Home / Non-Accredited / Sales, Marketing & Customer Care / Slick and Confident Telephone Management Techniques (1 day)
Quick Look Course Summary:Slick and Confident Telephone Management Techniques (1 day)
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Length: 1 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 5,654 EX VAT 3 Person R 3,982 EX VAT 10 Person R 2,954 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Slick and Confident Telephone Management Techniques (1 day)
Your staff answer every call the same professional way – clearly, courteously and without losing callers or messages.
Try calling your own switchboard. Is the greeting clear? Do you know who answered? Does the transfer reach someone, or do you end up back at the start? Telephone skills are easy to overlook because everyone can use a phone – yet the person answering is the voice of the organisation, and sales, service and reputation depend on it. This one-day telephone etiquette course gives staff the essentials of professional call handling.
Delegates practise answering calls with a clear greeting, using their voice well, finding out what the caller needs, transferring and holding calls without losing anyone, and taking messages that are complete and reach the right person. They learn courteous phone language, how to cut out distractions, how to make a well-prepared outgoing call and how to set up and use voicemail. The last session covers staying calm and helpful with impatient and difficult callers. Most of the day is spent on short practice calls with feedback.
Teams that also deal with sensitive information, abusive callers or emergency calls should choose the two-day course.
Why this course
For your organisation
- A professional, consistent greeting on every line
- Fewer dropped transfers and lost messages
- Callers who feel helped rather than passed around
- A practical one-day option for whole front-line teams
For your delegates
- A greeting and call-handling routine to use straight away
- Confidence speaking clearly and courteously
- A message template that leaves nothing out
- Calm responses to impatient and difficult callers
What delegates will be able to do
- Answer calls with a clear, professional greeting
- Use tone, pace and courteous language that reflect well on the organisation
- Establish the caller's need with good questions and active listening
- Transfer calls and place callers on hold without losing them
- Take complete, accurate messages and pass them on promptly
- Plan and make outgoing calls with a clear purpose
- Set up a proper voicemail greeting and leave useful messages
- Stay calm and helpful with impatient or difficult callers
Who should attend
Receptionists, switchboard operators, administrative and support staff, personal assistants, call centre agents and any employee who answers the organisation's phones. It suits new starters and works as a refresher for experienced staff and managers.
Course outline
Day 1 – Professional call handling essentials
The voice of the organisation
- Why the phone shapes your company's image
- Professionalism and first impressions
- Tone, pace, clarity and phrasing
- Different communication styles on the phone
Answering and directing calls
- A greeting that identifies you and the organisation
- Questioning and listening to establish the caller's need
- Transferring calls properly
- Placing callers on hold and returning to them
- Internal and interoffice calls
Messages and voicemail
- What every message must contain
- Accuracy with names, numbers and urgency
- Getting the message to the right person and following up
- Voicemail greetings and leaving clear messages
Etiquette and outgoing calls
- Courteous language and words to avoid
- Cutting out distractions: eating, multitasking and background noise
- Preparing an outgoing call and stating your purpose
- Keeping caller information private
Difficult callers
- Staying calm with impatient or angry callers
- Listening without interrupting
- Focusing on what you can do
- Common mistakes that make callers angrier
Practical skills application
- Practice calls with feedback
- Agreeing a team telephone standard
- Personal action plan and close
How it is delivered
One day, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20. Workbook, call-handling checklist and message template included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“The training was practical, engaging and relevant to our workplace environment, providing participants with valuable knowledge and practical skills that could be applied in their respective roles.”
“The sessions … were exceptionally well-organized and seamlessly integrated into our schedule. We were highly impressed by the calibre of the training and the deep expertise demonstrated by the facilitator.”
“…the general feedback received was that the course was very informative and participative. The training and the facilitator was of a high quality. We highly recommend BOTI for training services.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. Training a whole front-line team together gives everyone the same call standard.
Is it accredited?
No. It is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
What does the two-day course add?
The two-day Slick and Confident Telephone Management Techniques course adds a full day on information disclosure and POPIA, abusive callers, emergency and threat calls, telephone technology and more practice. Choose it for switchboards and teams that handle sensitive calls.
Can it be tailored to our call standards?
Yes. Send us your greeting, transfer and message procedures and the facilitator builds them into the practice calls.
Is this a telephone sales course?
No. It covers service and call handling. For selling by phone, see Professional Selling Over the Phone.
Related courses
Get your price – the more delegates, the less each pays
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Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:00. After hours, we reply on the next working day – or call 011 882 8853.