CALL CENTER PROGRAMME
PREPARED BY: Learning and Development Department – Boost Consulting & Training
Version 1
CALL CENTER
PROGRAMME CONTENT 1 | Managing people 2 | Negotiation Skills 3 | problem Solving and Decision Making 4 | Performance Management 5 | Customer Satisfaction & Taking
Ownership to solve the Customer issue
6 | Communication and Coaching Skills 7 | Sales Skills & Telephone Skills 8 | Engagement of customer towards the Digital channel
9 | Professionalism towards Serving Customers 10 | Analytical skills 11 | Writing skills
TEAM LEADERS
1 Managing people Managing People for Peak Performance
Course Introduction
This course presents a high level appreciation of the principles of effective management and the practices that generate commitment and productivity. Through the process of self-study, education and reflection on experience, this course will enable delegates to widen their understanding of the Manager’s role on how to manage people and apply practical strategies that will deliver immediate impact and improvement. Good people management is the foundation that underpins successful organizations. Become the ‘Communicating Manager’ who instructs but listens; the ‘Managerial Leader’ that inspires and the ‘People Developer’ who generates employee engagement. If people management is important to you, get learn new skills or sharpen your current competence by attending this motivating And energizing course.
The Foundation of Management • • • • • •
Management demands courage The first step: managing self Employing the right management style ate right time Accepting responsibility Accentuating the positive Having the courage to turn your ideas into action
Dealing with Workplace Conflict • • • • • •
Defining organizational conflict Understanding the causes of conflict The Thomas-Kilman Conflict Mode Instrument Managing individual differences Managing conflict for productive outcomes The creative benefits of productive disagreement
Managing Organizational Improvement • • • • • •
Focusing on continuous improvement Diagnostic tools for organizational/team appraisal Organizational culture and its impact Overcoming and managing resistance to change Coping with risk and risk avoidance Measuring the success of improvement efforts
Building and leading the motivated teams • • • • • •
Characteristics of effective teams Characteristics of ineffective teams Managing the factors affecting team performance Empowering team development Utilizing team diversity Coaching to enhancing team competence
Managing Problem Solving activity • • • • • •
Balancing analytical and creative thinking Effective use of mind mapping Capturing the power of brainstorming Unlocking team potential Treating problems as challenges Action planning for future improvement
2 Negotiation Skills Learn to Recognize Different Negotiation Styles & Counter Tactics
Course Introduction This course intends to enhance delegates ability to negotiate effectively – a critical competency in both work and life situations. It will equip them with a range of communication, interpersonal skills, and appreciation of the elements of planning and objective setting in negotiations. There will be an opportunity for delegates to carry out a self-assessment of their skills in key areas of negotiation including team negotiations. This course covers the key stages of negotiation, considers how disputes arise, and provides delegates with the skills to follow a structured process. The delegates will be introduced to different negotiation styles, tactics and at the same time learn how to recognize and counter them.
Fundamentals of Negotiation • • • • • •
Negotiation defined Disputes and the need for resolution Place of negotiation in the contractual resolution process Commercial impact of the breakdown of negotiations Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) The four phase process of negotiation
The Negotiator’s Toolbox • • • • • •
Preparation Information needs Drafting your proposal which will open the discussion The negotiation discussion phase Bargain and Close Negotiating position setting
Negotiating Styles, Tactics and Ploys • • • • •
Cultural & international issues Red, Purple & Blue negotiators Non-verbal communication and the interpretation of body language Make time your friend Silence and ploys as tactics and how to respond effectively
Personal Fitness and Dealing with Difficult Negotiations • • • • •
Interests, positions and escalation Stakeholder power behind the interests in negotiation Negotiator as a Mediator Team negotiations Proposals and persuasion
Putting it all into practice • • • • •
Negotiation case study Team allocation and simulation exercise Analysis of performance The Do’s and Don’ts of Negotiating Improving what we do - action planning
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Problem Solving and Decision Making Critical and scientific methods of Thinking toward solving problems
Course Introduction This course will provide you with creative processes and tools that strike the right balance between critical thinking and creative problem solving solutions. You’ll receive your personal FourSight ™ Breakthrough Thinking Profile and discover how your thinking preferences can enhance or hinder how you and your team engage in the creative problem solving process. You’ll be introduced to attitudes and tools that will help you build more creative solutions; the distinct phases of the creative problem solving process; strategies for gaining acceptance of your ideas and when to use critical versus creative thinking. In addition, you’ll take away thinker toys from this course, and a learner guide with a bibliography of helpful references to further your learning.
