Curt to Courteous: 7 Touch Points LG



MAINTAINING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

Leader’s Guide

Copyright MMVII Telephone Doctor, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Duplication of this material

in any form is strictly prohibited.

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Improving the way your organization communicates with customers.

30 Hollenberg Court • St. Louis, MO 63044 USA

PHONE 314.291.1012 • 800-882-9911 • FAX 314.291.3710



CONTENTS

|The Goal of the Course/Objectives …………………………………………………………………………………… |3 |

|Training Outline: MAINTAINING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS …………………………………..……………. |4-5 |

|Tips for Trainers ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… |6-7 |

|Why Do We Need to Maintain Customer Relationships?……………………………………………………………. |8 |

|Point #1: Expect and Be Prepared for Customer’s Voice Mail……………………………………………………... |9 |

|Point #2: No Longer with Company – Be Proactive…………….………………………………………….………… |10 |

|Point #3: Make “No Ulterior Motive” Calls…………………………………………………………….………………. |11 |

|Skill Practice: Making NUM calls……………………………………………………………………………………….. |12 |

|Point #4: Handle Any Problems That Arise Immediately …………………………………………………………… |13 |

|Point # 5: Gain Additional Business …………………………………………………………….……………….. ….. |14 |

|Skill Practice: Building Rapport………………………………………………………………………………………… |15 |

|Before They Go …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. |16 |

|Overhead Transparencies …………………………………………………….……………………….……….………. |17-18 |

|Instructor’s Notes ……………………………………………………………………….……………………………….. |19-20 |

About Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training…

Telephone Doctor is a St. Louis based customer service training company that offers products and techniques designed to improve the service skills of customer contact employees. Nancy Friedman, our founder and president, presents this program. Through videos, DVDs, CD-ROMS, web-based courses, books, audio programs and instructor-led workshops, Telephone Doctor has helped tens of thousands of organizations increase revenue, improve customer satisfaction ratings, and reduce employee turnover. For additional information, please visit .

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MAINTAINING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS:

The Goal of the Course

How to build and maintain relationships to encourage future business.

Objectives:

In support of this goal, participants who have successfully completed this course will have demonstrated, through written and/or verbal exercises, the ability to:

◊ learn and demonstrate understanding of follow up techniques to establish and maintain long-term business relationships

◊ demonstrate examples of how to effectively use the five techniques for follow up outlined in this program and

◊ Understand and appreciate the benefits of relationship building on future business with customers.

The long-term value of this program creates a need to utilize the content in a variety of different uses. The following outline is based on a more traditional approach of showing the program in its entirety then participating in discussions. Additional uses include:

◊ One Key Point at a time during a staff meeting.

◊ Use a single segment as a buy-in activity.

◊ Individual Key Points can be used to add another dimension to other training programs.

Training Outline:

MAINTAINING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS:

I. Introduction to the Topic (See “The Goal of the Course” page 3) (Approximately 3 min.)

A. State the goal of the course in your opening comments.

B. Include the class objectives.

II. Getting Acquainted (see “Tips for Trainers” pages 6-7) (Approximately 15 min.)

A. Introduction of trainer.

B. Use an icebreaker activity or buy-in activity.

C. Administer: Before-and-After Skills Inventory. (Can be found in Participant Workbook.)

III. View Program: MAINTAINING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS (14 minutes in its entirety)

IV. Application of Key Points (Approximately 45-60 min.)

A. Ask discussion questions provided in Leader’s Guide.

B. Participants complete accompanying workbook pages.

V. Why do we need to maintain relationships with current and past customers?

a. It’s important to build a relationship rather than just one interaction with customers.

b. Customers placing orders are always treated very well.

c. An important factor missing in business today is follow up, or dealing with a customer after the sale or contact has been made.

d. Your database probably has thousands of names on it. How much more business is out there waiting to buy again? How much has gone to the competition because they’ve felt neglected?

c. In this program, we’ll see how to make a proper follow up call for 5 common situations.

