Module 5 : Trainee Handouts

Functional Skills

Total Duration: 32 Hours

We will Learn:

1. Email Essentials: A Frontline Guide for Writing

Effective Emails
2. Know-how of social media interaction
3. Online Web Chat Dynamics
y
4. Effective Quality Management for Customer
Service
5. Call Center Time & Stress Management
Email Essentials: A Frontline Guide for Writing
Effective Emails

“9 common E-mail habits that waste time and cause

problems”
problems

1. Vague or nonexistent subject line.

2. Changing the topic without changing the subject.
3. Including multiple subjects in one note.
4 Sending
4. S di b before
f thi
thinking.
ki
“9 common E-mail habits that waste time and cause
problems”

5 Inadvertent replying to all

5. all.
6. Omitting the context of a reply.
7. Misaddressed recipients.
8. Displaying addresses of recipients who
are strangers to each other.
9 Replying vs
9. vs. forwarding
forwarding.
Agenda

1. Addressing
g
2. Subject Line
3. Message Text
4. Signature Line
5. Attachments
6 S
6. Style
l
7. Confidentiality and Security
8 Managing Email
8.
9. References
10. Discussion
Addressing

Limit to who really needs to know.

Make it clear in te
textt who
ho has action and who
ho is
info addressee.
Use BCC to protect Email addresses unless
everyone knows each other
other.
Watch Reply All.
Addressing (contd.)

Use add
address
ess boo
book with mail
a g groups
oups & validate
a da e ooften.
e
o Avoid typing addresses free hand; many addresses are similar;
watch auto fill.
o Send
S d same message to t multiple
lti l recipients
i i t byb editing
diti message as
new or cutting and pasting.
Addressing (contd.)

Make sure forward does not embarrass sender.

o Get permission if in doubt.
do bt
o Never “diss” sender in forward or reply.
o g an incomplete
Fill in addresses last to avoid sending p Email byy
mistake.
Subject Line

Headline (think newspaper).

Grab Attention.
Summarize message.
Rate These Subject Lines

1. Subject: Important! Read Immediately!!

2. Subject: Meeting
3. Subject: Follow-up About Meeting
4
4. S bj t Announcement
Subject: A t
5. Subject: Do we need a larger room for Social
meeting on May 14?
Message Text

Keep the message focused and readable.

Keep it short.
Use inverted pyramid (newspaper)
(newspaper).
Break into paragraphs; skip lines between.
Use short sentences and active voice.
Use plain text editor, not MS Word.
Avoid HTML.
Avoid fancy typefaces.
Message Text (contd.)

W it in
Write i standard
t d d professional
f i l English
E li h with
ith Capitalization
C it li ti and d correctt
spelling.

o D ’t try
Don’t t to
t impress.
i

o Avoid chat speak, e.g., CUL8R & emoticons, ☺.

Don’t type in All Caps – like yelling.

Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT.

Use * * to highlight text if you must.

Proofread & spell check.

check
Message Text (contd.)

Quote back selectively when replying to long messages.

– “Yes, I agree.” is useless without context.
– Top quote vs. bottom quote – no consensus.
– Avoid “Fisking,” replying line by line in an argumentative manner.
For URL links use SNIPURL to shorten long URLs or enclose in <
>.
– Free service http://snipurl.com/
Message Text (contd.)

Identify yourself clearly to cold contacts.

– Hello, I am…The reason I am writing…
– Hello, so-in-so suggested I contact you…
Respond Promptly.
– Apologize if you don’t
don t.
– Interim reply when too busy.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
Attachments

Use sparingly.
Cut and paste relevant parts of attachment into
text of Email.
Use URL links instead.
– Upload attachments to website and cite URL.
Recipients
R i i t who h d
do nott kknow you may bbe
reluctant to open attachments or click URLs.
Attachments (Contd.)

P t attachment
Post tt h t first
fi t to
t avoid
id “Oops,
“O here’s
h ’ theth attachment.”
tt h t”
Trend is posting large attachments into blogs followed by
Email announcement.
– Gives people a chance to comment on attachment without a
series of “Reply All” messages.
– Those interested can check comments or use RSS feed to
be notified.
notified
Signature Line

Include (if you want people to contact you)

– Your name
– Title
– Organization
– Email address (especially on listservs)
– Website
– Phones
Can be shortened for frequent correspondents or placed in
header of Email stationery.
Signature Line (contd.)

If you must include a quote in signature keep it short.

“This message is intended for…”
– Clutters up Email.
– Often longer than message.
– Omit
O it unless
l your company requires
i itit.
Avoid vCards because some readers treat them as attachments.
Style

Threads
– Multiple replies can get out of hand, but continue them to maintain the tread.
– When they start to drift start a new thread with explanation. • Be true to
venue.
– Formal vs. informal
Don’tt Flame
Don
– More common in chats and blogs, but still wrong.
Style (contd.)

Forwarding stuff, e.g., chain letters

– Avoid; annoys most people.
– Check address list before forwarding a ”Did you see this?” - They
may have received it.
– If you must forward, strip out addresses and use BCC to hide your
address list.
Style (contd.)

