Telephone & Confrence Call Etiquettes

THE DIRECT SALES CYCLE

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

AGENDA

DEVELOPING CUSTOMER RELATION

DURATION – 3 hrs  CUSTOMER CARE

• Telephone Etiquettes ► Incoming

/ Outgoing Telephone Calls ► Active listening ► Objection Handling - Pose "Suppose" ► Key Questions ► Telephone Tips ► Leaving A Message On Voice Mail • Writing mails ► Content ► Written proposals – structure ► Letter writing tips • Conference Call Etiquettes SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

DEVELOPING  CUSTOMER CARE "People judge you on the quality of reception"

• Incoming Telephone Calls ►

Always keep a pen and paper within your reach

►

Answer within four rings and with a smile

►

Write caller’s NAME, COMPANY, NUMBER

►

Talk to the caller in his/her own language.

(Contd.)

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DEVELOPING  CUSTOMER CARE (Contd.)

• Incoming Telephone Calls ► If

on outside line, announce" Good am/pm...this is Zensoft Pvt Ltd. Anjani speaking, how can we help you?

► "Hello"

is appropriate and "Yes" is curt and inappropriate

► Ask

caller Name, Company, Contact required and the purpose of call.

► Transfer ► If

saying "Thank you, transferring you now"

contact out take telephone no. And message.

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

DEVELOPING  Avoid

• Silences • Waiting • Multiple transfers • Asking them to call back • When on hold either cover the mouth peice/on put on the hold music.

• Saying" he is busy / at a long lunch / can you call back / don't know where"

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DEVELOPING  ACTIVE LISTENING

• To have a reference later • Employ active listening voices such as "Yes", "I See" "Great" • Never use "Ahhh", "Ummh" • Recap at the end, using your notes. • Repeat any resolutions or commitments on either side, to make sure you both are "on the same page"

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

DEVELOPING  OUTGOING TELEPHONE CALLS

• Always keep a pen and paper within your reach • Time your calls • Dial the number slowly to dial accurately • In case of wrong number dialed...never just hang - up, rather apologies.

• Enunciate your words clearly and slowly. • Be polite to the "gate keepers" like secretaries, office assistance, etc.

• It will be wise to learn the names of the top assistants.

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

DEVELOPING  OUTGOING TELEPHONE CALLS

• Once you have reached the desired person, remind them of prior conversation/appointment

• Ask the party if they have the time for you. • If "no" breifly state the purpose of your call and ask for an appointment to follow up later.

• Speak clearly and slowly • Never be rude to a recevier • When calling other organisation, it is always better to give in the name of the company and purpose of the call.

• End the call with a positive note like thanking him for their time and express an interest of talking again (if that is true...)

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PROSPECTING  OBJECTION HANDLING - POSE "SUPPOSE"  Examples

• NO BUDGET: "Suppose it paid for itself, you'd been interested, wouldn't you?

• TOO BUSY: "Suppose we fixed a time next month when we're both free?

• SEND ME LITERATURE: "Suppose we saved you 30 minutes reading time instead?

• NO NEED TO CHANGE SUPPILERS: "Suppose we gave you better value ......“ Then ask for appointment WITHOUT PAUSING.

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

DEVELOPING  DEFUSING COMPLAINTS - BY PHONE

• • • • • • • • •

Listen and stay calm Don't interrupt Don't pass the buck Ask probing questions to verify the facts (be tactful) Check back your understanding Apologize and invite them to suggest compensation. Agree action and time frame Thank them Hang up phone last.

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DEVELOPING  DEFUSING COMPLAINTS - BY LETTER “One complaint IN TEN reaches you BUT ONE complainer TELLS TEN other prospective clients”

• Acknowledge regrets within one day by mail / fax or phone • Give a solution date and stick by it • Summarize issue and invite reply • Thank them • Follow up by phone for final "ok"

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

PROSPECTING  During your call or in the letter Avoid

Use

Negative/Passive

Positive/Active

Pay



Invest

Suggest



Recommend

Change



Improve

Sign



Approve

If



When

I



You

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

FACT - FINDING  KEY QUESTIONS

WANTS

• • •

What would you like to improve most? What is the impact of no improvements? What alternatives are being considered?

•

Who else is involved in evaluating & approving?

TIMESCALE

• •

What are your key goals? What issues stand in the way?

SPEND

•

When will you complete evaluation & installation?

• •

How much money has been provisioned? Which budget will it come from?

AUTHORITY NEED

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TELEPHONE TIPS  Basic Good Manners :

• Let the telephone ring a reasonable length of time. It is frustrating to just get to the telephone and hear a dial tone.

