Professional Telephone Techniques

A Two-Day Training Course

Course Aims

This course has been designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to be able to handle telephone calls in a professional and efficient manner.

This course will enable delegates to:

• Identify and demonstrate effective telephone techniques.
• Indicate and demonstrate appropriate methods of answering the telephone and transferring calls.
• Recognise and manage difficult callers.
• Develop essential telephone time-management techniques.

Course Outline

Effective telephone techniques

• Strengths of the telephone
• Verbal versus visual
• An organised work environment
• A positive attitude
• Using your voice effectively
• Keys to effective listening
• Active listening skills
• Be a positive talker

Answering the telephone and transferring calls

• Responding professionally
• Talking to the customer who does not speak clear English
• Placing a caller on hold
• Transferring calls smoothly
• Screening calls
• Taking messages

Managing difficult callers

• Assertive, aggressive and non-assertive behaviour
• How to use assertiveness to deal with aggressive people
• Satisfying customers - dealing with complaints

Managing your telephone time

• Personal calls
• Leaving messages on answering machines

Target Audience

This course will be of benefit to all members of any organisation. Everybody has to interact with other people, be they customers, suppliers or colleagues, and to do this professionally requires good quality training in the requisite use of the telephone.

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