Creative problem Solving & decision making • • • • • • • •
the Psychology of Problem Solving and Decision Making Why study problem solving and decision making A synopsis of psychological thought Values, Problem Solving and Bias in Decision Making Psychological type and Lateral Thinking for Problem Solving Psychometric assessment on your problem solving preferences Using a team approach to encourage structured and lateral Thinking Problem Solving, the Cognitive Process and Whole
Problem Solving, the Cognitive Process and Whole Brain Thinking • • • • • •
Problem solving: the highest order cognitive process Split brain theory to make informed and balanced decisions Developing openness to new ideas in making decisions The model of creative problem solving Lessons in facing the unexpected events Decision Making and the Management of Change
Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving Essentials • • • • •
Profiling your personal thinking style and the styles of others Stimulating creativity through reflection exercises Analyzing left- and right-brain characteristics Assessing a situation to determine if it is a problem or a decision Applying logical methodologies to solve everyday problems
Leveraging Personal Thinking Styles: Analyzing personal preferences • Dominance drives behavior • Identifying your own natural brain dominance • Triune Brain Theory
Assessing your preferred approach to thinking • Enhancing whole-brain thinking • Leveraging left- and right-brain dominance • Recognizing strengths and opportunities
Thinking preferences and innovation • • • • • • •
Recognizing others' preferred thinking styles Adapting to others' thinking styles Flexing to opposing styles Exploring your own creativity Utilizing tools and techniques to become more creative Identifying elements that stimulate creativity Eliminating barriers to innovation
Group creative thinking and the iterative mind • • • • • • • • •
Brainstorming options Challenging assumptions Five Monkeys Syndrome Avoiding groupthink Unscrambling the iterative mind Moving between the left and right brain Valuing non-dominant preferences Stretching outside your personal style Deploying divergent and convergent thinking
Creative Interpersonal Problem-Solving • • • • •
Interpersonal Problem-Solving Process Steps for Interpersonal Problem-Solving Encouraging Creative Thinking Applying Brainstorming Formats and Mechanics Key Conflict Management Skills
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Performance Management Improvement for peak performance through understanding people and applying Metrics
Course Introduction This course presents a high level appreciation of the features and benefits of three key Performance areas namely: Performance Measurement and Continuous Improvement and Benchmarking and HR Metrics At first originally led by Japanese organizations, many International Companies are now leveling the field as performance measurement is seen as vital to quality process management and therefore Shareholder Value.
This course will feature: • • • •
Understanding Performance Measurement How to instigate, prolong and measure Continuous Improvement How to find and decipher the good stuff The vital impact of people on process
The Relationship between Motivating and Inspiring People and Performance • • • • •
Rule number one - Everything matters The importance of stretching ourselves Association and its impact on our ability to inspire Receiving feedback on our abilities, from other leaders Why standing still is no longer an option
Performance Measurement: The Starting Point for Improvement • The Need for Measurement • Data Use and Abuse: Using Data Constructively • Methods of Selecting Performance Measures • Developing a Framework for Measurement • Understanding Variation: The key to understanding performance • What histograms, run charts and control charts tell us about performance?
