive

• “She’s not in yet.”• “It’s a computer problem.”• “Your file must be lost.”• “That’s not my job.”• “We never received your application.”


Managing the Call

• Avoid blind transfers• Ask the caller whether he or she can hold• Tell caller to whom they’re being

transferred• Briefly introduce the caller to the coworker

• Closing the Call• Close Call Formally• Repeat action you agreed to take• Say “Good-bye” instead of “Bye-bye”


How to Give Bad NewsThe Sandwich Technique:

Insert the bad news in-between two piecesof good news.


Voice Mail

• Keep it short• Suggest person get something to take

notes on• Give your availability• Repeat name and phone number at

the end• Close with “Thank-you”


Angry Callers

• Recognizing the Signs of an Angry Caller:• High-pitch speech• Long pauses• Sighs• Demands• Short-terse answers• Volume gets louder


2 Problems of the Angry Caller

1. A relationship problem with the Company

• Company’s relationship with the customer is broken

• Usually because basic needs aren’t being met

2. Specific problem that needs attention


7 Steps for Resolving the Angry Customer’s Problem

1. Deal with feelings first. Listen and respond with empathy.

2. Ask questions to get specifics about the complaint3. Summarize caller’s problem to get agreement4. Offer a choice of alternatives to fix the problem5. Let the customer decide which alternative to use6. Follow through on what you agree to do7. When possible, do something extra.


Abusive CallerDefinition:• A caller who goes beyond expressing

anger about a problem and begins attacking the person handling the call

• Often includes swearing and personal attacks


Handling Abusive Callers

Abusive Callers: • Stay Calm • You’re not the target• Give caller warning

• “I beg your pardon?”• “I don’t appreciate the language you are using.”• “If you aren’t able to talk with me without

swearing, I will have to end this call.”

• If the call terminates, inform supervisor immediately


Handling Other Difficult Situations

• Two or more calls at once: ask if one can hold, thank for patience

• Caller angry about being transferred/put on hold: brief, blameless apology

• Caller hangs up: tell supervisor• Caller is crying: use empathy and slow

your pace, use “take your time”


More Difficult Situations• Caller uses another language-don’t

increase volume, try simple phrases

• Caller is mentally challenged-gear level of language, focus on critical information, summarize for agreement

• Caller asks for manager- try to address the problem yourself, ask if they can hold, inform manager


Case Studies – Sandwich Technique

• Sales Rep• Auto Repair Shop

• THANK YOU ………………….

Call Handling skills

Education

Transcript of Call Handling skills