6 Unit In this unit you’ll learn how to: • Assess the importance of telephone communication within the company. • Identify the different devices and business opportunities for telephony. • Analyse the various services offered by telephone media. • Make and receive effective corporate phone calls. • Properly apply verbal and non-verbal communication techniques. • Use your phone as a tool for business and marketing purposes. And you’ll study: • The importance of telephone communication for the company. • Phone media used today. • The most common features of the fixed and mobile telephony and through call centres. • The rules to achieve a good telephone communication. • Telemarketing: types, characteristics and uses. Telephone communication
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Telephone communication · 2017. 11. 21. · 6 Telephone communication 112 1. Telephone communication Telephone communication is one of the most important forms of communication within
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1. Telephone communicationTelephonecommunicationisone of the most important forms of communication within the company.Although today itsuse isbeing replacedbyother formsof communication(suchasemail),phoneuseisoneofthemostcommonmeansbywhichtomaterializebothinternal and external communications.
It isvery important inbusinessbecause it is themediumthroughwhichthefirst contactwith,orfromthecompanyismade.So,beforeanypersonalcontact,theusualthingistomakeaphonecalltoarrangeaninterviewortospecifyanymatterortopic.Theinterlocutorattheotherendofthelinewillformanideaaboutthecompanydependingontheimpressionafterthisfirsttelephonecontact.
Fromthestandpointofbusinesscommunication,telephoneusehasanenormousadvantage: interlocutors don’t see each other, and thismaywork for solving trickyorunfavourablesituations.Asinterlocutorsdon’tseeeachother,theargumentsprovidedinatelephonecon-versationmaybemoresolidandcredibleifweapplythepropertechniquesandprocedures.
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)wasborninEdinburgh(Scot-land).Hewasraisedinafamilyofspeechtherapists.Bothhisgrand-father and his father were spe-cialists in this field, and he alsodecided to continue the familytraditiontoteachpeopletospeakproperly.
Throughout his life, he becameinterested in improvingeducationsystems for thedeaf, sohismainactivity was aimed at studyingthelearningsystemforthosewithhearingimpairments.
In1873hewasappointedprofes-sorofVocalPhysiologyatBostonUniversity.Inadditiontohisteach-ingtasks,Bellstudiedhowtodesignan electromagnetic device thatcould convert electrical impulsesinto sound. Initially, his idea wastobuildadevicethatwascapableof imitatingthehumanvoiceandreproducing vowels and conso-nants.In1878heopenedthefirsttelephoneexchangeinNewHaven(Connecticut), United States, andin 1884, the first long-distancecommunication within the coun-try from Boston (Massachusetts)toNewYorkwasmade.
1. Today, there are several phone companies operating inSpain,butdoyouknowwhichcompanyhadthemono-polyonphoneserviceinourcountry?WhendiditbeginoperatinginSpain?
2. Telephone media and equipmentAlmosteverybodyhasaphonetoday(mobile,mostly).Thisdeviceiswidespreadamongthepopulationand,aswestatedabove, isoneofthemost importantcommunicationtools inthefieldofbusiness.
Theyare located inplacesor locations thathold all the equipment thatplays the roleofconnecting two different geographical points. Telecommunication companiesmanage theequipmentandprovideservicestobothbusinessandindividuals.
Furthermore, the development of services through the Internet has changed the classicalconceptofPBX,whichhasbeenreplacedbyIPPBXs.
A. IP PBXs
Also known as VoIP phone systems, thesecomprehensive telephone systems providetelephone calls over IP data networks(Fig.6.1).
An IP PBX is configured to send all callsusingdatapacketsthroughadata network (Internet), rather than through traditionaltelephonenetwork.Asweindicatedabove,companies are now replacing their tradi-tionalsystemsfor IPPBXsbecauseoftheirmanyadvantages.
Aprivate branch exchange or PBXistheequipmentthatconnectscallsbetweentwodestinationsorends.
• Optical fiber. Transmissionme-diumthat isoftenused intele-communications, consisting ofaverythinfiber(ithasthethic-kness of a human hair) that ismade of transparent material,glass or plastics. It sends lightpulses that represent data tobetransmitted.Thelightsourcemaybe laserorLED.Comparedto copper networks, it ismuchcheaper (the raw material issand), but it has the disadvan-tageofitsfragilityanddifficultytobewelded.
• Laser. Beamwith a singlewave-length(monochromatic),andthe-reforewithasinglecolour.
