missing from the above interaction? Jeremy failed to use Chris Chris gave it to him on a What’s Dixon’s name! silver platter. Give the participants a few minutes to respond to you as you ask them to answer the following questions, pretending you are the caller. Leader: Watson that I called and would like “Hi, [participant’s name]. I’m Margie Hrebzinscki. Tell Bill him to call me back by 10:00.” [Ask participant to respond appropriately.] Participant’s Response: Leader: is Margie Hrebzinscki returning Bill “This Watson’s call.” [Ask participant to respond appropriately.] Participant’s Response: Key Point 5: Avoiding Excuses Discussion Questions: 1. Recall a recent incident where your request for information or assistance was met with excuses. How did you respond to the person taking your call? Why do callers find excuses annoying? As participants relate their experiences, emphasize how frustrating excuses are to callers. The excuse signals to callers they going to get what they need, and they sense that immediately. aren’t not my “Sorry, that’s department.” The excuse is often a complete change of topic from the request. caller’s What techniques can you use to keep from making excuses on calls you handle? Keep the conversation focused on the original purpose of the call. Take responsibility and let the caller know you intend to help. is Jeremy in the Parts Department. “This Let me connect you with Keisha in billing. Her extension is 92, in case we get disconnected.” Tell the caller what you can do, not what you do. can’t There always will be situation where callers ask for information or assistance that you directly provide. can’t What responsibility do you have to those callers?
What’s missing from the above interaction? Jeremy failed to use Chris Dixon’s name! Chris gave it to him on a silver platter. Give the participants a few minutes to respond to you as you ask them to answer the following questions, pretending you are the caller. Leader: “Hi, [participant’s name]. I’m Margie Hrebzinscki. Tell Bill Watson that I called and would like him to call me back by 10:00.” Participant’s Response: [Ask participant to respond appropriately.] Leader: “This is Margie Hrebzinscki returning Bill Watson’s call.” Participant’s Response: [Ask participant to respond appropriately.] Key Point 5: Avoiding Excuses Discussion Questions: 1. Recall a recent incident where your request for information or assistance was met with excuses. How did you respond to the person taking your call? Why do callers find excuses annoying? As participants relate their experiences, emphasize how frustrating excuses are to callers. The excuse signals to callers they aren’t going to get what they need, and they sense that immediately. “Sorry, that’s not my department.” The excuse is often a complete change of topic from the caller’s request. What techniques can you use to keep from making excuses on calls you handle? Keep the conversation focused on the original purpose of the call. Take responsibility and let the caller know you intend to help. “This is Jeremy in the Parts Department. Let me connect you with Keisha in billing. Her extension is 92, in case we get disconnected.” Tell the caller what you can do, not what you can’t do. There always will be situation where callers ask for information or assistance that you can’t directly provide. What responsibility do you have to those callers?
8Essential%20Telephone%20Skills%20LG%20DRAFT.docx