■ Verify participant understanding by asking questions. They should do most of the work. Resist the urge to take over. Facilitate, but don’t dominate. Ask questions, coax answers, encourage give and take. ■ Encourage involvement of the participants by beginning questions with phrases such as: “What did you think about that?” “Tell me what you just saw.” “How do you relate to that vignette?” “That was interesting; what was your take on it?” “What were your initial impressions?” “How did that scene make you feel?” Before You Begin: Tips for Trainers (Cont.) Involve the Participants (Cont.) ■ Reduce participants’ apprehension by positively reinforcing their comments with statements such as: “That’s interesting; tell me more about what you mean.” “I hadn’t considered that angle yet.” “Good point.” “Okay, thanks for sharing that with us.” “That’ll be one of the things we need to consider.” “I really like your insight.” “That’s sure a unique perspective. Who else has some ideas?” ■ Reward participants for their enthusiastic participation. Prizes are always coveted. NOTE: Telephone Doctor encourages you to create your own Skill Practices for each Key Point to simulate issues specific to your organization.
I wish that was an option, what we can do is… TELEPHONE DOCTOR PRESCRIPTION: State the customer’s options. Avoid this “Two Stage No.” Skill Practice – Key Point #6: Yes, BUT… Facilitator: Complete the exercise below and have a group discussion to recap. Remember the old definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting different results. Well, reacting to a customer’s need is much like that. Responding to customer needs requires much more thought, weighing of pros and cons, and is based on caring. The goals are to take care of an immediate problem and build a long-term customer-responsive relationship. Yes, BUT… is a TWO STEP NO. Usually a quick, knee jerk answer. Let’s discuss the consequences of answering without thinking. Most times the fast ‘reacting’ answer has short-term negative consequences while ‘responding’ answers have long-term positive results. Divide participants into two groups. Each group should have it’s own large board or paper for this exercise. Offer a few examples to launch the groups’ discussions. Allow 5 minutes. REACTING vs. RESPONDING: Short-Term Consequences vs. Long-Term Results
We have certain protocols we follow. According to my screen/script, we can’t do that. I don’t have the authority. TELEPHONE DOCTOR PRESCRIPTION: Customers aren’t interested in your company’s policies. Look for solutions to the problems. Exceptions can sometimes be made to prevent alienating customers. Skill Practice – Key Point #7: Sorry, That’s Our Policy Facilitator: Complete the exercise below and have a group discussion to recap. On a large board or flip chart, let’s make a list of the issues that may cause someone to say “Sorry, that’s our policy” in an attempt to remedy a situation. (Allow 5 minutes) Use paper or corresponding Participant Workbook page. Divide your group into small teams with 2-3 members each. Assign a policy issue from the list to each team. Ask each team to script an effective response which eliminates the killer words: “Sorry, that’s our policy.” (Allow 5 minutes) Ask each team to select one member to act as the customer, another to act as a company representative.