Quality Program

Training

Tone and Demeanor

CSAT
Objectives
 At the end of this course, you will be able to:
 Understand the importance of excellent Tone and
Demeanor
 Understand why we are focusing on Tone and
Demeanor
 Define excellent Tone and Demeanor
 Understand the relationship between excellent Tone and
Demeanor and our company’s Reputation
 Understand the relationship between excellent Tone and
Demeanor and First Call Resolution
 Recognize excellent Tone and Demeanor on customer
calls
2
Warm Up Activity

Sometimes it’s not what you say…

IT’S HOW YOU SAY IT!

3
Why is Excellent Tone and
Demeanor Important?
 Improves our company’s reputation
 Increases customer satisfaction, which creates customer
loyalty
 Improves our customer survey results
 Creates personal satisfaction for you
 Impacts your ability to “Raise the Bar” for our customers
 Increases First Call Resolution
 Increases your personal performance results
 It fulfills The Customer Rules!

4
 Why are
we focusing on
Tone and
Demeanor?

• A continued focus on improving Tone & Demeanor is

critical to the success of our organization, and Alltel’s
Reputation
• Previous survey results show we have significant
opportunity for improvement in this category.
• The Tone & Demeanor guidelines need to better describe
and define “Excellent Tone and Demeanor”

5
Defining Excellent Tone and Demeanor

 Excellent Tone & Demeanor Criteria:

When working with each of our customers,
excellent Tone & Demeanor requires each of
the following criteria to be displayed as
appropriate for points to be awarded in this
performance area. Not every Tone and
Demeanor element is required on every call.

 Building Rapport
 Displaying Positive Energy

6
Defining Excellent Tone and Demeanor

 Using Sincere AER statements

-Acknowledge the customer’s issue
-Empathize with the customer
-Reassure the customer you have the ability
to resolve the issue
 Defusing the Customer’s frustrations prior to jumping to
the solution
 Being Professional and Courteous
 We will now define each of these categories in detail
on the following slides.

7
Build Rapport
 Create a harmonious relationship
with your customer:
 Use positive phrasing and avoid
negative words
 Use language that the customer
can understand
 Appropriately match the customer’s
tone (i.e. professional to
professional, humor to humor)

8
Display Positive Energy
 Show your customer you are fully
engaged and interested:

 Reinforce positive emotions and be

enthusiastic
 Speak to the customer with sincerity
 Use inflection in your voice
 Don’t sound apathetic or speak in a
monotone
 Demonstrate your desire to help

9
Use Sincere AER statements
 You represent our company, and your caring for
the customer’s issue will positively impact our
reputation.
 A – Sincerely acknowledge a customer’s
frustration or concern, when appropriate.
Apologize when appropriate.
 Be sure to paraphrase the customer’s issue to
make sure you understand it correctly.
 E – Sincerely empathize with a customer’s issue,
when appropriate
 Remember, one size does not fit all situations,
and your approach needs to be tailored to the
customer’s specific needs. Some customers
just want their issue resolved.
 R – Reassure the customer of your ability to
assist (on every call) Demonstrate ownership and
personal responsibility.

10
 Defuse the Customer’s Frustrations
prior to jumping to the solution

 Listen to your customer without interruption

before rushing to a solution!
 Practice active listening. Make sure the
customer knows that you have
acknowledged his issue and understand his
concerns.
 Be sincere. Let the customer know that you
are taking his issue seriously.
 Maintain a positive attitude. The way that
you initially handle a customer will often
dictate the outcome of the call.

11
Defuse the Customer’s Frustrations (continued)
 Also remember:

 Customers may feel that you are not acknowledging their

frustrations if you immediately jump to a solution. This type of
service can be interpreted as impersonal and uncaring
 Often the customer initially may appear to be more interested
in venting his frustrations than actually finding a solution to his
problem. You will find that once customers have been
provided the opportunity to state their grievances, they will be
satisfied with most solutions that you are able to offer.
 Customers are more willing to discuss issues rationally once
they have vented their frustrations.
 Customers are more willing to accept reasonable solutions
once they have calmed down.

12
Be Professional and Courteous
 We must always display the utmost
courtesy and respect to our customers,
regardless of the situation.

 Use the customer’s name as appropriate

during the call.
 Use professional language and complete
sentences when appropriate. “May I have
your name, please?” Avoid statements
such as “Your name?”
 Explaining silences and using “please”
and “thank you” when requesting
customer information.
 Give customer your full attention.
 Do not allow the customer’s demeanor to
personally affect your ability to remain
courteous and professional.

13
Impact to Alltel’s Reputation

 A company’s reputation is one of its greatest assets.

Using excellent Tone and Demeanor with our customers
is one of the keys to enhancing Alltel’s reputation

 Each of you has the ability to WOW every customer with

your positive approach and interaction.

14
Impact to First Call Resolution
Excellent Tone and Demeanor impacts First Call
Resolution:

• If customers are not provided with excellent tone and

demeanor, they may tune out of the conversation, or
attempt to end the call early.

• Customers may escalate calls if Tone and Demeanor is poor.

• Customers may avoid “Follow-up” items with reps who don’t

treat them well and call back to get a new rep.

• Customers may not feel confident that their issue will be

resolved properly when a rep uses poor Tone and Demeanor.
This will usually result in a return call to ensure the issue
was resolved.
15
 We know it’s not always that simple…
 Dealing with frustrated customers can be frustrating itself. Don’t let
a customer’s negative attitude influence your Tone and Demeanor

 Any number of things may have affected this customer before they
called you. It is your responsibility to take ownership and have
personal accountability for each call, regardless of the circumstances.

 Leave your problems at the door. Personal issues may impact your
tone and demeanor. Focus on your tasks at hand.

 Always think as a “professional.” Think about people that you

admire and how they handle themselves in work-related situations.
 Remain positive and professional. You’ll be amazed at how

 Excellent Tone and Demeanor will influence even the most

negative customer. Win the customer over with Great Customer
Service!
16
Exercise
 Break up into teams of three
 Take turns playing the role of the
Rep, customer, and QA evaluator
 Use the Evaluator sheets to record
strengths and opportunities
 Use the scenarios on the next slides
for your role plays

17
Role Play Scenarios
 Scenario One

 Matt Rivera, is concerned

because his flight got cancelled
and he has a reservation in
Mandalay Bay.

18
Role Play Scenarios
 Scenario Two
You receive a call from
Ms. Lee who wants to
cancel her flight
reservation

19
Summary
 In this course, we learned to:
 Understand the importance of excellent Tone and Demeanor
 Understand why we are focusing on Tone and Demeanor
 Define excellent Tone and Demeanor
 Understand the relationship between excellent Tone and
Demeanor and our company’s Reputation
 Understand the relationship between excellent Tone and
Demeanor and First Call Resolution
 Recognize excellent Tone and Demeanor on customer calls

20