• IP. It corresponds to the acro-nym for Internet Protocol. Thissystem allows sending andreceivingdataovertheInternet.
Vocabulary
We must differentiate betweenthe concepts of Voice over IP(VoIP)andIPtelephony.
• VoIP isasetofstandards,pro-tocols,devicesandtechnologiesforthedeliveryofvoiceovertheIPprotocol.
• IP Network isthepubliclyavai-lable telephone service withVoIPtechnology.
Watch out!
Fig. 6.1. IPPBXmodel.
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PBXs also have telephone terminals or IP telephone terminals; the latter devices allowcommunication using an IP network, either through a local area network or through theInternet.Althoughtheylooklikearegulartelephone,thisisactuallyahardwarethatusesadatanetworkconnectioninsteadofatelephonenetworkconnection.
IPphonesoftenhavemoreoptionsandadvantagesthanaconventionaltelephone.Asthissystem is fullydigital andprogrammable, those terminalsusuallyhave special keys; someincludeavideocameratomakevideoconferences.Thepriceofthesedevicesisusuallythesameastraditionalphones.
• PDA. It is virtually a small computer (Fig. 6.4). The acronym goes for PersonalDigitalAssistant.TheyallowustobrowsetheInternetandcheckouremailatanytimeandanywhere.
• Smartphone.Imagineamobilephonewithfurtherfunctionssuchaspicturesandvideos,radio,MP3playeror television: this isaSmartphone (Fig.6.5).The fundamental reasonwhythesedeviceshavearisenistotrytomakeiteasierforbusinessmanagementoverthephone.
Thefirstso-calledSmartphonewasdevelopedbythecompanyIBMin1992andwascalledSIMON. Its featureswerevery limited (sendand receivecalls, calendar,addressbook,andsendandreceivefaxes),especiallycomparedtocurrentdevices.
• Emergency call: it can communicate with an emergency telephone number, 112 (forEurope),regardlessofthemodeinwhichthephoneis.
Telecommuting or telework is amethodthatallowsdistancework.Today,moreandmorecompaniestake advantage of the benefitsthatthissystemhasforemployeesandforthecompany.
Do you know that...?
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• Voice recognition: it allowsyou tocall ausernumberusingyourvoicewithout typingorselectingthenumber.
• Infrared: it allows data transmission between devices.Now it is being replaced by theBluetoothsystem.
• Flat fee:itmeansthatwepayafixedamountinthebillingperiod,regardlessoftheamountand duration of calls. It is usually applied to fixed telephony users, but currently it isexpandingtomobiletelephony.
• M-Business (Mobile Business Development): itistheuseoftechnologyandapplicationsthat enablesbusinessprocessesusingmobiledevices. It includes anumberof activitiesranging from communications via e-mail to receiving product information via SMS ororderingthroughthephone.M-businessincludesthefollowingbusinesstypes:
– B2B (Business to Business): applicationsorientedtothesaleofgoodsandservices.Forexample, ithappensbetweenacompanyandoneof itscustomers (which, in turn, isanothercompany).
– B2C(Business to Consumer):theprocessthatoccursbetweenacompanyandacon-sumer. For example, it happensbetweena companyandapersonbuying somethingthroughamobilephone.
• WI-FI. The termwas coinedbythe"Wi-FiAlliance".Itisasetofstandardsforwirelessnetworks.Itworkswithradiowaves.
• WAP. Protocol that uses wire-lessnetworks(suchasaccessingthe Internet through a mobi-le phone). It means "WirelessApplicationProtocol".
• UMTS. Itmeans"UniversalMo-bile Telecommunications Sys-tem". It replaces the old GSMandisusedin3G(thirdgenera-tion)terminals.
• 3G.Abbreviationforthirdgene-ration. Services related to thirdgenerationterminalsprovidetheabilitytotransfervoce,dataandnon-voice data (such as down-loading programs, exchangingemailandinstantmessaging).
• Protocol. Set of rules that areestablished for two devices tocommunicatewitheachother.
Vocabulary
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– B2E(Business to Employee): setofactivitiesaimedatprovidingproductsorservicestoacompany’sownemployees.
– B2G (Business to Government): it isfocusedonbusinessactivitiesbetweenbusinessandgovernments(eitherlocally,regionallyornationallyandeveninternationally).
