Having good telephone skills helps build stronger relationships with everyone. Whether the call is incoming or outbound, the following can be applied to virtually every call..
Here is my “top ten” phone skills list:
1. Let’s start with enthusiasm. Try to convey some type of enthusiasm. From beginning to end, show that you care about the person you are talking to. You don’t need to act overly excited about your phone conversation. Just have a positive attitude. It is contagious.
2. Be sure to smile. Even though you are on the phone, the other person can sense a smile from you. Some telephone experts recommend putting a mirror on your desk to remind you when you are not smiling at the customer. For people who are on the phone all day, a mirror may not be a bad idea.
3. How do you sound on the phone? Using the right tone of voice creates atmosphere on the phone. This ties into the first two on this list. Is your enthusiasm coming through? Do you have a positive attitude? Is your phone conversation strictly business? Is it lighter or personal? Your tone and voice
inflections will create an impression and help the person on the other end understand what you are telling them.
4. Say “Hello!” (or good morning, good afternoon, etc.) Have a warm greeting or opening. Welcome people into the conversation. Don’t make them feel as if they are an interruption. If you are too busy, then let someone else or your voice mail pick up the phone. That is lot better than a greeting that sounds like, “Yah, what do you want!”
5. Say “Goodbye.” Have a strong closing. At the minimum, be sure to say goodbye before hanging up the phone. How many times have you expected someone to say goodbye, have a nice day, etc. only to hear a click? Don’t do that to your customer!
6. When talking to a customer, avoid company or technical terminology that they may not understand. Everybody has had this happen at one time or another. Someone tries to tell you something and you have absolutely no idea what he is talking about. It sounds like it could be English, and it is. But, you still don’t understand it because it is technical jargon. Technical terms or industry buzz-words can put a customer in an uncomfortable position. They might feel dumb because they don’t understand you. Or, they may feel frustrated and become impatient.
7. Don’t get angry, even if the customer is. It is not always easy to keep calm, especially if the customer is angry about something you have no control over. (Chances are they are mad at something that has already happened.) If a customer is complaining and angry, let them vent. Most likely they aren’t mad at you personally. Ask them questions to show that you care. Don’t add to their aggravation. You might ask them to repeat the problem just to make sure you understand. Be a good listener.
8. When transferring - ONLY ONCE! If you are transferring to someone else, make sure that person is available. Don’t put the customer on the hold, transfer, hold, transfer, hold, transfer, routine. (I hate when that happens!)
9. Control the “hold” button on your phone. A survey in USA Today conducted by Nancy Friedman (a.k.a. The Telephone Doctor) showed that customers hate, more than anything else relating to the phone, to be put on HOLD! There are really only two reasons to put someone on hold: to transfer to someone else or to get information.
10. More on controlling that “hold” button. If you are going to make a customer wait on hold, for any reason, let them know how long they will have to wait. When you say a minute and it really is just a minute, it will probably seem a lot longer to them. So, if you are asking them to hold for an extended period of time, it is probably best to call them back. Promise to call at a specific time. Then, keep your promise!
About the Author
Shep Hyken, CSP is a professional speaker and author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep’s speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs contact (314)692-2200 or Shep@hyken.com. http://www.hyken.com
译文:
教你十招---电话沟通技巧
良好的电话沟通技巧可以帮助您与每个人建立更稳固的关系。无论接听电话还是拨打电话，下面介绍的这些技巧都非常适用。
电话沟通十大技巧：
1. 热情的开始。试着向对方传达你的热情。从开始到电话结束，都要让对方感觉到你对他的关心。当然，你不必要表现的过分热情和兴奋，只是要有一个很积极的态度。因为热情是可以传染的。
2. 一定要微笑。即使是通过电话，对方也能够感觉到你的微笑。曾经有一些电话沟通专家建议，要在办公桌上放一面镜子，这样可以提醒你一定要对客户微笑。同样，对于那些整天需要电话沟通的人来说，在办公桌上放一面镜子也是一个不错的建议。
3. 在打电话时，要注意自己的语气。恰当的语气能够创造良好的气氛。这一点与前面介绍的两点联系紧密。你传达了你的热情吗？你有积极的态度吗？是生意上的电话交流？还是私人电话？通过你的语音语调对方就能够了解，而且还可以帮助对方明白你所说的话。
4.一定要说“您好！”（或者早上好，下午好，等等。）总之要有一个热情的问候语。让对 方感觉到您的热情，而不要让对方觉得他们打扰到了你。如果你真的很忙，就让其他人帮忙接听，或者转入留言信箱。这样做远远要比“是我，你有什么事？”类似的问候语强的多。
5.一定要说“再见”。有一个礼貌的结束语。至少在挂断电话之前要说“再见”。想想自己，有多少次期待对方会对你说一声“再见”，祝您愉快，等等，可是却只听到冷冷的电话挂断声。所以，千万不要那样对待你的客户。
6. 与客户交谈时，要避免使用一些公司或者技术方面的专业词汇，这很有可能会让客户觉得不明白。每个人都曾遇到过这样的情况，对方努力地向你表达一件事情，可是你却听不明白他在说什么。听起来就好像一门外语。总之，你就是听不明白，因为那些都是技术方面的专业术语。技术专业术语或者工业术语会让客户的感觉很不舒服，他们会觉得自己无话可说，因为他们听不懂你说的话。或者，他们会感到很有挫败感，并且变得很不耐烦。
7. 不要生气。记住：即使是客户发火，你也不要生气。保持平静并不是一件易事，尤其是当客户抱怨那些你无法控制的事情的时候。（通常他们都是在抱怨那些已经发生过的事情）。如果客户在抱怨或者正在生气，就让他们发泄。很多情况下，客户并不是冲你发火。问清楚客户生气的原因，表示你对他们的关心。不要使不良情绪恶化。你可以让他们重复事情的经过，表示你的理解。总之，做一个好的倾听者。
8.电话转接-只有一次！如果你将电话转接给其他的人，一定要确保那个人有空。千万不要把电话反复转接。（这个做法真的很不好！）
9. 掌握电话中的等待问题。Nancy Friedman（电话医生）在《今日美国》的一项调查中表明，打电话过程中，客户最痛恨的就是“不要挂机，稍等！”导致这种情况发生的原因有两种：转接电话或者查找信息。
10. 再谈电话中的等待问题。如果你要让客户等待，一定要告诉客户需要等待的时间。如果你说一分钟，那么真的就是一分钟，即使这样，可能客户都还是感觉时间有点长。所以，如果你要让客户再等待一段时间，最好是先给他们回电话。如果承诺了在一定时间内给客户打电话，那么就一定要遵守承诺！
关于作者
Shep Hyken, CSP是一个专业的演讲家和作家，他一直与那些想要与客户和员工建立忠诚关系的公司进行合作。如果想要了解更多Shep的书籍和录音，请登录http://www.hyken.com