Point #1: Expect and Be Prepared to Reach Customer’s Voice Mail

a. You’re more likely to reach voice mail than not. Expect it.

b. Have message planned in advance so you’ll leave an effective message to get value out of the call.

c. Keep a list of past customers handy to help you stay in touch.

d. “Sandwich” or use at least two (2) channels of communication to make sure your message is received. For example, using voice mail sandwiched with email is one way to get value from every contact. We never know which channel our contact will use first.

e. Keep messages short and sweet.

Point # 2: If your contact is gone or left, be proactive—find out who your new contact is.

a. When you find out your contact is no longer with the company, call the new contact name and introduce yourself.

b. Be proactive. Now is the time to build rapport and save business.

c. Avoid mentioning the former contact. Focus on building new rapport and cementing your new relationship.

Point #3: Make “No Ulterior Motive” (NUM) Calls.

a. It’s a goodwill building call rather than a sales call.

b. The main idea is to let the customer know you’re thinking about them, to say hello.

c. From the customer’s perspective, a NUM call is a welcomed call.

Point #4: Handle any problems that arise immediately.

a. If you find out your customer has a complaint, be glad for the opportunity to fix it.

b. Take steps to immediately solve the problem.

c. Follow up calls put out fires and probably saves clients.

Point #5: Gain Additional Business.

a. The best scenario is calling and finding out the customer needs to order more product.

b. In a choice between follow up or foul up, choose follow up.

Recap of Maintaining Customer Relationships (Approximately 5-7 min.)

a. Expect to Reach Customer’s Voice Mail.

b. If your contact is gone, be proactive - find out who the new contact is.

c. “No Ulterior Motive” (NUM) Call is a goodwill call – a way to touch base & keep in touch with contacts.

d. d. Handle any problems that arise immediately.

e. e. Gain additional business.

VI. Wrap Up

A. Select method of review.

B. Use a commitment activity (see page 14 in the Participant Workbook).

C. Ask participants to complete your evaluation of the session. (If used).

D. Distribute Maintaining Customer Relationships Desktop Reminder cards to participants.

Note: The total length of this class is approximately: 90 minutes

(All Telephone Doctor programs can be made into several length sessions. From showing the program – a mere 30-minute program from takeoff to landing - or as much time as you need, up to a full day program). It’s whatever you put into it.

For each skill practice included in the session, increase the total length of the class by approximately 10 minutes.

Tips for Trainers

In order for participants to receive the maximum benefits from this course, here are some tips for success.

Assemble Learning Resources

1. Locate the program: MAINTAINING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS.

2. Use Participant Workbooks; this will greatly enhance the training.

3. Distribute Telephone Doctor Desktop Reminder Cards at the end of the session for each participant; this will

encourage behavior modification.

4. You’ll need:

A. A TV and DVD player.

B. A flip chart or white board and markers, or chalkboard and chalk.

C. An overhead projector and screen (both optional). Overhead transparency copy is provided in the back of this guide.

Create a Comfortable Physical Learning Environment

1. Choose a comfortable, well-lighted room with good TV sight lines and no distractions.

2. Arrange straight tables in a U-shaped set-up or use round tables. Either way, it is important that each participant be able to make eye contact with other participants.

3. Use name tents or nametags for class participants.

4. Encourage note taking by using designated pages in the Participant Workbook or supply pencil and paper.

5. Schedule breaks every 1½ to 2 hours (maximum 4 hours or as needed).

6. To assure participation by all participants, we suggest a maximum class size of 25.

Create a Comfortable Psychological Learning Environment

1. Introduce yourself. Give the participants a brief sketch of your background, your experience, and how you relate to the training subject. The more comfortable the participants are, the more effective you will be in facilitating their learning.

2. Allow the participants to get comfortable with each other. Use self-introductions or icebreaking exercises to get the group relaxed.

