Design Document for

Customer Service & Product Reference Guide Training

By East West Consultants

Document Description
This design document outlines the framework of the training program East West
Consultants will provide to PJ Enterprises. This document includes a high-level
overview of the product content that will be covered and how it will be treated. It also
includes the following:

Training program objectives

Architecture and task outlines

Training program content

Purpose of the Course

The purpose of this project for PJ Enterprises is to reduce customer complaints, and
improve customer service performance by Telephone Operators and Customer
Service Supervisors in the Call Center.
PJ Enterprises has requested that EWC design and deliver training programs in:

Customer service skills, including how to properly use the product reference guide.
Training will be hands on as 72% of telephone operators suggested this was needed
for job success.
Once the training is complete and evaluations and assessments have been reviewed,
the number of increased customer orders with satisfied customers and a decrease in
customer complaints will be compared with former data.
The training package, including training session(s), must be delivered by January 14,
2017.

Audience Description
The Audience for this program will be Telephone Operators and Customer Service
Supervisors in the Call Center. Telephone Operators interact with customers and
need better customer service and technical skills in order to have effective
interactions. If a supervisor is needed to help a customer, then the core
competencies: active listening, persuasive selling and using positive language
(including telephone etiquette) will come into play.

Course Description
This Customer Service Training course is designed to improve the skills of telephone
operators and customer service supervisors as they work with placing customer
orders. The course will focus on the use of telephone etiquette and tasks most critical
Design Document

to the satisfaction of the customer and the successful placing of the order by
telephone operators.
It will also introduce call center staff to the navigation system of the digital Product
Reference Guide, including using search methods to find products. This course
focuses on teaching operators how to search for a product with the Product Category
Index.
This course is not designed to teach all the core competencies needed by a
telephone operator or supervisor, but to provide a solid start in learning the skills and
knowledge on improving customer relations. At the end of the course, students will
have the opportunity to evaluate their current skills and will also know the steps they
need to take to improve.

Course Seat Time

The full training will take 3 hours.

Instructional Architecture/Strategy for Course

The architecture for Customer Service Training is primarily directive, instructor led
providing specific instruction with opportunities for practice. This strategy was chosen
in order to lead the learner through the step-by-step procedures for accessing and
searching with the Product Category Index. The instructor will give directions for
learners to use hyperlinks, access the index, and follow the appropriate steps when
searching for product information. There will be modeling and role-playing practice, as
well. Even though there are scenarios, this is primarily a directive architecture.

Design Document

Major Course Objectives

At the end of this course on Customer Service Training, telephone operators and
customer service supervisors will be able to:

Actively listen to the customer as they place their orders or have concerns
Use positive language at all times, even when the customer is upset
Direct customers to related products as they persuasively sell

Navigate the Product Category Index search feature to find product information with no
errors.

Learning Assessment for Course

Informal assessment will include participation in activities, discussions and peer
assessments.
Formal assessment will be included. Participants will be assessed on customer call
role plays in which they apply their skills and knowledge.
There will be a role play assessment requiring learners to demonstrate their ability to
search for specific product information using the Product Catalog Index search
feature. The assessment will be scored either pass or fail.

Course Outline
The four lessons, plus an overall assessment, include the following:
1)
a)
b)
1)
a)
b)
a)
b)
c)
1)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
1)
a)
b)
c)

Design Document

Introduction to Customer Service and Telephone Etiquette

Customer Service Basics
Why Telephone Etiquette is Important
How to answer the phone
Greeting customers
Continuing the call procedure
Practice exercise: Role Play
Questions, Review and Summary
Assessment
Using the Product Reference Guide to find product information
Accessing the digital Product Reference Guide
Using hypertext links in the Product Reference Guide
Searching for product information using step-by-step approach with the Product Category
Index (see Appendix D)
Practice exercise: Report product information found in Product Category Index
Role Play: Search Product Category Index for customer requests
Review and Summary
How to Provide Customer Service
Inquiring into customer needs using positive language
Using active listening
Addressing complaints using positive language

d)
e)
f)
g)
2)

Inquiring if customer has additional needs using persuasive language

Continuing the call procedure using persuasive language
Practice exercise: Role Play
Assessment
Final Overall Assessment

The course will utilize the following media:

