Every organisation at one point or the other has to manage their prospective and existing clients over the phone. Every customer calling your organisation should receive a positive and seamless service that is professional, efficient and responsive. Customers who are handled well will notice the good service, bring more business and hopefully build a long term relationship with you. Customers who are not handled well damage your reputation and take their business to the competition.

• Prepare yourself before you even take call with proper supplies and tools
• Open a conversation by ideally getting to the phone within 3 rings and identifying yourself clearly and positively, with a friendly “smile in your voice”
• Listen carefully by focusing carefully on the caller’s words, tone, and by avoiding interrupting before the other party has finished speaking
• Target questions carefully to clarify what is needed from the caller and to quickly provide answers to any problems or issues
• Clarify a caller’s needs by gentle probing and summarizing helps to quickly appreciate what action is needed, from the call
• Close involves agreeing on any actions and next steps to be taken and always trying to end on a friendly note with the caller

• Projecting a professional image, building rapport, voice presentation skills.
• Customer service essentials
• Understanding the power of the phone and how to use it to influence
• Call planning and follow up
• Active listening techniques, hearing the whole picture.
• Questioning and summarising skills
• Understand the causes of difficult behaviour
• Learn how not to take things personally
• Understand different personalities types
• How to avoid getting into an argument
• Handle and defuse verbal aggression
• Develop ways to deal with difficult people
• Understand different types of behaviour
• Understand verbal and non-verbal behaviour and its impact
• Develop assertiveness to reach a win situation
• Things you do not do when using the phone