Phone Skills for Business

1
Phone Skills for Business

• A guide to effective business conversations

2
Keep the Greeting Simple

• 1. Greeting
• 2. Organization name
• 3. Your name
• Example Good morning. Thank you for calling
  BayLands, this is Shirley

3
Choose Clear Language

• 1. Use simple sentences and words people use
  every day.
• 2. Avoid acronyms
• 3. Be specific.
• Avoid phrases such as as soon as possible or
  it should be. Give specifics such as tomorrow
  at 4 p.m. and it will be

4
Intensify the power of yes

• Many calls to you are probably requests for help,
  information, an item or just some direction. No
  surprise, people like to hear, yes. Tell them
  youre happy to do it by saying
• Absolutely
• Certainly
• My Pleasure

5
Use yes to keep it positive

• On the phone, people cant see you smile-
• To avoid turning a phone conversation negative,
  respond yes to something
• Yes, I see your point-position-feeling.
• Or yes, I want to help.
• Even if you cant do what the caller wants, you
  can help somehow.

6
A Positive answer to avoid

• There is one positive answer you want to avoid on
  the phone NO Problem.
• Why? Callers cant see your body language- which
  make the words you use clearer. The first thing
  they hear is No.
• Instead, say, Sure, or youre welcome.

7
Say, no without saying no

• No one likes to hear No, especially over the
  phone. So when you cant do what the person on
  the other end of the phone wants try these
  alternatives
• Heres something we can try
• We could do that this way
• I could do either this or this

8
If-Then Approach to persuade

• When you need to persuade people on the other end
  of the phone to see it your way, try the if-Then
  approach
• The two words show that an action on their end
  will lead to a reward.
• If you complete the task today, then I will help
  you meet the deadline

9
Ask the Right Questions

• Closed-ended questions-some conversations are
  best kept short. Use closed end questions to
  establish facts or specific information
• example-is your address still.
• Confirm agreement You prefer to come in on
  Friday, right?
• Limit choices Would you prefer 900 or 1000

10
Open End Questions

• Use open end questions for more in-depth calls
  to
• Create more dialogue Can you tell me more
  about the situation?
• Gain more Involvement what do you have in mind?
• Generate options We can discuss several
  possibilities

11
Express Empathy, not Sympathy

• Empathy is far more productive on the phone than
  sympathy-commiserating with callers. With
  empathy, you can stay calm and recognize and
  validate callers emotions.
• Avoid sympathetic statements I cant believe
  that happened to you either.
• Stick to empathy statements It sounds as if you
  were put in frustrating situation. It can be
  upsetting

12
Theyre wrong, but dont say it.

• When you suspect a member is wrong try to handle
  it like this
• 1. Avoid Contradiction, apologize for a
  miscommunication. say, Im sorry you
  misunderstood, Ill be happy to clear it up for
  you.
• 2. Ask for more details, try to find out who told
  them what and when.
• 3. Find a solution. Offer alternatives
• 4. Check it out later. Make sure they are happy
  in a day or two.

13
Avoid Certain words

• Avoid words like Yeah, Yep..OK kind
  of..just..what I meanto be honest.
• Say Yes
• Ok That will work, Ok I can do that
• kind of ..sounds indecisive
• Justit minimizes what you say
• What I meanyou should have to explain what
  youve said
• To be honestIt implies you were not honest before

14
Avoid sounding bossy

• Instead of You have tosay, I recommend you
• Instead of You need tosay, Your next step would
  be
• Instead of, You should havesay, If you want to
  save time-money the next time, I recommend you

15
Dont apologize for this

• When you call people with important news good or
  bad- dont start the conversation with an apology
  for bothering them.
• It immediately weakens your position

16
Make the wait worthwhile

• Heres how to spin a waiting situation..
• Instead of, Im not sure say I want to make
  sure I have the most current information for you.
  Let me double check this.
• Instead of I dont know say Let me look into
  that right now and call you back shortly so I
  dont keep you waiting.
• Instead of, hang on Ill be right back, say It
  may take a few minutes to do this. Do you want to
  hold or should I call you back?

17
Narrate the wait

• If the caller wants to wait narrating the wait
  seems shorter and helps them see what youre
  doing.
• For instanceIm pulling up your account
• Information so we can review account history

18
Make sure you have it right

• Telephone conversations leave room for
  miscommunication because the talkers cant see
  each other act and react.
• Clarifylet me make sure I understand
• RepeatSummarize..So you need me to
• ReflectCheck the emotions once you have the
  facts right..I can understand why you are
  upset, confused

19
Avoid Transfer Frustration

• Heres how to transfer with finesse
• Gather all the details from callers so you send
  them to the right person.
• Ask permission to transfer. If they say no, offer
  to call back after digging up the information
  they need.
• Explain why you must transfer.
• Give the name and direct number of the person
  wholl take the call.
• Make the call to a colleague.
• Introduce the two people and situation before
  hanging up.

