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Course Name
The CCLS Agent Certification Program

Contact Hours: 18

Course Description
This online course will introduce the essential skills and knowledge that enable an agent to be successful and effective in their role handling calls in the call center. The focus is on the fundaments of how the call center functions and not on the “soft skills.” This course will help the agent understand the importance of accurate call forecasting and call management in order to provide world-class service levels to customers. They will be given an overview of how call centers are staffed to insure that agents are available when customers call. They will learn about key call center measures and how their performance on-the-job impacts these critical measures. Learning these fundamentals will enable students to understand their role and why they are asked to do what they are asked to do. Students can take the learning from this course and apply it back on-the-job to achieve personal success in the Call Center environment.

Outcome
After students complete this course they will be able to identify and/or demonstrate an understanding of the following:
  • Describe what Call Centers do
  • Define how customers reach the call center
  • Explain some  typical call center terms
  • Define terms Service level and Response Time
  • List the 5 steps in the forecasting and staffing process
  • Identify Key Performance Metrics used in the call center

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.

Outline

Detailed Module Descriptions
 
Module 1: What Customer Service CSRs/Agents Need to Know About the Contact Center (2 hours online )

Introduce the functions of the contact center and provide an understanding of the contact center environment, its purpose, how it operates and the “best practices” used in the contact center to insure business success.

  • Understand the purpose, vision, mission, of the contact center
  • What makes a successful contact center?
  • Roles and responsibilities in the contact center
  • Overview of forecasting and staffing to ensure Service Level and Customer Accessibility
  • What are contact center measures and why?
  • Glossary of Contact Center Terms

Module 2: Manage Your Personal Performance and Development (2 hours online )

Every job gives you an opportunity to learn. The knowledge and skills learned are valuable to your personal and professional growth. Even learning what “not to do” is a valuable life lesson. This module looks at how and why to get the most learning possible from the work you do. Understand that managing and assuming responsibility for your own performance and development is an investment in your own personal and professional growth.

  • Evaluate your company, job, and duties
  • Identify your rights and responsibilities
  • Define your performance objectives
  • Examine basic truths about your career
  • Define coaching
  • Examine a “right” coaching experience
  • Identify coaching benefits to you and your company
  • Evaluate feedback and the feedback process

Module 3: Total (10-12 hours online)
3a. Managing 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. Great customer service, call handling, sales and collections skills are the key differentiators and the key to marketplace success.

  • Define the value of customer care
  • Examine customer loyalty and the Customer Loyalty Standard
  • Review the importance of the “Brand Promise”
  • Identify customer expectations and the expectation cycle
  • The Call is the Test – The value of a customer, the value of a call
  • Use your voice, tone and words to positively impact the customer relationship
  • Recognize the impact of attitude on customer care
  • Use best practices in telephone etiquette techniques

3b. 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.

The four behavior styles
  • Traits for each behavior
  • Your own behavior style
  • Use skills and techniques to be effective with different behavior styles
  • Identify behavior styles from verbal clues in customer statements

3c. Customer Care, Sales, Collections and Call Handling Techniques - Provide a Great Call Experience for Every Customer on Every Call:

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 your CSRs to provide that great call experience every time!

CSRs master the skills and knowledge and best practices to control contacts, to get and give important information to resolve all of your customer’s needs effectively on customer service, sales or collections calls, improve first call resolution, build and maintain customer loyalty and provide each customer with a great call experience every time! This course includes role-play, feedback and coaching for each CSR.

The S.C.O.R.E. Process has five steps:
S – Set the Stage and Sincerely Listen
C – Connect with the Customer
O – Open Doors with Questions
R – Resolve Issues and Recommend Solutions
E - Effectively End the Contact

S.C.O.R.E. –Connect with Your Customer

Acknowledge the customer’s sense of urgency, emotion, or inconvenience Establish ownership and assure the customer of your help Paraphrase understanding of the customers’ requests and/or concerns from their perspective

  • Connect with your customer, build trust and increase customer satisfaction
  • Use positive messages when responding to customers
  • Replace negative “zero” words with positive “hero” words
  • Deal effectively with difficult situations and difficult callers
  • Call Etiquette

S.C.O.R.E. – Open Doors with Questions

Use transition statements effectively. Demonstrate effective questioning skills to uncover and probe for stated and unstated needs.

  • Use open and closed questions effectively
  • Use questions to probe for opportunities to do more for the customer than asked for
  • Use questions and find opportunities to educate your customer and to control the call

S.C.O.R.E. – Resolve Issues and Recommend Solutions on Service, Sales and Collections Calls (This module modified to reflect your environment, i.e. you decide if sales and collections skills are included)

  • Resolve what your customers’ called about on the first call
  • Recommend solutions to meet all the customer’s needs on the first call
  • Use bridging statements to add-on and up sell if appropriate
  • Sell into needs: Recommend products, services and solutions that the customer may not know about. Ask for and close the sale where appropriate.
  • Use benefit and value statements tailored to your customer’s needs to support your recommendations
  • Gain agreement that the solution was the right one – that all your customer’s needs have been met
  • Use skills and techniques to promote first call resolution, and the best use of talk time

S.C.O.R.E. – Effectively End the Call

  • Understand and value change
  • Reduce resistance to change
  • Stress warning signs
  • Coping with stress – Strategies and techniques 
  • Apply the four-step process to effectively end the customer call
  • Use all five steps of the S.C.O.R.E. process on a call simulation. Students receive feedback and coaching from the CCLS Master Trainer.

Module 4: Handle Change and Stress
(2 hours online )

  • Understand and value change
  • Reduce resistance to change
  • Stress warning signs
  • Coping with stress – Strategies and techniques