The Frontline Fundamentals program includes six core customer service topics, as well as three elective programs.  The programs are available in a variety of learning modes, including web seminars, self-paced e-learning, on-site classroom training, and train-the-trainer licensing.  The web seminars and e-learning programs are listed below.  Call us at 615-812-8400 to learn more about customized on-site training or train-the-trainer programs.

Frontline Fundamentals Core Curriculum:

- The Power of One: The Difference One Agent Can Make
- World of Call Centers: An Operational Overview
- Vocal Makeover: Techniques for a Winning Voice
- First Class Phone Manners: The Absolute Musts of Telephone Best Practices
- Power Phrasing: Winning Word Choices for Effective Communications
- Tyrant Turnaround: Going from Difficult to Delighted Callers

Electives:
-  Email Essentials: Frontline Guide for Writing Effective Emails
- Selling Through Service: Increasing Profits by Customer-Focused Selling
- Anatomy of a Sales Call: Four Steps to Successful Selling

Learning Bundles:

- 3-part Telephone Skills Training
- 6-part Frontline Fundamentals Core Curriculum
- 9-Part Full Frontline Fundamentals Curriculum

CORE PROGRAMS

The Power of One: The Difference One Agent Can Make
May 10, Sep 6 – 2012

Each individual on the frontline can make a tremendous difference in a customer’s experience with your organization, ultimately resulting in customer satisfaction and retention, increased market share, and positive impact on the bottom line. In this session you will learn to identify opportunities to make a difference and quantify the impact any given transaction might have. Students will hear how one person can make the difference in a customer relationship as well as make an impact in the over operation of the center and impact the other members of the team.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the impact each individual can have on customer satisfaction.
• Calculate the long-term value of a customer interaction.
• Identify opportunities where added effort can make the biggest difference.
• Identify the top five most significant areas that can affect the customer’s perception of service.
• Quantify the workload and occupancy implications of plus/minus one person.

World of Call Centers: An Operational Overview
May 17, Sep 13 – 2012

For staff to perform to their maximum potential, it’s important for each person to understand the context in which their job is performed. In this seminar, frontline staff will learn all about call center operations and where they fit in the big picture of service and operations. Learn about the demographics of call centers today and how the profession has expanded. Explore the most important call center operational functions and hear about the  “what” and “why” of call center performance expectations.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Describe the current call center profession and its many career possibilities
• Describe the various types of call centers and their purposes.
• Outline the eight basic operational functions of a call center.
• Identify the most common call center performance measures and how it impacts individual expectations.
• Identify the single most important actions agents can take to contribute to call center operations in a positive way.
  

Vocal Makeover: Proven Techniques for a Winning Voice
May 24, Sep 20 – 2012

If used properly, your voice can support and enhance your verbal message. However, sometimes distracting vocal mannerisms can creep into your speech, negatively impacting your professional image. This seminar will help you become aware of the most common speaking distractions and give you specific tips and techniques for improvement so you can communicate with confidence. You’ll learn about the seven vocal elements and how you can improve each one so your voice becomes a finely tuned instrument for telephone communications.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify effective warm-ups for your voice to maximize clarity.
• Identify and eliminate frequent verbal mishaps and “verbal viruses.”
• Correct volume and tempo speaking problems.
• Find the optimal telephone voice pitch.
• Change voice inflection to be more upbeat, energetic and enthusiastic.

First Class Phone Manners: The  Musts of Telephone Best Practices
May 31, Sep 27 – 2012

For many organizations, the call center is the primary and perhaps the only means of communications with customers, so it’s important that we make each conversation count. It all begins with answering the phone properly, making a good first impression, and then advancing the conversation into a positive lasting impression. In this session, you will learn to gain control of the call, ask effective questions, place calls on hold, transfer calls effectively, and close each call successfully. The session will also provide best practices for creating voice mail greetings and leaving professional voice mail messages.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the components of an effective opening and what not to do.
• Avoid the most common telephone etiquette problems and wording.
• Practice the recommended techniques for transferring callers or putting them on hold.
• Identify ways to effectively close the call to leave the customer with a positive impression.
• Recognize best practices when relying upon voice mail communications.

Power Phrasing: Winning Word Choices for Effective Communication
Jun 7, Oct 4 – 2012

There are two components of every telephone conversation – the vocal message and the verbal message. How we say something and the exact words we choose have a powerful impact on the outcome of the conversation. This session teaches the skill of choosing just the right word or phrase to send the best message. Learn how to say “no” in a positive manner by performing a “message makeover” and eliminating negative words and irritating phrases from your communication. You’ll learn to identify caller communication styles and select the best words and phrases to build rapport with your customers. The end result will be callers who leave with a positive impression of you and your company.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Describe the importance of selecting the right words to convey your message.
• Avoid using negative phrases and wording and replace with more positive phrases.
• Identify key phrases to work into speech to build confidence and rapport with each customer.
• Identify visual words and phrases that can be used to replace body language to demonstrate interest and support.
• Outline ways to keep a call on track and arrive at a positive outcome.

