A.E.P. Sales & Customer Service

A.E.P. Sales &Customer Service

LEARNING OBJECTIVESUnderstand and implement effective call handling etiquette - rapport building and empathizing

Enhance learning towards effective call handling through active participation in role plays

Interact with the clients/customers effectively

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AGENDACall FlowHold, Mute and transfer procedureVoice mailCall handling techniques questioning & paraphrasingTips on call handlingRapport BuildingEmpathizingRole PlaysQuestions/ inputs

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Call Flow4Call OpeningGreet! With a smile.(Smiles can be heard & felt over the phone) Introduce self & the organization you represent. Offer help.Identify the NeedIdentify ProcessProvide SolutionClose the CallListen to the customers need. Identify the customer. Probe - Build rapport & empathize.Paraphrase the issue. Echo questions can be asked to identify the reason for the call. Offer solution. Explain the solution in sequence. Offer alternate solution. Check for satisfaction. Close the call courteously, thank the customer for their business.

TAKING A CALLIntroduce the company name & yourself to the customer and thank them for calling.

Ask the customer for their name , if name is difficult. Ask the customer if they can pronounce it for you .

Type while talking & listening to the customer.

Listen without interruptions. Use customers name.

Summarize what has been done . Thank customer for choosing 1800. Flowers. Close call.5

Good practice in call handlingInconsistency. Not staying the same throughout the call.

Not addressing complaints seriously. Not Empathizing with the customer.

Placing calls on hold without asking the customer if he/she is willing to hold on the line. Always provide a time frame.

Interrupting the customer while he/she is speaking.

Avoid Dead Air between the agent and the customer., as well as wasted time during pauses.

Bad Practice in Call HandlingPlacing calls on holdAsk permission before placing a caller on hold. Return to the line periodically.Ask callers if they want to continue holding.Indicate how long the delay could be.Never leave a customer on hold for longer than two - three minutes.Use customers name and thank them when you come back from hold.Be courteous, respectful and professional.AVOID MUTE unless you need to cough, sneeze or need to talk to someone. Do not be on mute for more than 3 seconds.

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TRANSFERRING CALLSTransfer calls only if you are unable to help the caller.Ask permission to transfer calls.Give names and complete telephone numbers to the caller in case the call is disconnected. If the caller complains about being transferred, suggest having the call returned instead. Give the new party any helpful information before completing the transfer.Never transfer a caller more than two times. Stay till verbal handshake before disconnecting

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TO LEAVE A VOICE MAIL MESSAGELeave your name, phone number, and a brief message

Speak slowly & clearly

Make the message short & to the point8

CALL HANDLING TECHNIQUES

Speak clearly and fluentlyWithout the visual clues, it takes more time to understand what is being said.Enunciate you words clearly and precisely Breathe

Speak with enthusiasmCustomers enjoy talking to you if you are energetic and speak with enthusiasm.

Smile with your voiceA smile on your face is reflected in your voice.Always smile when you are on the phone .A smile can be felt and heard over the phone. 9

CALL HANDLING TECHNIQUES CONTINUED

Use body languageBe confident when speaking on the phoneSit up tall or stand and speak confidently.

Use simple languageDont use difficult words when explaining to customers .Be courteous, professional, understanding, helpful, and friendly.If the customer requests to have you explain it once more, reply courteously and repeat the previous statement.

Respond promptlyAlways ensure you respond promptly.Focus on your customer.10

CALL HANDLING TECHNIQUES CONTINUED.Be Sensitive and EmpatheticTry to understand callers anxiety, and situation.Do not interrupt.Do not waste time by putting them on hold unnecessarily

Be patientWhen customers call again and again for product information, be patient in answering queries.If a caller does not understand the first time, repeat the information.

Be Attentive Always be attentive while taking a call, do not do anything else while talking on the phone.11

Call handling techniques

ProbeAsk open and close ended questions.Ask Direct & indirect questions.Do not ask personal questions that may invade the customers privacy.Build RAPPORT.