Course Guide
Instructor Guides
Instructor Guides for training, student exercise, role plays and evaluation
Audio recordings of sample customer calls
Slide presentation with graphics
Flipcharts
Signs for activity (Good etiquette, Poor etiquette)
Paper and pencil
Computers
Product Reference Guide in digital version on computers
Telephone answering system in use at PJ Enterprises
Ordering system in use at PJ Enterprises
Recording of training participants calls for assessment purposes
MS Word
MS PowerPoint training program
Student handouts including student exercise and job aid
Pencils
Role play scripts
Student assessment rubrics
Student course evaluation form

Media

The course will incorporate realistic customer calls, calling issues and role plays, as
much as possible, to ease the transfer from the learning environment to the work
environment.

Development Tools
Development tools will include the following:

Design Document

Microsoft Word
Microsoft PowerPoint
Images of company products
Images of call center staff (generic)

Audio recordings of customer calls

Development Time
For Customer Service Training (including use of the digital Product Reference Guide),
the development time will be 150.5 hours for 3.5 hours of seat time.

Support requirements

To properly present this course, PJ Enterprises will provide:

Training room with proper lighting, seating, temperature
Facilitator computer with HDMI cable and mouse
Projection screen
One computer for each telephone operator with the digital Product Reference Guide
loaded
A network to link all computers in the training room
Headsets that telephone operator will use on the job
Telephones that telephone operator will use on the job
Information technology support and assistance from an IT professional on staff at PJ
Enterprises.

Ownership
PJ Enterprises will take ownership of this course upon completion of all specifications.
Modifications will be at their discretion.

Design Document

Project Sign-off
Please sign below indicating agreement with the proposed course plan and approving
start-up of the development phases.

Instructional Designers

Date

Jennie Johnson-Corless
Cheri MacLeod
Joseph Yang
Maureen Stiebris

Project Manager

Date

Shauna Edson

VP Sales PJ Enterprises

Date

Mike Merrill

Project Sponsor of PJ Enterprises

Date

Jane MacKenzie

Design Document

Appendix A: Job Task Analysis

Design Document

Appendix B: Detailed Course Outline

Mins.

15

Task / Topic / Key

Concept
Introduction to
Customer Service and
Telephone Etiquette
Introduction
Participant
introductions
Objectives
a. Customer Service
Basics

b. Why Telephone
Etiquette is
Important

Objective

Given a list of
reasons,
learners will
correctly identify
a minimum of 3
reasons for
providing
customer
service.
Given verbal
examples,
learners will
correctly sort
examples of the
use and non-use
of telephone
etiquette.

Instructional
Method

Presentation of
facts

Assessment
Method

Recall
information

Assessment
Description

Informal
assessment.

Visuals / Media
Support

Checklist

Use a checklist to
identify reasons
for providing
customer service.

Definition of
good telephone
etiquette

Classify
concepts

Informal
assessment:
Instructor orally
gives examples
Learners move to
stand under the
appropriate sign.

Goo

Signs posted on
wall of room:

Good
etiquette

No
etiquette

d
etiquette

No
etiquette
2

10

How to answer the

phone
Introduction

Design Document

Given four
sample calls,
learners will
identify at least
one feature of
each call.

Demonstration
of principles
Instructor plays
four sample
calls

Application of
Principles:
Identify

Informal
assessment:
Group discussion
of the principles
demonstrated in

PowerPoint with
audio recordings
embedded into
photographs of
speakers.

Mins.

Task / Topic / Key

Concept

a. Greeting
customers

b. Continuing the
call procedure

10

c. Practice exercise:
Role play

Objective

Demonstration of
procedure

Application of
Procedure:
Practice

Demonstrating of
procedure

Application of
Procedure:
Practice

Given practice
calls, learners
will use the
recommended
answering script
and procedure
with no
mistakes.