A. The participants can use your introduction as a model, which will help them overcome any natural reluctance to talk about themselves.

B. Divide the class into groups of two. Give each pair of participants about ten minutes to interview each other. Each one, in turn, introduces his or her partner to the group. This will speed the process of getting the participants to function as a group.

C. Multiple sources for icebreaker exercises exist. Visit your favorite bookstore or local library. A great book

jam-packed with activities: The Fun Factor: Games, Sales Contests and Activities that Make Work Fun and Get Results, by Carolyn Greenwich.

3. Acquaint the participants with “housekeeping” items. Advise the participants regarding the important features of the training environment (e.g., location of restrooms and lounge facilities, breaks, etc.).

4. Establish clear goals. The specific learning objectives for this class are included in the Leader’s Guide. Keep in mind that the clearer the participants’ understanding of their objectives, the more likely it is that they will achieve those objectives.

Tips for Trainers (continued)

Involve the Participants

1. The corresponding Participant Workbook (provided on a CD-ROM for easy duplication) provides a Before-and-After Skills Inventory. The Before-and-After Skills Inventory has a dual purpose. It can be used as a pre-test/post-test exercise or as a buy-in activity. Using this inventory sets the stage for immediate involvement.

2. Choose the vignettes that best meet your needs. Decide the viewing method that works best (start/stop, all

inclusive, minus the review segment, etc.).

3. When using Telephone Doctor Participant Workbooks, there are a variety of ways to complete the questions.

A. Divide the participants into two groups, assign each group a page, and have the group prepare to discuss one or two questions from each page.

B. Prior to class, instructor selects most pertinent questions to be completed during class.

C. Assign homework to participants to complete remaining questions. Be sure to let participants know when

you expect the completed assignments.

4. Verify participant understanding by asking questions. Make the participants do most of the work. Resist

the urge to take over. Facilitate – but don’t dominate. Ask questions, coax answers, and encourage give and take.

A. Encourage involvement of participants by beginning questions with such phrases as:

1) “What did you think about that?”

2) “Tell me what you just saw.”

3) “That was interesting; what was your take on it?”

4) “What were your initial impressions?”

5) “How did that make you feel?”

6) and, don’t forget “How do you think the customer felt?”

B. Reduce participant’s apprehension by positively reinforcing their comments with statements such as:

1) “That’s interesting; tell me more about what you mean.”

2) “I hadn’t considered that angle yet.”

3) “Okay, thanks for sharing that with us.”

4) “That’ll be one of the things we need to consider.”

5) “I really like your insight.”

6) “That’s sure a unique perspective. Who else has some ideas?”

C. Reward participants for their enthusiastic participation. Prizes are always coveted and Telephone Doctor has many fun promotional items available for purchase, including fuzzy phones, mirrors, buttons, etc. And, of course, candy (preferably chocolate) always works!

Why do we need to maintain customer relationships?

Discussion Questions:

1. What should be the purpose of this program?

Answer:

A. How to make a proper and effective follow up call.

B. To illustrate five common situations which can occur when making follow up calls.

2. What is the important factor missing in business today?

Answer:

A. The follow up. Dealing with a customer after the relationship has been established.

B. Customers are treated well when they are placing their order. Afterwards? Often nothing.

3. What is the value of follow up?

Answer:

A. Your organization has thousands of names on it. Why not use them?

B. Through follow up, you can discover how much more business is out there waiting to buy again.

C. Stop customers from going to the competition because they feel they’re being neglected.

4. How do you keep in touch with a customer after a sale?

Answer:

A. By telephone and/or voice mail.

B. Email.

C. A short note or card (if handwritten, make sure it’s legible!)

D. Sending a newspaper or professional journal clipping with a note.

E. Special occasion reminders and notes.

F. When possible and effective, an in-person visit.

Bonus Tip:

A friendly reminder, any note you send be sure you date it!