20
Quiet the motormouth

• Stay absolutely quiet. even Uh-Huh eggs them
  on.
• Speak especially slow.
• Avoid restatingsay got it.
• Avoid questions. say This should do it for you.
• If the subconscious cues dont work, say
  outright, heres what we need to do now.

21
Get the silent type to open up

• To get the quiet type to open up, say
• Help me understandto hear how they feel.
• What are your impressions...to understand what
  they want.
• Please describe what has happened see the
  situation through their eyes.

22
3 cues the mood has changed

• Over the phone you cant see the mood of the
  other personlisten for clues that say the mood
  has changed for the worst.
• 1.Volume and tone of voice increases..
• 2. Choice of language shrinks. Simple words and
  short sentences are used and often start with
  you.
• 3. Rate of speech increases.

23
4 steps to defuse angry callers

• 1.Thank people for their comments.. even if they
  are shouting at you.
• 2.Come to an understanding. When you get a chance
  to speak, say let me see if I understand you
  completely. restate the points slowly so the
  caller has time to calm down.
• 3.Agree on one thing. Even if their point seems
  like nonsense, agree on one thing. I see your
  point
• 4. Acknowledge feelings then focus on facts. This
  is so you can now resolve the conflict and make
  the person feel better.. I can tell youre
  upset.

24
Use pauses foe effective calls

• Silence.. In well timed pausescan make some
  phone conversations clearer Pause.before you
  answer a question to mentally confirm you
  understand what was said and what you will say.
• Pause after asking questions. Wait for 6 or 7
  seconds for the person on the phone to answer. If
  they dont answer as the question in a different
  way.

25
Leave messages to avoid callbacks

• You can expect to reach voice mail as much as the
  person. So if you need to relay information take
  these steps to avoid a call back
• 1. Gather the information you need and make a
  short note on what youll need to say.
• 2. Give the reason why youve called quickly when
  the voice mail picks up, rather than just leave a
  request to callback.

26
Leaving messages

• Leave the information in this order
• Your Name
• Phone Number
• Key details
• What you and the person will have to do (or
  confirmation that no action needs to be taken)
• A reminder that no return call is necessary (if
  it isnt)

27
Create an effective voice greeting

• What you say to callers on voice mail is as
  important as what you say to them directly. When
  you create a voice mail greeting
• 1. Let the callers know immediately theyve
  reached your voice mail.
• 2. Explain when youre away.
• 3. Advise when youll return calls.
• 4. Request a message, phone number and time to
  reach them.

28
4 steps to better listening

• Listening is probably more important than
  speaking while on the phone.
• 1. Focus.. Listen without distractions.
• 2. Use confirming statementsLikemy
  understanding is
• 3. Summarize key factsand get the person to
  agree you have them right.
• 4. Clarify misunderstandings before finalizing
  anything.

29
Eliminate listening barriers

• 1. Noisy Workspace. If you cant move use
  headphones for calls.
• 2. People and Places. Piles of paperwork and
  people walking by are distracting.
• 3. Tiredness. If you feel sleepy, take a walk or
  get a hot or cold drink.

30
What to do when theyre not listening

• Pause for a few secondsthe break in consistent
  sound will jar people back to listening.
• Get Feedback. Ask , Does this make sense to
  you? Ask Why?

31
How to keep calls short

• Match speaking styles. Busy people, who talk
  fast, prefer direct answers with minimal small
  talk.
• Give concise answers to questions. Save lengthy
  explanations for letters or email.
• Admit it when you dont know the answer. Just
  tell the caller you will get the answer and call
  them back.
• Summarize. Confirm what was said reduces time
  consuming callbacks.

32
Cut your calls by 20

• 20 of most calls are because people didnt get
  what they wanted the first time they called. End
  all calls by asking.
• 1. Is this what you wanted/needed?
• 2. I want to make sure were clear on this?
• 3. Does this answer fir your need?
• 4. is there anything else I can help you with
  today?

33
Spend phone time wisely

• Return calls before lunch or at the end of the
  day when others will want to keep the
  conversation brief and to the point.
• Leave detailed messages. Leave the information
  you need to relay, tell people when youre
  available for a retune call or if they dont need
  to call back.

34
Dont leave a bad impression

• The worst thing a person can hear before hanging
  up is the dial tone.
• Make sure you hear the person hang up before you
  set the phone down.

35
Make a great last impression

• The last impression can be more important than
  the first.
• Set Expectations. If you cant complete a request
  before you hang up, let the person know what
  youll do and how long it will take.
• Offer more Help. Once you know the person is
  happy with whats been done, ask Is there
  anything else I can do for you?
• Invite them to call you again.

36
Smile

• Put a smile in your voice,
• A smile on your face and
• A smile in your attitude
• A caller may not see a smile but they can hear
  it.