Do not overuse high priority option.

Avoid delivery and read receipts.
Do not ask to recall a message.
– Just
J t apologize
l i andd correct.
t
Do not copy a message or attachment without
permission.
Do not scoop someone else’s message.
Style (contd.)

Chill out!
– Avoid sending a snarky reply to a pissy Email.
– Wait 24 hours.
– Write,
W it but
b t don’t
d ’t send.
d
– Don’t reply at all and let them wonder.
– Offer to speak by phone or in person; Email is not a good tool for
“clearing the air.”
Confidentiality and Security

Don’t assume privacy.

– Unencrypted Email is not secure and may be monitored
monitored.
– Don’t include in an unencrypted Email anything you would not
want a third party to read.
– Details
D t il off encrypting
ti and d di
digitally
it ll signing
i i E Emailil iis b
beyond
d th
the
scope of this presentation.
Confidentiality and Security (contd.)

Protecting yourself
1. Have a separate free Email account for newsletters, white paper
registration, etc.
2. Delete browser history, cache, cookies, user ids and passwords
after using a public Internet connection.
3 Logout and close all Apps after using a public Internet
3.
connection. (Restart if possible.)
4. Don’t conduct company business on non-secure personal
p
computer.
5. Back up your Email.
Confidentiality and Security (contd.)

6. Beware of spam.
– If it sounds too good, it is.
– Report it.
7. Beware of Phishing attacks.
– Forward them to customer service.
service
8. Never include personal or financial info in an Email.
9. Don’t unsubscribe from anything you did not subscribe to.
10. Beware of friend’s Emails.
Confidentiality and Security (contd.)

Protecting yourself (contd.)

11. Install a good security suite on your personal
computer.
– Many ISPs, e.g., COMCAST, provide them free.
12. Never share account info, even with family.
13 Use
13. U strong
t passwords.
d
– Encrypt them on a password protected thumb drive.
14. Encrypt wireless connections.
15. Use encryption and digital signatures for important
Email.
Managing Email

Organize Email into folders.

– Use company file plan for in-house Email.
Keep a copy of all sent Email.
Review and clean out folders periodically.
– Good
G d for
f rainy
i day
d or slow
l d
day att work.
k
– Comply with company retention schedule.
Don’t print Email unless you need to refer to it remotely.
Managing Email (contd.)

Declare Email bankruptcy

– Inbox clogged with overdue responses.
– Send Email to all correspondents apologizing for not replying and
asking them to resend important Email.
– Delete all old messages in Inbox.
– Then check your inboxes daily.
Managing Email (contd.)

Use separate Email channels for separate communities:

– Professional
– Business
– In-house
– Family
F il and
d ffriends
i d
– Hobbies and interests
– Listservs
Use “out of office” agent when away.
 Discussion

Questions and Comments?

2 Know
2. Know-how
how of social media interaction
Social Media
Things to Consider When Beginning to Use
Social Media

Applications that allow you to interact with others online (e.g.

Facebook, MySpace, etc.) require careful consideration to
assess the implications of “friending,” “linking” “following” or
accepting
ti suchh a requestt from
f another
th person. For F example, l
there is the potential for misinterpretation of the relationship or
the potential of sharing protected information. Relationships
such as faculty-student,
y , doctor p
patient,, supervisor-subordinate
p
and staff-student merit close consideration of the implications
and the nature of the social interaction. The following are some
guidelines to follow in these cases.
GENERAL GUIDELINES

Maintain Confidentiality Maintain Transparency

Maintain Privacy Correct Mistakes
Respect Organization Time and Property Respect Others
Do No Harm Be a Valued Member
Understand Your Personal Responsibility. Think Before You Post
Be Aware of Liability
SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES WHEN
POSTING AS AN INDIVIDUAL

Be Authentic Protect Your Identity

Use a Disclaimer Does it Pass the Publicityy Test
Don’t Use the company Logo Respect Your Audience
or Make Endorsements
Monitor Comments
Take the High Ground
Don’t Use Pseudonyms
SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES WHEN POSTING ON
BEHALF OF THE ORGANIZATION
Seek Approval Respect Others
Be Accurate Be a Valued Member
Be Transparent Be Thoughtful
Be Timely Use of the Organization Logo
Be Responsible
 SAFETY & PRIVACY TIPS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
NETWORKING
Listen carefully to the debtor and you will pick up clues to the best way to
handle each situation.

The internet is open to a world-wide 3 Is the image II’m

3. m projecting by my
audience. When using social media materials and photos the one I want
channels, ask yourself: my current and future friends to
know me by?
1. Did I set my privacy setting to help
control who can look at my profile, 4. What if I change my mind about
personal information and photos? what I post?
2. How much information do I want 5. Have I asked permission to post
strangers to know about me? someone else’s image or
information?
6. Does my equipment have spyware
and virus protections installed?
 Discussion

Questions and Comments?

3. Online Web Chat Dynamics
 Online Chat
• Online chat is a form of communication that utilizes
computer programs that allow for two-way
conversations between users in real time (events that
occur in cyberspace at the same speed that they
would occur in real life).
 How does online chat work?