Continuous Improvement • Understanding Variation: The Range and Standard Deviation • Taking Appropriate Action against a Process • An Introduction to Control Charts • How to Improve a Process • The Power of Teamwork • Problem and Mission Statements
The Tools of Continuous Improvement • Understanding and Analyzing a Process • Identifying causes of problems, and potential solutions • Demonstrating the link between a cause and its effect • Understanding the Process • Investigating Relationships between Variables
An Introduction to Benchmarking Running a Successful Benchmarking Project • What is benchmarking? • History of benchmarking • Different Methods of benchmarking and how they relate to each other • How to identify potential benchmarking projects • An overview of the benchmarking process • Selecting your first project • Scoping and planning benchmarking study • Identifying and selecting benchmarking Metrics & Partners • Participant meetings: Planning and running effective meetings to attain the aims of the study • Benchmarking project management • Management support activities • Legal issues
HR Tools and Methods • The importance of statistics & accurate systems • Electronic workforce surveillance & analytics • Benchmarking • Standard measures of effectiveness • Methods of data capture • Employee Self- assessment and self-report measures
Putting performance Management Metrics and Analytics into Action • The balanced score card BSC • Manpower planning • Absence management • Skills analysis and training needs analysis • Job design and evaluation • Succession Planning
Driving Organizational Change: Connecting Metrics and Analytics with Action • Employee Motivation • Empowerment and Accountability • Performance Management - the four stage process: »» agreeing objectives, »» feedback, »» coaching »» appraisal • Conclusion and Action Planning
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Customer Satisfaction
The Way to #1 World-Class Customer Service Management and Problem ownership
Course Introduction This highly-interactive training course will give you the tools, resources, and best practices you require to enhance customer relationships and promote customer service Excellence and Satisfaction within your organization. In today’s customer-oriented business environment, providing customer service management requires a combination of effective communication strategies, persuasion techniques, and conflict resolution skills. Achieving customer service requires well–trained and motivated customer service professionals who have a passion for providing quality service. It gives an organization a competitive advantage in the marketplace and keeps customers coming back.
Fundamentals of World-Class Customer Service Management • • • • • •
The benefits of providing world-class customer service Does the ‘customer experience’ align with your organization’s vision/mission statement? Identifying internal and external customer expectations How to use customer service to increase sales and customer satisfaction Benchmarking the best and worst rated customer service providers The WOW Factor: Going the Extra Mile to exceed customer expectations
Effective Communication and People Skills Development • • • • • •
Body language: How to read your customer like a book Managing the four customer personality types Questioning techniques and active listening skills to improve communication effectiveness How to determine a customer’s “preferred learning style” Dos and don’ts of written communication Keys to effective telephone and voice mail communication
Leading the Way to Customer Service Excellence • • • • • •
The benefits of teamwork and mutual cooperation Team building and leadership exercise The role of the supervisor during service recovery Empowering employees to better serve their customers The most admired leadership traits Motivating employees to improve performance
Measuring and Monitoring Customer Service Satisfaction • • • • • •
Establishing customer service satisfaction measuring and monitoring standards Best practices for recording and monitoring customer service issues The art of giving and receiving constructive feedback Negotiating win-win outcomes Managing emotions during stressful situations Service recovery strategies for working with difficult customers
Action Planning for Improving Customer Service Management • • • • • •
What is your Action Plan? Your attitude makes a difference Stress management tips for maintaining peak performance Time management strategies to maximize daily productivity Setting SMART goals for continuous customer service improvement End of course review
How employees can take ownership to solve the customer issue “a three-step model that can help to take ownership”
Ownership is the process of accepting responsibility for solving a problem. Step 1: How to Effectively Acknowledge the problem.
In this first step delegates will learn the importance to demonstrate empathy by acknowledging the problem. This validates the customer’s negative emotions and positions the employee as someone who cares. Role playing and real life situation Exercise workshop I Step 2: How to Re-focus on a solution.
In this second step delegates will learn that conversation should now re-focus on finding a solution. To think of this as customer service judo “where you take all of the energy surrounding the problem and redirect it towards partnering with the customer to find a solution” Role playing and real life situation Exercise workshop II Step 3: How to be the point person.
In this third step delegates will learn the means of making sure that the problem gets resolved one way or another. Sometimes, the employee fixes the problem personally. At other times, the employee must coordinate with other people to obtain a solution Role playing and real life situation Exercise workshop II
6
Communication and Coaching Skills
Course Introduction An effective coaching process will include a range of techniques from communication skills, counselling techniques, human psychological processes and an understanding of human development. This course will introduce participants to the core skills of Workplace Coaching and will focus on the application of these skills in your organization.