• If you dial a number that is wrong, apologize, promptly and hangup.

• Calling a business at or very near closing time is to say the least un-thoughtful. When it is time to go home, after a long day, do delay them.

not

• State your name when placing a call. The game of "guess who this is" may not play very well to a busy friend.

• When speaking to anyone who is working and time is of the essence, make your call informative and short.

• Dial carefully and in proper lighting to avoid calling a wrong number and in-convenience others.

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

TELEPHONE TIPS  Introducing yourself • This is Kanan… • Shefali speaking…  Asking for Someone • Can I have extension 321? • Could I speak to...? (Can I - more informal / May I - more formal) • Is Dipti in? (informal idiom meaning: Is Dipti in the office?)  How to reply when someone is not available • I'm afraid ... is not available at the moment • The line is busy... (when the extension requested is being used) • Mr. Rahul isn't in... • Mr. Rahul is out at the moment... SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

TELEPHONE TIPS  Asking who is on the telephone

• Excuse me, who is this? • Can I ask who is calling, please?  Connecting Someone

• I'll put you through (put through - phrasal verb meaning 'connect')

• Can you hold the line? • Can you hold on a moment?  Taking a Message

• Could (Can, May) I take a message? • Could (Can, May) I tell him who is calling? • Would you like to leave a message? SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

LEAVING A MESSAGE ON VOICE MAIL  Dharmraj : Hello Jameel, this is Dharmraj. It's about noon and I'm calling to see if you would like to go to the Rational Meeting on Friday. Could you call me back? You can reach me at 9422088874 until five this afternoon. I'll talk to you later, bye.  You only need to make sure that you have stated all the most important information:

• Your Name, The Time, The Reason for Calling, Your Telephone Number

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DIRECT MAIL “If you can’t make your point in one page or less, you aren’t ready to write the letter.”

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LETTER WRITING TIPS  In writing a letter, you should try to:

• Capture the reader’s attention • Express what you need to say as concisely as you can • Convey a positive attitude • Avoid grammatical and spelling errors. • Structure and Content • There are no hard and fast rules for constructing a letter, but the following provides a guide.

• (You may find it useful to experiment with formats to see which works best for you.)

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THE SEVEN C’ s OF BUSINESS LETTER WRITING ► Clear ► Concise ► Correct ► Courteous ► Conversational ► Convincing ► Complete

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PUTTING YOUR READER FIRST  Ask questions to get a clear picture of your readers. 

Who are my readers?



What do they already know about the subject?



What do they need to know?



Will they understand technical terms?



What information do they want?



What do I want them to do?



What interests or motivates them?



What prejudices do they have?



What worries or reassures them?



What will persuade them to my view?



What other arguments do I need to present?



How are they likely to react to what I say? SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

Letter Writing Tips 

Keep it short and to the point.



People do not like to read beyond the first page.



Focus on the recipient’s needs.



Use simple and appropriate language.



Detailed information can be relegated to attachments



Re-read and revise it



Check spelling and grammar. SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

DIRECT MAIL  CONTENT

• Address by name, not “sir/madam’ • State main benefits to them • Quote testimonials or proof • Highlight key words • Sign it  LIMIT TO

• One page • Five lines per paragraph • 14 words per sentence

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

DIRECT MAIL • AIDA ► Attention

: Introduce with Personalised “you” appeal

► Interest

: show how it affects them

► Desire

: explain benefits to them

► Action

: stimulate their action/confirm your follow up

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

LETTER WRITING TIPS  Beginnings and Endings

• Address by name if you can, such as: Dear Ms Maghna and conclude with Yours sincerely

• If you have no name, address as: Dear Sir and conclude with Yours faithfully

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CONFERENCE CALL

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

Conference Call Etiquette  Make sure you are in a quiet location where you will not be disturbed.  Use appropriate equipment.  Turn off your call waiting.  Be on time or early!  Introduce yourself when you begin speaking.  Don't put your phone on HOLD to do something else.  Try to stay on schedule.  End the call clearly.

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

Encouraging Open Discussion  If you're having trouble getting your callers to participate freely during conference calls, try these tips:

• Open up your meeting with a roll call. • Make sure all participants are familiar with each other. • Track who's talking. • When it's time to open up for discussion, take the lead

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

How To Improve Your Conference Call Presentation

 Use A Powerful Greeting  Stick To The Agenda  Don't Let Anyone Throw You Off Track  Stick To The Minutes  Group Participation  Ending The Call

SEED INFOTECH Pvt. Ltd.

Basic Rules  Be Punctual  Use Your Mute Button!  HOLD on using "hold  WHO is speaking?  Armed Forces Motto: Always Be Prepared

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