• M-Commerce (Mobile Commerce): this concept includes any transaction carried outthroughatelecommunicationsnetwork(suchasthosemadethroughamobilephoneorthroughPBXs).BuyingamovieticketusingthemobilephoneisanM-Commercesituation.Inturn,therearethreetypesofservicewithinM-Commerce:
b) Theyinviteustochooseanextension(suchaswhenwehear:"Forconsultations,pleasepress1;foroutpatients,pleasepress2;otherwise,pleaseholdtheline").Atuneplayswhilewewait.
c) Anoperatortellsusthattheconversationwillberecordedforsecurityreasons.
a) "SudineroBankinformsyouthatachargeof¤150hasbeenmadeonyourcard4546.XXXX.XXXX.8796 on 12.12.2012. Concept: purchasemade on Amazon.Moreinfo:909.11.22.33".
b) "Entradasdirectas.com:confirmationisrequestedforpurchaseson12.12.2012at19:30.Concept:3tickets.SendanSMSto600.56.89.75.SMScost:0.09cents+VAT".
Aphonecall isoftenthefirstcontactthatour interlocutorhaswithourcompany,sothiscall has to be perfect in order to transmit a good image. Similarly, when we makepersonalcalls,wemustalsoactinanappropriateway,becausewhatwepassonwillcreateanimageofourselvesinourinterlocutor.
Once we have contacted the person we want, the conversation starts. Forexample,ifwewanttointroducenewproductsorservices,wemustexplaintheadvantagesandthefeaturesthatdifferentiatethemfromsimilaroptions;wemaynamesomecustomerswhohavealreadypurchasedsomeofthem,andsoon.
Wewillalsopayspecialattentiontofillers,suchas:"Eeehhh…","um...",becausethe perception about our intelligence or security in the interlocutor may bedamaged.Insteadwecanuseapause,asitwillonlylastafewsecondsandthecallerwon’tnotice.
FarewellIt is time to finish the communication with our interlocutor. To say goodbyeproperly,wemust thank the interlocutor for the attention anduse a polite setexpressionsuchas:"Thankyouforyourtime,Mr.Díaz.Haveaniceday".
Table 6.2. Stagesofaphonecall.
Rules relating to aspects of non-verbal communication Rules relating to aspects of verbal communication
Aunqueenestaunidadhayvariosejemplos de frases que suelenutilizarse al teléfono en inglés,aquí tienesalgunasmásparaquepuedas afrontar la difícil tareade comunicarte a través de estecanal:
• Hello, this is María Gutiérrez. How can I help you?:comove-rás,alpresentarnosnodecimosIam,sinothis is.
• May I speak to the HR mana-ger, please?: fíjate en que esmáscorrectousarmayquecancuando queremos expresar elmotivode la llamada.Sinem-bargo, otra formamuy comúndeexpresar losmismoes:Can I have the HR manager, please?
• Please hold (the line): esta eslaformadepediraquienllamaque se mantenga a la esperamientras pasamos la llamadao consultamos que la personaquepuedesolventarelproble-ma.
Spanish assistant
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4.2. Rules for answering a call
Now, we will study certain rules that will allow us to answer a phone call properly andto transmit a good image of our company. Table 6.3 groups them into two types: thoseassociatedwithnon-verbalcommunicationandthoseconcerningverbalcommunication.
Rules relating to aspects of non-verbal communication Rules relating to aspects of verbal communication
When we answer the phone wemustbepreparedtotakenoteofanymessage theywant to leave,so remember to have a pen andsomepaperathand.Ask the caller his or her name,company, reason for calling, con-tactinformation(ifheorshewillcall again, leave a contact num-ber...),andotherinformationthatmay be of interest to recognizethe caller (for example, the per-sonandtheoccasioninwhichtheinterlocutorisaskingtomeet).
Beforehangingup,wewillrepeatthe most important informationofthemessagetomakesurethatwehavetakentherightdata.
Important
If we answer the phone and wemust lie and say, for example,that someone is not in theofficeatthattime,wemustrespectthepropertimestosoundcredible.Forexample:
—Z: "Zapatines, S.L., good mor-ning".
—M: "Good morning, I want tospeakwithMr.Méndez,please".
—Z: "One moment, please, justletme check is he is available.Who’sspeaking?".
—M: "Mariano Torre, from thecompanyMegacord".
—Z:"Holdon,please".(Pause to ask questions or to pre-tend you do)
• Find out the relationship thatthecallerhaswiththeorganizationand ifthisperson isalreadyknowninthecompany.Inmanycases,therightquestionis:"Couldyoupleasetellmethereasonforyourcall?".