This course will feature: • • • •
Explore Communication Essentials and Cultural issues related to Coaching Coaching as an essential skill for leadership success Practical skills workshop conducted each day where what has be learnt will be put into practice Developed to address the core communication skills and coaching competencies needed to act as a coach
Communication Foundation • Presentations : On both days of the program, you’ll make several presentations. Your facilitator and other participants critique each presentation, which gives you an indication of your strengths and weaknesses. All presentations are videotaped, to measure your improvement over the time. •
Communication definitions and components : You’ll learn key components of communication, which will give you a new perspective on getting your message across to an audience.
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Structure : You’ll learn how to use rogenSi’s unique organizational flow charts, which show you how to organize your ideas for presentations in a timesaving, informative, persuasive manner. The charts let busy people mapout a presentation in minutes, while ensuring it has a strong objective.
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Audience and listener analysis : By studying different styles of people and their personalities, you’ll learn how to determine the type of audience you’re addressing. With this knowledge, you can more effectively tailor your message to an audience.
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Planning a tailored presentation: You’ll learn the difference between “features” and “benefits” of products or services, and how you can develop a tailoring strategy that ensures a persuasive, convincing presentation.
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Delivery Skills : We’ll discuss the importance of eye contact, voice, movement, gestures and body language. You will be coached in each of these areas so that you can effectively present in a comfortable dynamic and natural fashion.
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Visual Aids : Visual aids make a presentation informative and persuasive. You’ll learn how to integrate visual aids with your presentation to assist with the communication of key ideas, and how to avoid common pitfalls.
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Communication exercises: On both days you’ll practice eye contact exercises, effective movement and gestures, and voice modulation. This leads to enhanced awareness of your physical actions and increases the comfort and confidence level when standing before an audience.
Coaching Foundation • • • • • •
Distinguishing between coaching, mentoring and counselling How does coaching differ Coaching process elements and how they interrelate Key coaching skills Meeting ethical guidelines and professional standards Workshop: Coaching skills evaluated
Advanced Communication for Coaching • • • • • •
Understanding your personal communication style Asking versus telling Active listening & questioning techniques SOLER Model for coaching Language - verbal and non-verbal Workshop: Feedback with Emotional Intelligence
Co-Creating the Relationship • • • • • •
Oil & Gas Industry – Case Studies Motivational coaching The Coaching Cycle Preparation, Explanation, Demonstration and Imitation Consolidation and Review in the Cycle Workshop: Plan a coaching session
Mentoring & Coaching • • • • • •
Workshop: Reviewed coaching session Coaching & mentoring - the differences Corporate mentorship programs Most commonly used techniques among mentors Career planning & Talent Management Workshop: Career Planning
Facilitating Learning and Results • • • • • •
Understanding human development and learning Learning Styles – Honey & Mumford Coaching Generation ‘X’ & ‘Y’ Hofstede’s cultural dimensions Culture & coaching Coaching for success
OTHER TEAMS
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Sales and Telephone Skills Exceptional Sales, telemarketing Phone Skills and techniques That works!
INTRODUCTION Virtually everybody in sales today sells over the phone at least part of the time. Perhaps it is time for you to evaluate how you use the telephone and where it fits into your sales and marketing mix. This course will show you how the telephone can supplement, enhance, and sometimes replace other means of marketing and selling, and how this personal approach can dramatically increase your sales success. We will also talk about how to hone your communication skills, your ability to persuade, and techniques to personalize each sales call. The days of the traveling salesman going from city to city holding face-to-face meetings with prospects are long gone. In the digital age, aggressive companies stay competitive by transferring most of their core selling processes to their websites and telemarketing staff. It is quite possible that the top sales person in your company has never spoken face to face with a single customer. However, it could also be possible that you are experiencing high sales staff turnover, low sales closing rates, or both, because your telemarketing staff doesn’t have the skills to become super telephone sales reps. Our Sales Telephone Skills Training Course is designed to transform your telemarketing staff from simple order takers into full-fledged consultative sales account representatives.