Demonstration
of procedures

Role play

Discussion

uestions,
Review and
Summary
15
ssessment

Design Document

Assessment
Method

Given the
greeting script
and a customer,
learners will greet
customers
accurately.
Given the
procedure,
learners will
practice how to
continue a call
accurately.

a.
NA
Q

Instructional
Method

b.
Given two
A
customer calls,
learners will use
the
recommended
answering script
and procedure at
with no

Assessment
Description
each call.
Informal
assessment:
Role Play
Peer Assessment

Visuals / Media
Support

Script provided on
paper

Informal
assessment:
Role Play
Peer Assessment

Scripts provided on
paper

-practice

Informal
assessment by
peers and
instructors

Assessment
rubric that will be
used in formal
assessment

NA

NA

NA

Role play

Formal
assessment by
instructor

Assessment
rubric

Repeat
information
NA

(Calls recorded
for review and
assessment)

Mins.

3 5

Task / Topic / Key

Concept

Introduction to the
new digital Product
Reference Guide.

10

Accessing the digital

Product Reference
Guide

10

Using hyperlinks in
the Product Reference
Guide

15

Searching for
product information
with the Product
Category Index

10

Practice Exercise:
Reporting product
information found in

Design Document

Objective

mistakes.
N/A

Instructional
Method

Presentation:

Assessment
Method

Assessment
Description

Visuals / Media
Support

N/A

N/A

Welcome slide with

objectives for this
lesson

Learners will
access the
Product Reference
Guide on their
computers
successfully with
no errors

PowerPoint slide of
how to access
Product Reference
Guide

Introduction to the
new digital
Product
Reference Guide
Given a computer
with the Product
Reference Guide
installed, learners
will correctly find
and open the
Product
Reference Guide
with no errors
Given the digital
Product
Reference Guide,
learners will
correctly identify
hyperlinks
Given the Product
Reference Guide,
learners will be
demonstrate the
steps required to
search for a
specific product
using the Product
Category Index

Demonstration of
procedure

Application of
procedure

Demonstration of
procedure

Application of
procedure

Demonstration of
procedure: stepby-step from
Product Category
Index to specific
Product
Information page

Application of
procedure

Given written
customer
requests, learners

N/A

Application of
procedure:
Practice
10

Learners will
demonstrate
identifying and
using hyperlinks
on a digital
document
Learners will
practice using the
Product Category
Index

Learners will be
given a series of
product

Slide of Product
Reference Guide
Search page with
hyperlinks
Handout: Job Aid
with flowchart of
searching the
Product Reference
Guide starting with
the Product
Category Index,
and ending with a
Product Information
page
Handout: Paper
based exercise
form and pencils

Mins.

Task / Topic / Key

Concept

Objective

Instructional
Method

Assessment
Method

Product Category
Index

will able to find

and report the
product
information
requested with no
errors

15

Cumulative Role Play

Demonstration of
procedural task
via role play

Application of
procedure with
rubric

10

Review and Summary

Given verbal
customer
requests, learners
will be able to find
the product
information
requested with no
errors
Provide summary
and take
questions

Presentation of
Facts

N/A

Given a short
demonstration
on how to
provide
customer
service, learners
will identify three
characteristics of
good customer
service

Definition of
concept

How to Provide
Customer Service
[See (a) through (e)
below for customer
service characteristics
that will be in this
lesson]

Design Document

Exercise

Demonstration

Assessment
Description
information
requests, find the
exact information
using the Product
Category Index
search feature,
and fill in the
information on the
practice exercise
form
Learners will role
play searching
Product Category
Index for customer
and answering
customer
questions
N/A

Identify
characteristics

11

Informal
Assessment
Learners will
verbally tell a
partner three
characteristics
and record them
on a flipchart.
(These recorded
characteristics
can be shared
with the class
later) while
instructor moves
around the room

Visuals / Media
Support

Role Play scripts

N/A

PowerPoint with
audio and visuals

Mins.

Task / Topic / Key

Concept

Objective

Instructional
Method

Assessment
Method

Assessment
Description

Visuals / Media
Support

monitoring
10

10

a.
Given a
I
customer call,
nquiring into
learners will
customer needs
inquire what the
using positive
customer wants
language
using positive
language
b.
Given an audio
U
recording of a
sing active
customer call,
listening:
learners will use
concentrate,
active listening
understand,
to identify
respond and
customer needs
remember

Demonstration
of principles

Application of
principles

Role Play

Application of
principles

Identify
information

Informal
Assessment by
peer
assessment.
Partners work
together, each
get a chance to
play the
customer and the
TO. Then they
assess one
another with the
checklist.

gi
ving full
attention
to the
speaker
in
dicating
listening by giving
verbal
cues (e.g.
asking
relevant
questions
or
confirming
with
Right,
Okay,
Yes, Let
me repeat
that.
Source:
http://www.skills

Design Document

Informal
Assessment

12

Instructor
checklist for role
play

Audio recording
of a customer call
Instructor
checklist

Mins.