• Check exactlywho the callerwants to talk to. This is particularly relevant in the caseofsales calls:thesalesagentorrepresentativeusuallyasksforthemanagerortheheadofadepartment,buttheymaynotbetherightpersonstoanswerthecallproperly.
4.5. Skills for dealing with complaints over the phoneMore and more medium and large companies are providing a department or a personresponsibleforhandlingthecomplaintsthatcustomersusuallymake.
However, many other companies are too small to afford the specific coverage of thisservice, and then any employee must be ready to meet any customer and/or suppliercomplaint,whicharemainlycommunicatedover thephone.Therefore,wemust take intoaccountanumberoftechniquesthatallowustoproperlyaddressthesecalls.
Techniques for dealing with complaints over the phone• Greetandidentifyourselves:wewilltransmitsecuritytothecaller.
If possible,we should alsoobtain thename of the personwewant to contact: theheadof HR, the head of the department, the manager of the company... Another usefultechniqueistofindapossiblecontactwithinthecompanywhocanopendoorswhenwecall.
Ifwehavesucceededincontactingtherightperson,wemustspeakwithout a plaintive tone, and brieflyandcalmlyexplainwhoweareandwhatwebelievewecanprovidetothatpar-ticularcompany.
JuliaMartínworks for a company that sellsoffice supplies,Caperplush.Shewantstointroducetheseproductstotheres-ponsiblepersonforpurchasingofficesuppliesintheconsulting
• Situation 2.StudentAisthesalesagentofatelephonecompany that wants the company Pandehoy to hireitsservices.StudentBisresponsiblefortheprovisionoftheseservicesinthecompanyandisverysatisfiedwiththeserviceofthecompanytheyhaverightnow.
13. Following the pattern presented in the previous casestudy,developatleastthreepossibilitiesforthisconver-sation.
Alfredomakes a phone call toMarcos’ repair shop, buthedoesn’tknowthepersonhehastotalktoinordertoarrangeapossiblejobinterview.
Activities
Case study 4. How to establish telephone contact with someone
Solution:
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5. Telemarketing
Telemarketingitselfisnotacomprehensivesalesstrategy,but a sales orsupporting methodfor the companywithin its overall sales strategy, and it has specific characteristics. Thus,mobilephonecompanies, forexample,oftenuse telemarketing to increasesales,but theyalsouseothercomplementarytoolssuchase-mailcommunication,conventionaladvertisingcampaigns,etc.aswellastheirconventionalstores(Fig.6.7).
The two functions performedbythistoolare:firstly,asameansofcommunication,andse-condly,asamarketingchannel.
• As a means of communication,itallowsustoselectandcustomizeeachcontact,assistingeveryclientorpotentialclientindividually.Italsoallowsforinteractivity,sincewecanob-taintherecipient’sresponseatthesametimethatweissuethemessage.
• As a marketing channel, itallowsustoscheduleasalesvisitatonce inordertomakethesaleofaproductorservice,andeventoperformadirectsale(teleshopping),ifthatisthegoalofthecall.
• Commercial applications. Their goal is to make a sale, either during the call itself orarranginganappointmenttomakethatsale.Examplesofsuchapplicationsare:
• Marketing applications. Their main objective is to gather information on actual orpotentialcustomers.Theirneeds,customs,traditions,ideologies...Thistypeoftelemarke-tingdoesn’thaveaclearsalespurpose.Theseapplicationsare:
There are twodifferent activitieswithin telemarketing, dependingonthedirectionofcalls:• In outbound telemarketing
thecompanygetsintouchwithcustomers or potential custo-mersaccordingtoacontactsda-tabasethathasbeenpreviouslydeveloped.
• In inbound telemarketing thecompany receives calls fromcustomers or potential cus-tomers. These contacts resultfrom a previous action of thecompany. For example, a com-pany launches a newspaper,e-mail or SMS campaign, inwhich it invites customers tocallinordertoobtainsomepro-ductorserviceinreturn.
There is a direct and immediate contact with the actual or poten-tial customer. By establishing a feedback channelwemay know thecustomer questions and clarify any doubts on the spot, prevent-ing potential uncertainty in the purchase decision and encouragingthefinalpurchase.
5.3. Skills to develop a telemarketing professional
Tomakeasuccessfultelemarketingcampaignwemustconsider three aspects:
1.The contact file or database of potential customers must be properly updated andconsistentwiththeobjectivesoftheserviceorcampaign.Forexample,ifwewanttoofferanInternetconnectionviaopticalfiber,itdoesn’tmakemuchsensetohavecontactsinourdatabasewhoalreadyhavethistypeofconnectionorwholiveinareaswherethistypeofconnectionisnotpossible.