Tyrant Turnaround: Going from Difficult to Delighted Callers
Feb 17, Jun 14, Oct 11 – 2012

Being on the frontline in a call center is a tough job, and it’s made even tougher by the occasional (or frequent) caller who is complaining, angry, or even hostile. Add to the mix other challenging callers that are just mildly annoying such as talkative, confused, or just impatient. But any of these calls can have a positive side with the satisfaction of being able to turn a difficult call into a positive customer experience for both you and the caller. This session provides “must have” techniques for dealing with all kinds of calls, from mildly irritating to very difficult. Students will learn specific vocabulary formulas and voice tone techniques to use to turn a stressful encounter into a positive interaction. Particular attention will be paid to reaching a successful outcome with every complaint call.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify caller types and how to categorize them in order to select the right phone technique.
• Outline proven practices for handling complaints, so that these calls become a gift instead of a nuisance.
• Describe the steps for diffusing a caller’s anger so a positive outcome can be reached.
• Practice voice tone techniques proven to turn around an angry or hostile caller.
• Outline steps to reduce stress after a challenging or difficult call.

FRONTLINE ELECTIVES

Email Essentials: A Frontline Guide for Writing Effective Emails
Feb 23, Jun 21, Oct 18 – 2012

An email interaction creates a lasting impression and legally binding document between your company and the customer. Poor writing skills can undermine the company’s credibility. On the other hand, effective email communications can enhance image and build customer loyalty and retention. Make sure your emails are free  from grammatical errors, confusing wording, and unfriendly tones. This session will outline the steps to writing effective emails and will provide a template to follow for clear, concise communications, as well as a practical checklist of wordings and practices to avoid.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Describe how email communications can enhance or damage a customer relationship.
• Define the components of an effective email opening.
• Write complete sentences in a clear, active voice and avoid sentence fragments and improper grammar.
• Identify words and phrases that convey a personal tone.
• Outline commonly misspelled and misused words.

Selling through Service: Increasing Revenues with Customer-Focused Selling
Mar 1, Jul 12, Oct 25 – 2012

Selling isn’t just for sales reps anymore. As more call centers move toward up-selling and cross-selling, yesterday’s customer service agent needs to be today’s well-rounded service and sales representative with the knowledge and skills to develop and close sales and ensure a quality experience for each customer. This  session will provide the basics of how to make the most of inbound sales opportunities, both in pure sales and service/sales environments. You’ll gain new perspectives on how upselling can benefit the customer and learn upselling techniques that maximize the customer relationship as well as the company’s bottom line.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify sales opportunities in the everyday service environment.
• Identify up-sell opportunities at the end of a regular sales transaction.
• Overcome fear and reluctance to making the additional offer.
• Position the sale from the customer’s perspective.
• Select the right words to support a “relationship selling” interaction.

Anatomy of a Sales Call:  Four Steps to Successful Selling
Mar 15, Jul 19, Nov 1 – 2012

Whether your calls are purely sales or order-taking opportunities or a potential sale at the end of a service or technical support transaction, there are still just four general components of a call. In this seminar, we’ll explore the four components of a sales call and what to say and do at each stage to best support the customer and  make the sale. Learn how to make the most of the Engagement stage in the first few moments of a call and progress through a successful Discovery process. Once customer needs have been identified, learn how to present a Solution that is all about the customer and reach a Commitment that is a win-win scenario for the center and the customer.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the various types of sales opportunities and how they’re similar.
• Identify strategies to develop trust, confidence, and rapport in the Engagement stage.
• Outline questioning techniques and sharpen listening skills for the Discovery process.
• Position the Solution in a positive way from the customer’s perspective.
• Reach the Commitment level of the call and close the sale successfully.

Frontline Fundamentals – Learning Bundles

Save money and polish the skills of your frontline agents with these training packages. Or,organizations can purchase bulk license keys for multiple students. For more information on bulk license key purchasing please call 615-812-8400.

3-Part Telephone Skills Training

Fine-tune the content of your customer conversations with these three classes devoted to selecting the right words for every telephone scenario.  This special “3-Pack” includes: First Class Phone Manners, Power Phrasing, and Tyrant Turnaround.

Web Seminars – Price: $800  (a $100 savings compared to single seminar pricing)

e-Learning – Price: $150

6-Part Core Curriculum

Provide your frontline staff with all the classes they need to be effective on the phone. Introduce them to the importance of customer service, call center operations, vocal techniques, telephone etiquette, word choices, and handling difficult calls. The six classesinclude: The Power of One, World of Call Centers, Vocal Makeover, First Class Phone Manners, Power Phrasing, and Tyrant Turnaround. Students that take all six classes in the Frontline Fundamentals program are eligible to test for Mastery Certification.

Web Seminars – Price: $1,500 (a $300 savings compared to single seminar pricing)

e-Learning – Price: $300

9-Part Frontline Fundamentals Full Curriculum (web seminars)

Expand skills of your frontline staff by adding 3 more classes to the 6-part Core Curriculum. This 9-part program includes the Core Curriculum outlined above)
plus the 3 elective programs of Email Essentials,  From Service to Sales, and Anatomy of a Sales Sales Call.

Web Seminars – Price: $2,250  (a $450 savings compared to single seminar pricing

e-Learning – Price: $450