Point 1: Expect and be prepared to reach customer’s voice mail.

Discussion Questions:

1. How likely are you to reach your customer’s voice mail?

Answer:

A. Chances are very high that you’ll reach voice mail. Some studies say as high as 80%.

B. Rather than being disappointed or surprised when you reach voice mail, expect it and be prepared.

C. Have a message planned out in advance to get value out of every call.

2. To whom does Joe make follow up calls?

Answer:

A. Joe has a list of folks who have purchased from him.

B. He understands the importance of staying in touch.

C. He knows it’s important to stay in touch will all customers in some way - at least a few times a year.

3. What is “sandwiching” calls?

Answer:

A. “Sandwiching” is using two channels of communication in order to help make contact and get your message heard.

B. Often it is sending an email after leaving a voice mail or vice versa.

C. It’s another way to get value out of every call.

D. “Sandwiching” is effective because we never know which touch point of communication our contact will be using first.

4. What kind of message should be left?

Answer:

A. With voice mail, delivery is important. Stay upbeat and be sure to smile –your customer can hear the difference. Repeat your contact information twice and slowly.

B. Emails should be short and sweet. Make your point quickly.

5. How do customers react to the sandwiching technique?

Answer:

A. Busy customers appreciate the effort that you’re staying in touch.

B. They consider professionals using “sandwiching” techniques as sharp and on the ball.

TELEPHONE DOCTOR PRESCRIPTION:

1. Expect and be prepared to reach voice mail.

2. Have your message planned out in advance so you’ll leave an effective message.

3. Sandwich calls – use two channels of communication in order to make sure your message is heard.

4. Keep messages short and sweet. Repeat contact information twice.

5. Thank customers for past business.

6. Get value out of every call. Find out new information.

Point 2: If your contact is gone, be proactive. Find out who the new contact is.

Discussion Questions:

1. What should you do if you find out your contact is no longer with the company?

Answer:

A. Be proactive. Use the opportunity to get a new contact name.

B. Be prepared to introduce yourself and begin right away to build rapport and possibly assure future business.

2. Is it a good idea to ask about your former contact?

Answer:

A. It’s best to focus on building a relationship with your new contact.

B. Take your cue from the way the information is relayed to you. If your former contact was promoted or retired, it will probably be mentioned. If not, avoid awkward questions that your new contact may not be comfortable answering.

3. What is your goal in this situation?

Answer:

A. Your job is to meet the new contact and begin to build rapport.

B. You want to cement your relationship to increase the probability of future business.

4. Before engaging any customer in a conversation, what is one of the first things you want to do?

Answer:

A. Always make sure your customer has time for a conversation. Use a phrase like “Let me know if I’ve caught you at a bad time . . . “

B. If it’s not a good time, arrange a mutually convenient follow up time.

Bonus Tip:

Telephone Doctor® motto – always ask for time to talk.

TELEPHONE DOCTOR PRESCRIPTION:

1. If you find out your contact is gone, be proactive. Find out who your new contact is.

2. Be prepared to introduce yourself and begin right away to build rapport.

3. Always begin by asking if your contact has time before beginning any conversation.

4. It’s best not to refer to the former contact. Take your cue from how it is addressed.

5. To get value from this kind of call, find out who your new contact is and begin immediately to build rapport.

Point 3: Make “No Ulterior Motive” (NUM) Calls.