Learning Objectives: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Build trust and respect with customers and colleagues Warm up your sales approach to improve success with cold calling Identify ways to make a positive impression Identify negotiation strategies that will make you a stronger seller Create a script to maximize your efficiency on the phone Learn what to say and what to ask to create interest, handle objections, and close the sale Handle telephone customer questions and objections Understand the difference between telephone and face-to-face selling Use the telephone selling process to sell long-term relationships rather than low bids or costs Interview customers to uncover their needs instead of pitching product features Think and respond like a telemarketing business consultant Understand different buyer types and behaviors in order to adapt to each style and communicate more effectively Create a strategy that will build an advantage over the competition and differentiate your product and company in the eyes of the suspect, prospect or customer Deal with multi-level sales structures Identify and quantify the cost of sales Determine opportunity areas for adding value to a customer’s business situation through creative questioning
The psychology of sales and principles of selling • • • • • • • • • • •
First impressions Building trust and rapport Questioning and listening to uncover customer needs Features and benefits Handling concerns and objections Gaining commitment Defining the Sales Process Type of Sales Common Sales Approaches Managing the Sale Sales psychology 101
Sales And Setting goals • • • • • •
Setting Goals The Importance of Sales Goals Setting SMART Goals Delivering Presentations that SELL Features and Benefits matched to Customer Need Outlining your Unique Selling Proposition
Sales and Client based Strategy • • • • • •
The logic of a sales strategy Writing clear and objective proposals Market based strategies How to present your money offer in an attractive way Simple strategies for immediate gain Develop yourself as a product
Sales, phone, Telemarketing Strategy and Communication methods • • • • • • • • • •
Verbal Communication Being Yourself and Sounding Your Best A Service Image To Serve and Delight What You Say and What it Means Planning the Ideal Answer Handling Objections Common types of Objections Basic Strategies Advanced Strategies
Negotiation, Communication and Exceptional Things about Telephone Sales • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Building Trust It’s More Than Just a Phase Phases of Negotiation Types of Negotiation Communication Essentials Active Listening Skills Ten Ingredients for Good Communication Asking Good Questions Resolving Customer Service Issues Staying in Touch Developing Your Script The Basic Script Sample Script Making the Script Yours
Phone, Telemarketing Advanced Winning Technique • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Pre-Call Planning and Getting Prepared to make the Call Phone Tag and Call Backs Identifying your Contact Person Performing a Needs Analysis Creating Potential Solutions Closing the Sale Understanding when it's Time to Powerful Closing Techniques Things to Remember Creative Openings A Basic Opening for Warm Calls Warming up Cold Calls Using the Referral Opening Following Up Closing the Sale Personal Action Plan
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Engagement of customer towards the Digital channel
Course introduction Engage the customer: Digital transformation is occurring across organizations. Investments are being made in new technology, business models, and supporting systems and processes to change the way companies sell, market, operate, and scale in an increasingly digital economy. Companies need a digital engagement center to engage with customers at the right time, with the right person, on the right channel. The core of the problem companies have is in onboarding new digital channels such as social media, is that customers will then expect the company to respond and participate in conversations. And engagement at scale is one of the hardest things for companies to do as they are organized today, despite plenty of studies confirming the significant value in doing so. Remove the barriers to doing engaging in scale and make it a success by supplying tools and proactive organizational policies to orchestrate (employee, partner, and customer) to do the work whenever possible. Content and assets are increasingly digital—with audio, video, and interactive elements—and consumed across multiple channels, including not only mobile, social, and the web, but also in store, on location, or in the field. Whether for customers, employees, or business partners, digital engagement is about creating a consistent, compelling, and contextual way of personalizing, delivering, and sometimes even monetizing the user’s overall experience—especially as core products become augmented or replaced with digital intellectual property.
Outline Let’s get digital: New products, customer (and markets) • • • • • •
Content For Marketing . . . And Beyond Digital engagement Driving new savings, sales, and loyalty Reshaping Customer Interaction Customer centric Approach and Today’s digital technologies ( mobile, social, and the web ) The Internet of Things IOT productive relationships with customers, and achieving higher levels of satisfaction
The new sources of revenue. Driving digital engagement • • • • • •
Sales and marketing Tapping into digital channels Digital customer care and digital presence foundational elements Levels of digital engagement. Customer Engagement and time-, place-, and context-aware concept digital experience vs. physical interactions -on-site ( field service personnel) Digital engagement and commitment
Customer relationship management (CRM) • CRM Basic elements , foundation , structure and benefits
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Professionalism towards serving customers – 10 Golden Role
Course Introduction Whether buying your morning coffee, picking up your clothes at the dry cleaner or calling for restaurant reservations, one unifying aspect of each of these simple Golden Roles transactions is being part of a greater customer service experience. Every day we all play the role of customers, often making decisions around what to buy and where to go based on the level of service we received at the counter, on the other end of the phone or across the internet. In today’s service economy, companies are continuously relying more on their customer service as a competitive advantage, making outstanding customer service qualities a must-have for potential new hires. While the customer may not always be right, there are right and wrong ways to provide effective customer service. With this in mind, Boost compiled Those 10 Golden Role & tips for those looking to successfully enter into the Professionalism towards serving customers world.