Be PreparedAlways have your headsets on.Keep Notepad open to take notes about the call and customers information 12

Tips on call handlingAlways identify yourself when receiving a call. Address people by their names and titles, as appropriate.Do not talk with food or chewing gum in your mouth.Let the caller hang up first. Have a friendly tone of voiceGet to know your customers.Place yourself in your customers shoes. 13

13Inflection86% of the message is from your tone of voice

14% is grasped by the actual words

Inflection: Is putting emphasis on a specific word.Example; How can I help you today?Rapport BuildingRapport is the presence of agreement or alignment.

Establishing trust and rapport is essential to building a working relationship.

Helps in Problemsolving.

Helps in getting agreements & win-win solutions.

Enhances approachability.

Its about getting to know your customer and letting them know you are a person as well

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Rapport building16 Be honest, if not interested say so Change the subject/ postpone it Be polite & assertive Ask questions to understand expectations Get good at spotting, which modality other people use! Use visual, auditory and feeling words accordingly to make sure you appeal to the other person Ask yourself -what could I like about this person? Look for things you have in common Deal effectively with the individual Stay calm, and keep your cool. Manage your body language Four common rapport building mistakes & how to fix themFix itFix itFix itFix it

Pretending you are interestedDisliking the other person Your customer is aggressive.Not speaking their languageTips on Building RapportCreate a memorable first impression based on your communication style & attitude.

Establish your credentials as an expert in your field of work during the initial meeting.

Look for common ground like hobbies, sports, weather, etc.

Listen attentively & actively & resist the urge to interrupt, criticize , or argue. (DO NOT Argue with the customer.)

Be yourself, allow your personality to show but do it in a professional manner .

Understand tone of voice.

Empathize.17

EmpathyAbility to fully understand the other persons unique personal situation

The secret of empathizing lies in active listening.

Pay attention to your customer, pay close attention to their tone of voice. Do they sound nervous, stressed, worried.

Express that you are here to help.

Something to RememberA person may forget what you say. A person may forget what you do. But a person will not forget how you made them feel.19

ACTIVITYRole Plays20

UPSELLING21What is upselling?

is asales techniqueused by a seller to persuade thecustomerto purchase more expensive items, upgrades, or other add-ons in an attempt to make a more profitable sale.

Effective upselling strategies

Assumptive is the key. Youve got to assume that the customer will naturally want this. Begin upselling with: Brief benefitAdd something uniqueAvoid sounding pushyElaborateDescribe it

UPSELLING CONTINUED..22The Wrong way to upsell

Imagine dining at a restaurant where youve just finished a big meal. The server asks, Would you care for dessert? If you say Yes, you might give the impression of overindulging. So many customers refuse out of politeness. Result - no sale.

Right way to up sell

So the savvy server doesnt ask if the customer wants dessert. The professional just assumes that when people go out for a meal they are treating themselves. So of course theyll want to treat themselves to dessert. In this case, the server pulls up the dessert tray and says, To finish off your meal with a little something sweet (thats the benefit,) I brought the dessert tray over for you. Would you like to hear about the most popular ones? (asks permission to proceed)

When the customer agrees to hear about the desserts the server doesnt just list them by name; he describes their benefits. So rather than saying, This is chocolate mousse. Instead hed say something like, If you like chocolate youll love this. Weve got a chocolate mousse that melts in your mouth and makes you wonder what the ordinary people are doing today.UPSELLING CONTINUED..23

UPSELLING SHOULD BE EASYThe best part of upselling is that its practically effortless. Since its done after the customer has decided to go ahead with a major purchase, the hard part of the sales conversation has already been done. Youve already established rapport, identified needs, summarized, presented benefits, asked for the order and handled objections. Upselling is just presenting the information in a by-the-way assumptive manner. Now that youve already decided what you wanted. Let me tell you that we have a special going on that gets you

It sounds like ____ is very special to you. What would you say to getting this person something above and beyond special. Something that will definitely blow their socks off.ActivityRole Plays24

25Thank You