Customer service is essential to sales, and is one of the few opportunities a company has to set itself apart from the competition.  Today, many areas which were once dealt with by field representatives in face-to-face conversations are handled on the telephone.  As a result, improving your customer service on the telephone means increasing customer satisfaction and enhancing your corporate image.

Topics   

Fundamental questions and concepts of customer service

• Who are my customers?

• Which personality traits should a customer-oriented worker possess?

• What shows a customer that he / she is talking with a customer-oriented person?

Analyzing common speaking situations

• Customer service and information

• Returns and refunds

• "No sale" or:  How do I best say no to a customer?

• Setting deadlines

• Responding to late deliveries

• Forwarding questions and requests

• Cross-selling / up-selling

Training speaking behavior

• Essentials of communication

• Preparing for the conversation and making a professional start

• Making a friendly impression with your voice

• Active listening and using customer-oriented argumentation

• Controlling the conversation using questions:  The one who asks is in control!

• Successfully responding to complaints, return and refund calls

• Ending the conversation and follow-up

Recognizing psychological factors in customer service

• Using psychology as an aid to customer service:  better understanding the customer and responding in a solution-oriented manner

• Dealing with stress on the telephone

• Discipline in what you think and say

• Avoiding difficult situations on the telephone

• Dealing with difficult speaking partners

Your benefits

You will learn:

• effective speaking techniques for service-oriented telephoning,

• how to lead telephone conversations with confidence and poise,

• to respond in a customer-oriented manner, even in problematic situations.

You will see and learn how to carry on conversations satisfactory for both partners (win-win situation).  You will also receive checklists which you can use outside of training, on the job, to evaluate and optimize your telephoning skills, thus helping to ensure that you retain and can use what you have learned.

Methods   

Moderating, case studies, practical exercises, roleplay and feedback, including rules for feedback.