2.Wemusthavetheappropriate technical and technological means.Forexample, ifwewanttomakefivethousandcontactsadaywehavetocalculatehowmanyphonelineswewilluse,howmanycomputers,whatisthequickestwaytofillintheforms,andsoon.
3.Finally,wemusthaveasufficientworkforce that istrainedandskilledenoughtomeetthe objectives. For example, if we want to extend our sales network, we must haveteamavailabletomovetotheclient’sofficetoclosethesaleifnecessary.Furthermore,whenthetelemarketingteamislarge,orinmassivecampaigns,wemusthireasupervisorfor every eight or tenworkers tomonitor both quantitative (for example, the numberof calls) and qualitative aspects (for example, if phone assistance is being polite,correct,etc.).
If you want to learn more abouttelemarketing applications, readthisarticle:
http://w w w.puromarketing.com/23/6979/maneras-utilizar-llamadas-masivas.html
Web
Aspects of non-verbal communication Aspects of verbal communication
a) Outbound. Youworkforanaturalgascompany.You’regoingtocallyourcurrentcustomerstopersuadethemtoalsohirehouseholdelectricity.Preparethebusinessstrategyintermsof:customerbenefits,advantagesofhavingasinglesupplier...Youmustbereadytoansweranyquestionsthatmayarise.
b) Inbound. Youworkforacompanythatsellsbreakfastcerealandyouhavesetaphonelineforcustomerstocallandaskthequestionstheyhaveaboutthenewrangeofcereal:fiberandvegetables,puffedricewithcheeseandred-wine-flavouredcornflakes.Developthefeaturesofeachproduct,suchasnutritionalvalues,possiblecounter-indications,etc.Youmustbereadytoansweranyquestionsthatcustomersmayask.
Let’s have a look at the following telephone conversationbetweenMaríaandapotentialmember.PayattentiontothefriendlyandgentletoneofMaría,totheknowledgeshehasabout theNGOshe representsandto theuseofquestionstokeeptheconversationundercontrol.
15. Give fiveexistingexamplesofphonenumbersof inboundtelemarketing.Searchthewebifyouneedit.
16. In pairs, think of three examples of commercial applications, and other threeexamplesofmarketingapplications.Once listed, explain the reasonswhy thesephonesareincludedineithergroup.
a) StudentAisaworriedfatherormotherwhodoesn’tunderstandthecompositionofababyfoodjarthathasjustgiventohisorherson,whoisallergictolactose.Heorshealsowantstoconfirmtheproductionprocess.StudentBispartofthetelemarketingcompanyBebesanoteandmustanswerthesequestions.
b) StudentAbelongs to the teamof a telemarketing campaignof the companyFoodExpress,aimedathomedeliveryserviceoffood.ThecompanywantstosetupinthecityofCádiz,butfirstitwillperformasurveyofpotentialcustomerstoassesstheacceptance.StudentBisayoungbachelor,aged30,whoworksfull-time:theidealconsumerofFoodExpressmenus.
Activities
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Summar y
Importance of telephone communication within the company.
Additional services provided by the
telephone equipment
Common features.
Business-related services.
Billing-related services.
Basic rules.
Rules for answering a call.
Rules for making a call.
Skills to act as a filter.
Skills to handle telephone complaints.
Job search over the phone.
Aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication.
Communication tool that uses the phone as the main communication method in a systematic and planned way.
Telemarketing applications.
Advantages and disadvantages of telemarketing.
Skills to develop a professional telemarketing.
Telemarketing
Fixed telephony devices.
PBXs.
Mobile devices.
Fixed telephony.
PBXs.
Mobile telephony.
M-Business.M-Commerce.
Stages of a phone call: introduction/development/closure/farewell.
Aspects of non-verbal communication. Aspects of verbal communication.
Aspects of non-verbal communication Aspects of verbal communication.
Techniques to select the calls that must be passed to our superiors.
Preparation/Process/Reaching the target Keys to create a good impression
20. Explain with your own words the different stages of aphonecallandgiveexamplesofeach.
21. Imagine that you have finished your Vocational Trai-ningandthatyouwanttostartajobsearchinyourarea.Whatarethepreviousstepsbeforestartingtocall?Findthenameofthreecompaniesinyourareaandtrytofindthenameofthepersonresponsibleforhumanresources.