Call center staff have a lot to learn and every call center training program needs to include a call center operational overview so that agents understand the context in which their important roles are performed. Without this base of knowledge, they may never perform up to their potential. This program is designed to acquaint frontline staff with the inner workings of a call center. They?ll learn about the growing call center profession and gain an understanding of what goes on ?behind the scenes? in terms of performance measurement, call center technologies, staffing and scheduling issues, and customer expectations and demands.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Describe the call center industry and its many opportunities.
Identify the most common call center and individual measures of performance.
Explain how a call travels from a customer to the agent desktop and what technologies make it happen.
Describe what makes call center staffing unique and why each agent can have a big impact on service.
Identify the most common customer demands and expectations and how the call center is set up to meet them.

Speak for Success:
Finding the Power of Your Voice
/ June 23 / Sept 16

Many people barely give their voice a second thought, let alone invest the time needed to improve it or use it to maximum effect. Yet your voice is just as important to you as the voice of an opera singer or broadcaster. Communicating effectively is much more than finding and using the right magic words. It's learning to play your voice like a finely tuned instrument so that your content is supported, enhanced, and unimpeded by distracting vocal mannerisms. Join this informative session and learn how to make your voice one of your best assets.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Describe how your voice can be your most important tool.
Become more aware of how others hear us.
Recognize unprofessional and unpleasant vocal qualities
Gain awareness of the kind of vocal impression we make on others.
Identify the roots of speaking-related stress and learn to communicate with confidence.

Vocal Makeover:
Eliminating Distracting Vocal Mannerisms
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Your voice shouldn?t get in the way of the message you are trying to convey ? it should support and enhance your 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 hear lots of examples and have ample opportunity to identify areas in your own vocal performance that can be improved. This session will introduce key vocal elements and how to improve each one to move toward having the voice you've always wanted.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Identify and eliminate frequent verbal mishaps such as the um's and uh's.
Correct soft voice syndrome or too much volume.
Recognize speech patterns that are too fast or too slow.
Fine-tune voices that are too high or too deep.
Change voice inflection to be more upbeat, energetic and enthusiastic.

Clearly Speaking:
Tips and Techniques for a Winning Voice
/ July 14 / Sept 30

Do you sometimes mispronounce words? Is your diction not as clear or as crisp as it could be? Standard American pronunciation is the benchmark for good business speech, and in this session we'll teach the proper pronunciation of the vowel and consonant sounds in US English and give you exercises that you can do on your own to reinforce the work you did in class. You'll also learn a short, but effective vocal warm up to get your voice in shape for the business day. Attend this class and be confident that people will understand every word you say.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Pronounce the vowel and consonant sounds of standard American speech correctly.
Avoid the most commonly mispronounced words.
Describe how accents can negatively impact your ability to communicate.
Identify effective warm-ups for your voice to maximize clarity.

Etiquette Essentials:
The Absolute Musts of Telephone Best Practices
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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 how we answer the phone. Learn how to make a great first impression and then advance the first impression into a positive lasting impression. Taking control of the call, placing calls on hold and transferring calls effectively are three seemingly simple tasks that are really major "danger zones." Even if the call is managed skillfully, all the hard work can be quickly erased if the call isn?t closed efficiently and positively. In this session, you?ll learn phone skills to open, handle, and close the call successfully. 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.
Identify subtle communications habits that can strengthen or damage the customer?s perception of service.

Winning Words:
Clever Conversation Choices for Effective Communications
/ July 28 / Oct 14

With body language removed from the communication process, words take on a new potency in the telephone 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 subtracting "not" words and irritating phrases from your communication. You'll also learn to replace heavy obligation and personal accusatory words and phrases to build rapport and keep calls on track. The end result will be callers who accept your information and 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 ?positive no? 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
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Being on the frontline in a call center is a tough job, and it?s made even tougher by the occasional customer who is angry and determined to take out his wrath on the unlucky agent that happens to get the call. But these calls can have a positive side with the satisfaction of being able to turn a disgruntled customer into a happy, loyal one. This session provides "must have" techniques for dealing with telephone tyrants--- those difficult callers who can quickly ruin an entire day. Learn specific vocabulary formulas and voice tone techniques to use to reduce the emotional impact of difficult callers and methods that can turn a stressful encounter into a positive interaction.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Identify caller types and how to categorize them in order to select the right phone technique.
Describe the steps for diffusing a caller?s anger so a positive outcome can be reached.
Identify key vocabulary formulas to reduce the emotional impact of callers.
Practice voice tone techniques proven to turn around a combative situation.
Outline ways to keep a call on track and arrive at a positive outcome with every caller.

Email Essentials:
A Frontline Guide for Writing Effective Emails
/ Aug 11 / Oct 28

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.
Practice reviewing and correcting sample email messages to enhance customer communications.

Stellar Selling:
Fundamentals for Successful Telephone Selling
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Everyone in your call center should be a salesperson for your company. Whether an agent?s primary job is telemarketing via outbound calling, taking orders on inbound calls, or simply providing service, it?s important for each frontline agent to be equipped with basic selling skills. As more call centers move toward up-selling and cross-selling, yesterday?s customer service agent needs to be today?s all-round 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 look for sales opportunities and make the most of them.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Identify sales opportunities in the everyday service environment.
Describe ways to motivate your staff to sell and make them comfortable in their sales role.
Describe the components of an effective sales opening.
Identify key vocabulary formulas to increase the potential of a sale.
Practice selling and closing techniques proven to help make the sale and increase revenues.

Collections Calling:
Steps and Strategies for Telephone Collections
/ Aug 25 / Nov 11

It?s a tough job, but somebody?s got to do it. In this session, your agents will learn the step-by-step process of making an effective collections call to maximize revenues as well as maintain customer satisfaction. This session will outline how to map out a plan of attack for various types of calls, how to gain control of the call from the opening, and how to successfully negotiate for a successful outcome. We?ll review the Fair Debt Standard Practices Act and its implications in the call center. Students will have opportunities to practice and critique collection techniques with several mock collections calls. You may just pay for this seminar with the next hour of collections calls using your new skills and knowledge!

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Identify the various types of collections scenarios and what strategy to use for each.
Describe ways to gain control of a call from opening to close.
Outline the steps of successful negotiation, including key wording to navigate a successful outcome.
Define the critical components of the Fair Debt Standard Practices Act that apply to telephone collections.
Practice collection techniques to apply immediately on the job.

Seminar Access
Access to all seminars in the Masters Series is provided via an Internet connection and a separate audio (telephone) connection. Two days prior to each seminar, The Call Center School will email access instructions for the web portion and the telephone number to call. An unlimited number of students may participate around a single web/audio connection.

Seminar Cost
The cost of each individual seminar connection is $275 for a 90-minute session. Buy 5 or more seminars or connections and get each one for only $250. Buy 10 or more, and get each one for only $225 each. You can pay by credit card (or by invoice for 5 or more sessions).

Certification Attend all ten sessions in the Frontline Fundamentals Track and take our Mastery Exam to earn certification. Students achieving an 80% or higher score on the exam will receive certification from The Call Center School.