Discussion Questions:

1. What does NUM stand for?

Answer:

A. No Ulterior Motive

B. Your objective is to check in and exchange pleasantries. Be interested.

C. It’s a good time to thank him/her for past business.

2. What is the point of a NUM call?

Answer:

A. It’s a good will call.

B. From the customer’s standpoint, you aren’t asking for anything. It’s social.

C. It’s also a way to make sure your product is working, as it should.

3. What other benefits are there from NUM calls?

Answer:

A. Your rapport building helps in future sales calls.

B. The main idea is to let the customer know you’re thinking of him/her.

TELEPHONE DOCTOR PRESCRIPTION:

1. A NUM call is a “no ulterior motive” call.

2. It is a good will call rather than a sales call.

3. It is a way to thank your customer for past business.

4. Rapport building may help with future sales calls.

5. It’s a good way to make sure your product is working properly.

6. The value of this call is that your customer knows you’re thinking of him/her.

Skill Practice:

Objective: Practice a variety of NUM calls to get value from every call made to customers.

1. Divide the group into teams.

2. Get one volunteer to make the sales call and one volunteer to be the customer.

3. On slips of paper, describe the scenarios that have been discussed.

For example: new contact, voice mail, “sandwiching”, problem with product, etc.

4. Have the salesperson make a NUM call and respond accordingly.

5. Have the group discuss the pros and cons of the role play. What was the value?

6. What else might have been effective?

Bonus Tip:

NUM calls make the customer feel important.

♦ You’ve stopped by to say hello.

♦ You’ve showed you care.

Point 4: Handle any problems that arise immediately.

Discussion Questions:

1. What should you do if you discover a customer is having a problem?

Answer:

A. If something is not working right, you can take immediate action to begin to make things right.

B. By solving the problem, you can keep the customer.

C. You can keep them from going to your competition.

2. What did Joe find out when he called Paige?

Answer:

A. The engineers were having a problem with the widgets in a different location.

B. By asking specific probing questions, he was able to figure out what was causing the problem.

C. By finding out about the problem in a timely manner, he was able to fix the problem and save a valuable customer.

3. What is likely to have happened if Joe hadn’t made the call?

Answer:

A. Paige and the engineers would have become aggravated at having to replace so many widgets.

B. They probably would have looked to the competition to provide the solution.

4. What was the value from this call?

Answer:

A. Joe was able to solve a problem that was costing his customer time and money.

B. He saved the account from going to the competition.

C. He increased his standing as a professional with Paige by being proactive.

D. He demonstrated that he and his company stand behind the quality of their products.

E. He increased the likelihood of future business.

TELEPHONE DOCTOR PRESCRIPTION:

1. Don’t dread finding out about a problem your customer is having. Be prepared to help.

2. If you find a problem, take immediate action to make things right.

3. Ask specific probing questions to determine the true problem.

4. By calling, Joe was able to put out a fire and probably save a client.

5. The value of this call is solving a problem and saving a client.

Point 5: Gain Additional Business.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the value of the last scenario?

Answer:

A. You get good news.

B. Your customer wants to order additional product.

C. You know your contact likes you and your company.

2. What happens when you make yourself valuable to your customer?

Answer:

A. They appreciate good service and you gain future business and long-term loyalty.

B. When competitors approach with similar products and pricing, they’ll often keep your company as their source because of the service you’ve provided in the past.

C. They’ll often recommend you and your company to others.

3. What is the specific value of this call?

Answer:

A. Increased revenue from an unexpected order.

B. Satisfaction of knowing you have a loyal customer who appreciates your extra efforts.

TELEPHONE DOCTOR PRESCRIPTION:

1. Some NUM calls result in unexpected additional business.

2. You gain satisfaction from knowing your customer appreciates your extra effort.

3. When price and selection are similar, you give the customer reason to choose your product.

4. Long-term loyalty by a customer often translates into increased revenue for you.

Skill Practice: Rapport building

Objective: Learn to develop naturally inquisitive rapport building skills to develop and maintain ongoing relationships with your customers.

1. Naturally Inquisitive Questions are ones that:

a. have a legitimate business purpose

b. expand the conversation; and

d. gain information to better serve the customer

2. Using a flip chart, draw 3 squares. Label as follows:

a. Passive

b. Average

d. Proactive

Describe a conversation an agent may hear. For example:

“I won’t be able to look at that until after I get back from vacation in two weeks.”