Golden Role 1: Be approachable In order to provide your customers with top-notch service, first, people need to feel comfortable coming to you with their questions or concerns. When face-to-face be sure to welcome customers and make an effort to appear available and ready to engage in conversation. If you’re over the phone or using email, be cordial and polite in your responses – two word emails or replies will leave customers dissatisfied and less likely to feel their issue has been addressed or resolved.
Golden Role 2: Know your customer What are your customers’ wants/needs? Why are they coming to you, and what are they hoping to get out of the transaction? Sometimes it is just the product you sell, other times it is your service that differentiates your company from its competitors. Ask questions and learn as much as you can about the person you are serving. Not every customer should be approached the same way - tailoring your response to fit their needs will help to ensure a more positive customer experience.
Golden Role 3: Give memorable service Customers will return if their experience with you was positive and hassle-free. If you’re on the phone, make sure not only to greet the customer and remember their name, but also give them your name so they can feel a more personal connection with you. In a store, give them your card or in email include your whole signature with full contact information. Personalization builds established business relationships.
Golden Role 4: Remain calm Remember that even though you may not be at fault, often time’s customers will take out their frustration on you. Regardless of their tone of voice or demeanor, be sure to always remain respectful and calm – don’t come down to their level, but remain calm and collected and promptly refer them to a supervisor if the situation cannot be appropriately controlled.
Golden Role 5: Respond quickly Your customers are usually calling or approaching you with a problem or concern they need solved, often urgently. They may be upset or frustrated, so it is important that you react not only professionally, but also quickly. This sort of response will ensure them you are taking their issues seriously and are willing to do whatever necessary to solve their problems, thus lessening the odds of them becoming agitated or overly aggressive.
Golden Role 6: Listen to complaints Customer complaints are often valid and are usually the result of circumstances beyond your control. Regardless of this fact, they are relying on you to be an open ear. To best approach this situation make sure that you are not only engaged, but are also empathetic with their frustrations and concerns, and trying your best to offer effective solutions and alternatives.
Golden Role 7: Research the marketplace Know the business in which you work. Know who your competitors are and how they treat their customers by becoming one and observing the way that you’re treated. Follow by example – copy excellent customer service and be sure to avoid those who exhibit less admirable qualities in dealing with their clients.
Golden Role 8: Be helpful Even if there’s no immediate profit. There is often no monetary value in answering a question, but a customer that has been helped is a satisfied one and will likely return, and may also spread the word to others. Answering each question, while being patient, polite and professional is an investment in new business and growth for the company.
Golden Role 9: Go the extra mile Going above and beyond for your customers will ensure they’re satisfied and impressed by your effort, making you and your company their first resource in the future. This will not only positively affect the customer’s mood and interaction with you, but it might motivate the customer to refer your helpful actions to other customers or better yet, your boss.
Golden Role 10: Remain polite & positive Even on the phone, the customer can tell if you are happy to help or if you possess a negative attitude. Regardless of your own personal feelings or whether or not you’re having a good/bad day, it’s important that you treat each customer with the same level of service and always with a helpful, positive tone.
Although it is often easy to identify times of poor customer service, it can be more difficult to think of those qualities which differentiate good service from a great interaction. In order to ensure that the customer is satisfied with your level of service, take a minute to walk in their shoes and think about how you would like to be treated. Taking their perspective and following these tips will ensure that you become part of the solution and not a part of the problem!