Task / Topic / Key

Concept

Objective

Instructional
Method

Assessment
Method

Assessment
Description

Visuals / Media
Support

youneed.com/ip
s/activelistening.html#ix
zz4Sj7Yd0pW

10

10

10

Design Document

c.
Given a
A
customer
ddressing
complaint, the
complaints using
learner will use
positive
positive
language
language to
resolve the
complaint
without
supervisor
intervention
d.
Given a practice
I
call, the learner
nquiring if
will use
customer has
persuasive
additional needs
language to
using persuasive
inquire if the
language
customer has
additional needs
at the end of a
call
e.
Given a practice
C
call, the learner
ontinuing the call
will use
using persuasive
persuasive
language
language to ask
if there is any
other thing to
help them with
and end the call
appropriately

Demonstration
of principles

Role play

Demonstration

Role play

Practice

practice

Demonstration
of procedure

Application of
principles

13

Informal
assessment by
peer assessment

Instructor
observations

Informal
assessment by
using phones
with a partner to
role play inquiring
needs

Instructor
observation and
checklist

Informal
assessment
having each
learner name the
three things in
order that must
happen at the
end of each call

Informal
assessment
Instructor
checklist

Mins.

Task / Topic / Key

Concept

f.
Given a practice
P
call, the learner
ractice exercise:
will use all six
Role Play
components of
customer
service.

15

15
ssessment

Objective

Final Overall
Assessment

Design Document

g.
Given a variety
A
of customer
calls, learners
will demonstrate
the six
components of
customer service
at a satisfactory
level.

Given a sample
customer call,
learners will find
products with the
Product Catalog
Index in the
Product
Reference Guide
using active

Instructional
Method

Assessment
Method

Assessment
Description

Visuals / Media
Support

Practice

Role play
practice

Informal
assessment Role
play with a
partner using
phones with one
being the
customer and the
other being the
telephone
operator

Instructor
observation with
immediate
feedback

NA

Role play

Formal
assessment by
instructor

Assessment
rubric

(Calls recorded
for review and
assessment)
The learners will
role play a
customer call in
which they
demonstrate the
six components
of customer
service at a
satisfactory level.
NA

Formal
assessment by
instructor

Simulation

(Calls recorded
for review and
assessment)
The learners will
answer a
14

Assessment
rubric

Mins.

Task / Topic / Key

Concept

Objective

Instructional
Method

Assessment
Method

listening,
positive and
persuasive
language.

Design Document

Assessment
Description
customer call and
find products with
the Product
Catalog Index in
the Product
Reference Guide,
using active
listening,
positive, and
persuasive
language. They
will then
complete the call
at a satisfactory
level.

15

Visuals / Media
Support

Appendix C: Final Assessment

For this course there will be a final formal assessment in the form of a role play. The learners will answer and
complete a call using the skills and knowledge outlined in the course.
Assessment will be done using a rubric based on the components of telephone etiquette which include: active
listening, persuasive selling, using positive language while providing customer service, and properly using the
Product Category Index.

Role Play Assessment for the product reference guide

In a telephone role play situation: Learners will receive product requests. The learners must effectively find the
product information using the Product Category Search feature and relay the information back to the customer. A
rubric will be used to assess learners.
Sample Role Play Customer Requests:
Customer: Hi, I am interested in the pretty pink skirt I saw in the catalog, but I dont have the
catalog in front of me. Can you tell me what fabric it is made of?
Customer: Hello, I saw a bunny figurine in your catalog and have a few questions. Its for
Easter.
Customer: I would like more information about some earrings in your catalog. Is there a
necklace that matches them?

Design Document

16

Appendix D: Product Category Index

This block diagram illustrates the step-by-step approach to search for product information using the Product
Category Index.

Design Document

Project Team:
17
Cheri MacLeod, Maureen Stiebris, Joseph Yang, Jennifer Johnson-Corless, Shauna Borger