In general, telephone courses may be focused upon telephone sales techniques, basic phone skills training or just plain old telephone training. Telephone sales techniques and basic skills are usually a given when entering the field of telephone salesmanship. However, telephone skills and personal selling experience are not. These are the prerequisites for a successful career in telephone selling. And training in these areas usually involves either classroom instruction or hands-on experience with a telephone or a "customer call center" equipped to handle various types of sales calls.
The classroom based part of telephone training usually starts out with a short demo of a typical sales situation. The goal of this first session is two-fold: To familiarize the trainee with the key terms, functions and features of a typical telephone; and To familiarize the trainee with basic sales skills and personal selling abilities. After this short initial session, the trainee is encouraged to apply the previously learned concepts and learn new ones. It is here that the in-house or semi-customized telephone skills and selling program or template can prove most helpful.
Customer service is another important term used in the telephone world. One of the most fundamental principles of good customer service is to treat each call with respect. This means that you should listen carefully to what the caller wants and give them the answers they need to understand the inquiry. This helps you develop the essential customer service skills.
Telephone etiquette is very important as well, and it is one of the things that can separate a successful salesman from a crank caller. This type of verbal communication is very common in business but is rarely taught in the beginning of a telephone skills and selling career. Customer service training for the salesman includes instruction in how and when to use greeting and goodbye statements, along with suggestions for how to be more pleasant in your telephone style.
Good telephone communication also involves knowing how to deal with both happy and unhappy customers. For example, it is okay to have a friendly conversation with an angry client, but it is important not to lose your temper in such situations. Some people are uncomfortable with direct communication, but if you want to be successful as a salesman it is necessary to know how to deal with both types of calls. You can't expect to have any success without using proper customer service techniques.
Telephone etiquette is not only applicable to salespeople. When dealing with potential clients, you should make sure to address them by their name and correct first name before using their title or last name. A salesperson who doesn't do so is likely to receive a complaint from the very instant they pick up the phone. No matter how good your phone skills training course is, if you don't practice good etiquette it won't matter how good your phone skills are.
Another thing that goes into good telephone etiquette is maintaining eye contact with the customer. When a prospective client looks at you it gives them an impression of confidence and competence. If you don't maintain constant eye contact then you will appear unsure and maybe even rude. It may be that a prospective customer doesn't feel comfortable calling you right away after finding out about your line of work, but by maintaining regular eye contact you will be able to easily relate with them on a personal level.
The last part of good telephone etiquette involves being pleasant to the caller even at the drop of a hat. Many dental patients get upset when they are put on hold repeatedly, especially if they were just calling to have an appointment scheduled. If you are put on hold repeatedly be nice to the caller and they will usually leave a message so that you can speak to them later. Even if the message was just to schedule an appointment, it can sometimes be very reassuring to know that the person is taking the time to call and speak with you. Dentists should all participate in telephone skills training program in order to increase their skills with respect to making customers feel good while dealing with them on a daily basis.