• The technologies that allows users to converse in real

time via typed messages are the chat servers and the
chat clients. These special
p servers allow the messages
g to
be quickly received and posted so that the chat clients
can receive the messages and display them in the
window on the users' computers. Online chat could be
an alternative
l to meeting in a traditional
d l classroom.
l
While all of the participants would still be able to freely
converse with one another, they would carrying on the
conversation from the comfort of their own home,
home thus
avoiding the expense and inconvenience of traveling to
another place.
Types of Chat
• Synchronous
S h Ch t Text
Chat: T t onlyl web b based
b d synchronous
h f
forum
that enables multiple users to be online and in the same
online "room" typing their comments to each other. As soon
as the user clicks "enter"
enter his/her text message appears
immediately on the screen of all users who are in the "room."
Messages appear in the order in which they were entered.

• Asynchronous Chat: Asynchronous Chat is way of saying

Forum, Message Board or Bulletin Board.
Advantages of Internet chatting:

• You meet new people

• You exchange your views about certain subjects
• You can relax because you don't have to see the person physically
• If you are shy this is a way of making friends
• You can treat some special friends you've met like pen pals, but you
are chatting instead of writing letters like they use too 20 years ago
Disadvantages of Internet Chatting:

• You just never know whom you are talking too.

• You may trust this person and give out your full name; address;
email
il addy;
dd your phone/cell
h / ll number.
b Thi is
This i very dangerous!
d !
Tell me nothing when it comes to your identity.
• You may think you are falling in love with the person you are
chatting
h tti with.
ith
• If you are shy you are far more vulnerable to being hurt by
someone on the Internet
• Cyber stalking is at it's peak especially among teens.
• Cyber bullying is another problem.
 Discussion

Questions and Comments?

4. Effective Quality Management for Customer
What is Quality Management?

• Quality management ensures that an organization, product or

service is consistent. It has four main components: quality
planning quality assurance,
planning, assurance quality control and quality
improvement. Quality management is focused not only on
product and service quality, but also on the means to achieve it.
Principles of Quality Management

• Principle 1: Customer Focus.

• Principle 2: Leadership.
• Principle 3: Involvement of people.
• Principle 4: Process Approach.
• Principle
p 5: System
y approach
pp to management.
g
• Principle 6: Continual improvement.
• Principle 7: Factual approach to decision making.
• Principle 8: Mutually beneficial supplier relations.
relations
The 6 Steps to Customer Quality

1. Research Customer Service trends and philosophy.

2. Get data on problems faced by customers.
3. Define BURNING ISSUES from the data.
4. Identify root processes of burning issues.
5. Modifyy existing
gpprocesses/create
/ new ones.
6. Indulge in Continuous Improvement.
Quality Ensure

In case of service industry customers are satisfied only when:

• Employees are friendly and polite
• Employees are honest and do not make fake promises
• Employees are easy approachable
• Employees
p y are willing
g to listen and address customer g
grievances
• Organizations respond to customer requests on time.
Tips for Quality Service to Customer

• Your customer service team needs the right • Help customers help themselves
tools • Make use of strategic automation
• Practice clear communication with customers • Be data
data-informed,
informed, not data
data-
• Speak as your customers do delusional
• Always use positive language • Give thanks in the real world
• Give credence to customer complaints • Spot and deliver 'frual wows'
• Avoid helping customers at breakneck speeds • Unify your customer service team
• Know how to close a conversation • Take a whole-company approach
• Keep standards high and response times low • Invest in great people
 Discussion

Questions and Comments?

5. Call Center Time & Stress Management
Benefits of time management

• Efficient
• Successful
• Healthy
Obstacles to effective time management

• Unclear objectives
• Disorganization
• Inability
y to sayy “no”
• Interruptions
• More interruptions
• Periods of inactivity
• Too many things at
once
• St
Stress andd ffatigue
ti
• All work and no play
What can we do?

• Recognize that obstacles exist

• Identify them
• Employ strategies to overcome
Set goals

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-based
Prioritize

• Do
• Delegate
• Delay
• Delete
Learn when to say “NO”

• You can’t do everything

• Don’t undertake things you can’t
complete
l t
• Remain consistent to your goals
Concentrate on the task at hand

• Focus on your goal

• Tune out interruptions
Consider your personal prime time

• Morning?
• Evening?
• Late night?
Stress

• Stress within the call center is

not only widespread, but costly.
Stress causes half of all
absenteeism and one-fourth of
all voluntary turnover within
call centers
Impact of Stress on body

• Decrease heart rate

• Lower blood pressure
• Slow breathing
• Reduce the activity of stress
hormones
• Increase blood flow
• Reduce muscle tension
• Strengthen the immune system
Impact of Stress Call Center Agents

• Focus and concentration

• Productivity
• Mood
• Memory
• Energy
gy
• Frustration tolerance
Stress Management Techniques

• 4×4 breathing
• Engage your five senses
• Get social
• Get icy
• Laugh
g it out
• Spotify to the rescue!
• Run (or stretch) it out
• Be grateful
 Discussion

Questions and Comments?