Course Name

Customer Care and Call Handling Skills for Agents

Contact Hours: 6

Course Description

This course will give students the skills, knowledge and best practices used by successful call center agents to provide customers with a great call experience every time! You will master the skills and knowledge and best practices in customer care and call handling skills, to manage the customer relationship and to build long term customer loyalty. Skills include the core competencies and techniques to resolve customer calls and provide appropriate product and service solutions, to educate the customer by offering additional information and recommending appropriate products and services. Students will learn techniques to build customer loyalty, handle the difficult call or difficult caller to reduce conflict and to exceed customer expectations. Students will learn the best use of talk time, call management and how to provide resolution for the customer on the first call and to provide every customer with a “great call experience every time!” This course is highly interactive and performance-based. Students will practice what they learn by “doing,” that is they will use their training and role-play each step of an interactive customer call with a virtual customer online. The role-play is recorded to enable students to “playback” and listen to their call. They will learn to assess their own call quality by comparing their call against the “expert agent.” They can continue to practice and to re-record their role-play until they are satisfied with their performance. 1 year free access post course completion.

Outcome

After students complete this course they will be able to identify and/or demonstrate an understanding of the following: Explain the importance of taking care of your customers Describe the link between customer care and success Display a customer care based attitude Use your voice tone to create a great call experience Effectively interact with different personality styles Diffuse difficult customers or situations Use active listening and questioning skills to identify and uncover stated and unstated needs Connect with the customer and build credibility and trust Use effective problem solving skills to improve customer care and to manage the conversation Provide clear and understandable explanations to resolve the customer’s request Gain acceptance for your resolutions and recommendations Educate and make recommendations to add-on or up-sell additional products or services to meet your customers’ needs Effectively close the call Use the 5 step S.C.O.R.E. communications process to successfully complete two customer calls and self-evaluate them

Assessment

At the end of this course you will complete a timed quiz consisting of multiple choice questions. You will be graded on the weight of each question and on the accurate answer of each question. A total score of 85% is required for a passing grade. Use will also use the 5 step S.C.O.R.E. communications process to successfully complete and record two customer calls and self-evaluate them.

Outline

This course consists of three modules. What you will learn: Module A Manage the Customer Relationship Every business faces competition. Today, customers have more choices than ever before. They can get similar products at similar prices from many different companies. Customers want to do business with a company whose name and brand are synonymous with quality and value. Your customers want and expect a great experience with your company every time they come in contact with you. Manage the customer experience and focus on “connecting” with customers and building relationships vs. routine call handling. After you complete this module, you will correctly identify and demonstrate your understanding of the following: • The value of customer care • Customer loyalty and the customer loyalty standard • The importance of the “Brand Promise” • The customer expectation cycle • The impact of your voice on the customer relationship • How attitude affects customer care • Basic telephone etiquette techniques Module B Recognize Customer Behavior Styles When you understand customer behavior styles and characteristics, the more effectively you will communicate with them. It doesn’t mean you have to change who you are and your style preference; it means that you will be able to be more flexible and adaptable in dealing you’re your customers and in meeting their needs. After you complete this module you will correctly identify and demonstrate an understanding through call simulations/role-play with a virtual customer: • The four behavior styles • Traits for each behavior • Your own behavior style • How to be effective with different behavior styles • Ways to identify behavior styles from verbal clues Module C Provide a Great Call Experience for Every Customer on Every Call! Customer Care, Sales and Call Handling Techniques Creating a “great call experience” for your customers is both an art and a science. The CCLS S.C.O.R.E. process is a call handling and communications skills process that includes techniques, skills and best practices to enable you to provide that great call experience every time! You will master the skills and knowledge and best practices to handle calls in the “right amount of time”- not too much and not too little, use listening and questioning skills to get and give important information to resolve all of the customer’s needs effectively on the first call, deal with the difficult call or difficult caller and build and maintain customer loyalty by providing each customer with a great call experience every time! After you complete this module you will correctly identify and demonstrate an understanding of The S.C.O.R.E Process. You will demonstrate skills and competency through call simulations/role-play with a virtual customer: • Use active listening and questioning skills/techniques to uncover caller’s stated and unstated needs • Determine what else does my customer need to know and what else can I do? • Provide quality and efficiency to every caller • Provide clear and understandable explanations • Get and give important information effectively • Use problem solving techniques and skills to resolve customer concerns and issues on the first call • Use skills to diffuse the difficult caller or situation • Make recommendations for additional products and services to meet customer’s needs • Gain acceptance for your resolutions and recommendations • Effectively close calls and set the stage for future business • Use an orderly call flow sequence to handle contacts • Control contacts and make the “best use” of talk time