Point to a square and ask someone to think of a question, which is either passive, average or proactive.

For example:

Passive: “Well, okay, what time?”

Average: “ Oh, well that’ll be nice. We’ll talk then.”

Proactive: “Vacation! Someplace exciting I hope … I’ll be sure to call to get all the details, then we’ll talk about …”

Then have the group discuss which questions help to build a better relationship with the customer. How? What’s a reasonable next step?

For the answers that work best, reward the participant by giving him/her something to “nibble” on, i.e., a cookie, etc.

Before They Go

In order to reinforce the skills and techniques that have been addressed, choose one or more of these reinforcement options.

Choose Methods of Review

A. Additional discussion questions may be provided in this Leader’s Guide for your use.

B. The corresponding Participant Workbook provides a 10-point quiz directly related to skills shown in the program.

C. Telephone Doctor® overhead transparencies are a useful way to reinforce the key points made during the course. Notice the Key Points are identical to the Telephone Doctor Prescriptions located throughout the Leader’s Guides and Participant Workbooks. More great news! By purchasing the program, MAINTAINING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS, Telephone Doctor grants permission to recreate the Overhead Transparency pages in a PowerPoint presentation or copy the pages to create overhead transparencies.

D. If you are using the Before-and-After Skills Inventory to evaluate training effectiveness, instruct participants to re-take the inventory and compute scores to evaluate improvement. Congratulate participants on their improvement.

Your Finale

A. Change is more likely to occur if participants commit to implementing skills and techniques discussed during this course. Various resources are available illustrating commitment exercises. We may have included a Call to Action commitment exercise in the corresponding Participant Workbook.

B. In order to evaluate training success and identify areas to improve, provide participants with the opportunity to make comments using evaluations. This is a prime opportunity to identify future training needs.

C. Distribute Telephone Doctor® Desktop Reminder Cards. They provide participants with a quick reference of important key points discussed in the course. This enables participants to have an ongoing reminder of skills needed for improvement.

Key Points: MAINTAINING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

Point 1: Expect and be prepared to reach customer’s voice mail.

1. Expect and be prepared to reach voice mail.

2. Have your message planned out in advance so you’ll leave an effective message.

3. Sandwich calls – use 2 channels of communication in order to make sure your message is heard.

4. Keep messages short and sweet. Repeat contact information twice.

5. Thank customers for past business.

6. Get value out of every call.

Point 2: If your contact is gone, be proactive. Find out who the new contact is.

1. If you find out your contact is gone, be proactive. Find out who your new contact is.

2. Be prepared to introduce yourself and begin right away to build rapport.

3. Always begin by asking if your contact has time for the conversation before beginning a conversation.

4. It’s best not to refer to the former contact. Take your cue from how it is addressed.

5. To get value from this kind of call, find out who your new contact is and begin immediately to build rapport.

Point 3: Make NUM (no ulterior motive) Calls.

1. A NUM call is a “no ulterior motive” call.

2. It is a goodwill call rather than a sales call.

3. It is a way to thank your customer for past business.

4. Rapport building may help with future sales calls.

5. It’s a good way to make sure your product is working properly

6. The value of this call is that your customer knows you’re thinking of him/her.

Point 4: Handle any problems that arise immediately.

1. Don’t dread finding out about a problem your customer is having. Be prepared to help.

2. If you find a problem, take immediate action to make things right.

3. Ask specific probing questions to determine the true problem.

4. By calling, Joe was able to put out a fire and probably save a client.

5. The value of this call is solving a problem and saving a client.

Point 5: Gain additional business.

1. Some NUM calls result in unexpected additional business.

2. You gain satisfaction from knowing your customer appreciates your extra effort.

3. With price and selection similar, you give the customer reason to choose your product.

4. Long-term loyalty by a customer often translates into increased revenue for you.

Instructor Notes

Instructor Notes

Instructor Notes

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