10 Analytical skills Course Introduction Assess and synthesize information so it's meaningful to you and your business. Every day new information creates new demands. You're asked to summarize a lengthy report. Your boss distributes a pet project and asks you to come up with a list of recommendations. Important information about a competitor's product has just arrived and you're undecided about how to present the data. You're reading conflicting expert opinions on what's hot and new, and you need to decide which advice to pursue. How do you assess the credibility of new information? How will knowing this information help you make pivotal decisions? How can you be sure of drawing valid conclusions? This seminar will give you basic analytical tools to assimilate, assess, organize, and analyze new knowledge, so you can use the information to the best advantage of your organization-and your career. You will also experience the qualitative application of these tools through a detailed and interactive case study that explores a common business scenario.
How You Will Benefit: • • • • • • •
Organize information from multiple sources and in multiple formats Put information into a format that can be analyzed Apply techniques to determine what information is relevant within a specific context Learn to see contradictory information in the correct perspective Analyze information in order to identify the best opportunity Recognize information patterns and determine what they can mean for your business Communicate your findings and suggestions with expediency and clarity
What You'll Learn • • • • • • •
Explore challenges professionals face in collecting, evaluating, and presenting information Basic steps in the analytical process Deciding on an approach for an analysis project Applying specific analytic techniques to your work situation Using interview techniques and clarifying questions Characteristics of valid conclusions How to get from conclusions to recommendations
Setting the Statistical Scene in Management • • • • • •
Introduction; The quantitative landscape in management Thinking statistically about applications in management The integrative elements of data analytics Data: The raw material of data analytics (types, quality and data preparation) Exploratory data analysis using excel (pivot tables) Using summary tables and visual displays to profile sample data
Analytical Skills for the Business Professional • Core analytical skills commonly used by business professionals • Importance of analytical skills to problem solving and decision making • Challenges business professionals face in collecting, evaluating, and presenting information and recommendations • Basic steps in the analytical process
The Planning Process • • • • • •
Use a tool for clarifying questions Underlying issues and related issues that are essential for a comprehensive understanding Evaluate the importance of the question in terms of risk, urgency, and impact to you and/or your organization Decide on an approach for an analysis project Create a data collection plan for obtaining information Relate how to use these techniques in your own work
Analytic Techniques • • • • • •
Content analysis Comparison tables Decision matrix Affinity grouping Cost-benefit-risk analysis; SWOT and other 2x2 charts
Putting It All Together • • • • •
Characteristics of valid conclusions How to get from conclusions to recommendations How to order information in a PowerPoint presentation to make a recommendation Present the key analytic techniques taught in the course in a presentation format Difference between slides used to illustrate a talk and materials provided for subsequent review
11 Writing Skills Course Introduction This course is about effective Writing skills essential for both organizational and personal success. It provides a superb opportunity for professionals to take those skills to a higher level maximizing personal impact and achieving business objectives. There is a wealth of practical guidance on improving the effectiveness of various forms of written communication. This course will present how writing and presentation skills can work in tandem to achieve results. If you want your reports, memos, letters and e-mail to be read with interest and acted upon and if you want to be able to present your ideas with impact and effectiveness, this is the right course for you.
Every day new information creates new demands. What if you’re asked to summarize a lengthy report? Your boss?
Improving Business Communication & What Makes an Effective Report • • • • • •
Barriers and pitfalls of business communication Differences between written and spoken communication and their implications Characteristics of an effective report Understanding the readers’ needs Report layout and design for clarity and impact Structure - the macrostructure and the microstructure
Readability, Writing Style and the Writing Process • • • • • •
Sentences, paragraphs and readability Generating ideas – Mind mapping and brain storming Sources of information and research techniques Selecting and structuring the content – logical sequencing Proofreading, grammar and punctuation Tables, diagrams, figures and graphs
E-mails, Letters and Other Business Writing/What Makes an Effective Presentation • • • • • •
Managing e-mails to be noticed Writing effective business letters Writing professional agendas and minutes Writing instructions and guidelines Characteristics of effective presentations Preparing a persuasive business presentation
Presentation Skills • • • • • •
The pillars of effective presentations Setting and meeting objectives Meeting the audience’s needs Structuring the presentation and making a case Positive body language Using visuals effectively
Making a Case & Influencing Skills • • • • • •
Choosing words for maximum impact Handling questions from your audience Team presentations to convince critics Supporting presentations with written documentation Making a persuasive business case Influencing Skills and getting support
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