Good Communication & Customer Service Basics Brought to you by Human Resources and Information Services & Resources
Presentation Contents Principles of Good Communication Telephone Guidelines Voice Mail Tips & Tricks Email Etiquette ListServ Use Tips for Good Customer Service What angry customers want Good Customer Service
Principles of Good Communication Telephone Guidelines 4 Answer promptly (before the third ring if possible) Before picking up the receiver, discontinue any other conversation or activity such as eating, chewing gum, typing, etc that can be heard by the calling party Answer the phone with a smile Let people know who they are calling (give your name and department) When you are the caller, introduce yourself and then proceed Speak clearly and distinctly in a pleasant tone of voice
Voicemail Tips & Tricks General Guidelines for Outgoing Message 6 No music or jokes. Record your greetings from a script to avoid "um" and "uh." Aim to record a brief greeting. Speak slowly and clearly. Affiliate your self with your department (e.g. "You've reached John Smith from Nutrition"). Avoid using the standard system greeting: personalize your greetings. Avoid chewing gum, food, or slurping beverages while recording your greeting.
Voicemail Tips & Tricks Recording Voicemail Message Use both an internal and external greeting to keep your voicemail message specific to who is calling Dial into voicemail, use option 1 for external greeting Use option 2 for internal greeting External greeting will play for internal callers if no internal greeting created Use the temporary greeting feature for time out of the office (vacation or conference) Use option 3 to record greeting, set an expiration date
Voicemail Tips & Tricks Examples of voicemail greeting 6 Everyday message: Hello, you have reached the voice mailbox for (your first and last name) at (your dept). I am unable to answer my phone at this time. Please leave your name, number and a detailed message and I will return your call as soon as possible. Extended Absence: Hello, you have reached the voicemail box for (your first and last name) at (your dept). I will be out of the office (these dates). I will be returning calls on (this date). Please leave your name, number and a detailed message. Or contact xxxx for immediate assistance.
Voicemail Tips & Tricks Retrieving Voicemail Keep a pen and pad of paper near the phone to jot down incoming messages Leaving Voicemail Keep it short Give a description of why you are calling Speak clearly Give a suggestion for when is a good time to get a hold of you End with your phone number and repeat it
Email Etiquette Email Do s 1 : Do use specific subject lines. Do write an email like a memo, separate your thoughts into paragraphs to make it easier to read Do use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Do take care with abbreviations and emoticons. Do be concise, and punctual. Do make responses personal whenever possible. Do use gender-neutral structure when not sure. Do use BCC for mass mailings. Do answer all questions in a single email. (as well as potential future questions) Do proofread before sending!
Email Etiquette Email Don ts 1 : Don t WRITE IN ALL CAPITALS! Don t request email receipts (read or delivery). Don t request to recall emails. Don t forward messages or attachments without permission. Don t attach unnecessary files. Don t leave out previous message threads when replying. Don t reply to spam. Don t forward virus hoaxes or chain letters.
Email Etiquette Consider Carefully: Discussing confidential information. Adding disclaimers to your emails. Using Reply All. Formatting your Emails for a particular email client. Avoid: Over-using Urgent and Priority in subject, or email client priority/flag features.
CC: vs. BCC: Use CC to inform the recipients (in the TO line) who else the message was sent to Generally the CC d recipients are just copied for informational purposes Use BCC for mass mailings and to hide email address Helps avoid a long list of email addresses to scroll through Helps to protect recipient privacy
Your Email Signature 7 No need to include ALL of your contact information You can give additional contact information to someone if they ask for it A good rule of thumb is 5 lines for an email signature
Your Email Signature Too much information example Jane Johnson Executive Secretary Department of Alumni Affairs Beloit College 700 College Street Beloit, WI 53511 Ph. 608 363 1111 Fax 608 363 1112 Email: johnsonj@beloit.edu Personal email: janeyj@yahoo.com Website: www.janeyj.com Make it a great day!
Your Email Signature Condensed signature example Jane Johnson Executive Secretary Department of Alumni Affairs Beloit College Ph. 608 363 1111 Fax 608 363 1112 (fax is optional) johnsonj@beloit.edu (email is optional as well)
Beloit College ListServs Any email sent to a campus wide List must be labeled properly faculty@beloit.edu staff@beloit.edu facstaff@beloit.edu all@beloit.edu students@beloit.edu
Beloit College ListServs Beloit College ListServ Labels [COLLEGE] For official college business. Examples are: committee minutes, sponsored guest speakers, trustee matters, ISR announcements, etc. [ANNOUNCE] This label pertains to matters in which there is or could be community-wide interest. Examples are: community activities, college equipment available, workshop announcements, etc. [PERSONAL] This label pertains to items in which an individual has a particular interest. Examples are: humor, for sale, birth announcements, etc. Put the label at the beginning of your subject line
Beloit College ListServs Beloit College ListServ Etiquette Keep messages short and concise Do not send attachments to the lists, instead upload your file to a server and send the URL See Transferring Files to File Manager (FTP) http://www.beloit.edu/%7eisr/file_manager.p hp Be sure to send to the full list email address
What Angry Customers Want 2 Many times, it s difficult to meet all of a customer s requests. However, they are often satisfied by: Helpfulness and Effort Having multiple available options Empathy for their situation/request
Good Customer Service Whether dealing with Internal or External customers it is important to maintain a human element to the interaction 4 Let people know you care about their needs Use your customer s name in the conversation
Good Customer Service 5 Tell the customer what you CAN do for them, don t start by saying what you CAN T do Be realistic about promises you make Allow angry customers to vent without interrupting Say I m sorry or I apologize to diffuse anger
Good Customer Service 5 Keep the tone of your voice in sync with your words Listen attentively! If you are resolving an issue: Review the solution and get customer agreement Set a realistic timeline for resolution Follow up with the customer to ensure their issue was resolved
Internet Sources 1 http://www.emailreplies.com 2 http://customerservicezone.com/products/defusing-chapter2-4.htm 3 http://www.fullerton.edu/it/services/telecomm/faq/etiquetteguide.a sp 4 http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/greatcs.htm 5 http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/cstips.htm 6 http://cr.ucdavis.edu/commsrv/voice/vmguide.cfm#sampgreet 7 http://webfoot.com/advice/email.sig.html?email
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