Voice and language
Featured in the Call Centres: Maximising Performance training manual
By Tony Lockwood
Category: Sales Skills
Credit price: 4 download credits (Single user)
In a call centre environment, the minute we pick up the call, body language in the traditional sense disappears. Remember, however, that a customer will ‘hear’ body language in the tone of voice. Tone accounts for 86% of the total communication, words accounting for the remaining 14%. In an industry where standard ‘scripts’ are the norm, it is challenging to remain constantly aware of how we sound to the customer, both through the words we use and how we use them. This training activity encourages participants to become more aware of the impact of their tone and words on the customer’s perception of the organisation and its standards of service. Through a series of interactive exercises, it provides an opportunity to practise identifying the ‘hidden messages’ conveyed by what we say and how we say it, and supports the participants in looking for ways to improve their own personal performance within the call centre.
As an introduction to the training activity, the participants are given brief background information about tone of voice and positive language which are vital when working in a call centre environment. This background is followed by a group exercise to identify different emotions and feelings purely from the speaker’s tone of voice. The second part of the training activity looks at the impact of language on the customer interaction. After a short explanatory introduction, participants are involved in group exercises focused on analysing the present situation within their own organisation and looking for opportunities to improve. The final exercise is to demonstrate to the participants the effect of tone of voice and words on the subconscious mind, illustrating how important this area of personal development actually is to a service provider. The training activity closes with a demonstration of the power of words by the trainer.
Who is it for: This training activity is intended for use by trainers to help participants understand what the key elements of voice and language in a call centre are.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 8 |
| Typical Duration: | 03:10:00 |
| No of Pages: | 38 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Additional resources: A book of children's stories, cassette player and pre-recorded cassette tape (optional).
Purpose: This training activity is intended for use by trainers with all members of call centre staff. It enables experienced participants to review their present performance, and more recently appointed staff to understand what they can do to improve the customer service within the call centre.
Download the training activity, Voice and language as featured in the Fenman training manual; Call Centres: Maximising Performance