Phone Skills Training

 Bad phone skills are currently the number one reason for lost sales at many dealerships, yet few dealerships actually have the resources or time to properly train their staff to be better at handling the telephone. Effectively transforming how a sales team performs on the telephone requires consistent feedback and repetition from management. While the ongoing economic recession is affecting the way many companies look at their sales teams, there is no excuse for a business owner not to provide their staff with the best tools they need to perform. Here are some top tips that will help you increase your sales ratio by ensuring that your staff is properly trained in sales skills:

Consistently Set Best Practices. Good phone skills training should first focus on learning the various best practices from which your company can benefit. Knowing these best practices allows you to implement them in a way that makes the most impact on your customers without having to send your people into the field to handle each call. Instead, you can set up a series of steps that help them react quickly and efficiently when an inquiry comes in, so that it is easier for them to make your customers happy.

Include Practice Time For Better Phone Skills Training. One of the best ways to implement the right phone skills training for your sales staff members is to regularly involve them in practice sessions. Having the opportunity to work with a real client gives your staff members a unique chance to develop their skills without having to worry about the hassles of a real job. This also provides them with the opportunity to see how well they are doing to recognize callers' concerns. So try asking your staff members to go out and make some phone calls during your week, or schedule a short session with your staff member to get them to experience the positive results of their best phone skills training efforts.

Review Your Telephone Etiquette Best Practices. After your staff members have been given their training on telephone etiquette best practices, review their performances with your customer service representatives. Make sure you are able to see how well they were able to handle customers' concerns and how well they were able to apply the correct customer service skills. Use this feedback as a way to find out where your staff members need additional training or you could find some surprising areas where they need improvement.

Distinguish Between Real People And Unqualified Callers. The problem with a lot of companies that offer telephone etiquette best practices is that they often treat all callers the same. They will tell your callers to speak normally and leave a message if they do not feel comfortable. However, there are many factors that determine how rude someone can be, such as their race, gender, status, or age. You want to identify the real reasons your callers are calling in the first place. This is why using a live call management system can be so helpful.

Active Listening Skills. Although there may be times that your callers will be irritating, your best chances at keeping them speaking with your help are by encouraging them to talk. For example, you can give your callers advice on how to use the product properly, how to maintain it well, and other ways they can maximize its use. Properly trained staff members know how to recognize when an inactive caller is talking to them and how to encourage that person to participate in a phone skills training session.

Monitoring The Callers. If your callers seem to be coming up with new strategies every time you contact them, you need to take note. Find out why they are doing this and what they plan to do in the future. You can even ask for examples from your customer service skills training courses and use those as examples for your own practice. In order for this strategy to work, however, it's critical that you have regular monitoring of how your customers are responding to your telephone skills training.

Using Phone Skills Training Tools. As mentioned above, many businesses have integrated phone skills training into their work processes in order to improve customer service. While there are a number of different techniques you can use to train your staff members, one of the most popular is using these communication tools. Video Conferencing, audio tapes, books, and other methods can teach your employees how to better interact with clients or how to make sure they are following company policy properly.