Contents -- About This Course -- How to Take This Course -- Pre-Test -- Introduction -- 1 The Roles and Responsibilities of a Call Center Staff -- What Is a Call Center? -- Trends Affecting Call Centers -- Call Center Staffing -- Call Center Representative Competencies -- Typical Call Center Services -- Typical Call Center Technology -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 2 Preparing Yourself to Deliver Quality Service -- Recognizing Your Customers -- Internal Customers -- External Customers -- Projecting a Positive Service Image -- Positive Image Strategies -- Self-Empowerment -- Communicating Positively with Yourself (and Others) -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 3 Communicating with Others -- The Importance of Effective Interpersonal Communication -- The Two-Way Communication Model -- Interpersonal Communication Skills -- Verbal Skills -- Verbal Content -- Effective Customer Service Communication Strategies -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 4 Enhancing Your Listening Skills -- Why Is Listening Important? -- The Listening Process -- Characteristics of Effective Listening -- Empathy -- Caring -- Sincerity -- Patience -- Responsiveness -- Open-Mindedness -- Common Listening Pitfalls -- Pseudo-Listening -- Interruptions -- Preconceived Ideas -- Information Overload -- Noisy Environments -- Semantics -- Emotions -- Strategies for Effective Listening -- Paraphrase What the Customer Said -- Avoid Arguing with Customers -- Ask Appropriate Questions -- Take Accurate Notes -- Use Acknowledgement Words or Statements -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 5 Using Technology Effectively -- Call Center Technology -- Measuring Productivity and Performance -- Communicating Effectively Through Technology -- Telephone -- Facsimile (Fax) -- Internet/E-mail -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 6 Building Trust with Others -- What Is Trust? -- The Importance of Trust.

The Impact of Values and Beliefs on Trust -- What Are Values? -- What Are Beliefs? -- Trustbuilding Strategies -- Listen to the Customer -- Be Sincere -- Remain Unbiased -- Be Truthful -- Use Facts and Figures -- The Role of Ethical Behavior -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 7 Problem Solving and Decision Making -- Your Role in Problem Solving -- The Problem Solving Model -- Step 1: Identify the Problem or Issue -- Step 2: Analyze the Problem or Issue -- Step 3: Identify Alternatives -- Step 4: Evaluate Alternatives -- Step 5: Make a Decision -- The Importance of Sound Decision Making -- Identifying Resources -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 8 Handling Difficult Customer Situations -- Opportunities for Service Excellence -- Handing Difficult Customer Situations -- Customers with Disabilities -- People with Hearing Impairments -- People with Speaking Impairments -- Language Differences -- Talkative Customers -- Indecisive Customers -- Complaining Customers -- Angry/Emotional Customers -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 9 Managing Your Time Rather Than Letting It Manage You -- The Need to Multitask -- Time Robbers -- Internal Time Robbers -- External Time Robbers -- Managing Your Workload -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 10 Controlling Your Stress Level -- The Impact of Stress -- What Does Stress Look Like? -- Distress -- Eustress -- Fight or Flight -- Causes of Call Center Stress -- Recognizing Negative Stress Symptoms -- Immediate Reactions -- Long-Term Indicators -- Strategies for Stress Reduction -- Environmental Strategies -- Personal Strategies -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 11 Recovering from Mistakes-Yours and Your Customer's -- The Need for Service Recovery -- Common Causes of Service Breakdown -- CSR Factors That Can Lead to Dissatisfaction -- Organizational Factors That Can Lead to Dissatisfaction.

Customer Factors That Can Lead to Dissatisfaction -- Recovering from Service Breakdowns -- Recap -- Review Questions -- 12 Complying with the Law -- The Need for Regulations -- Regulating Entities -- Regulatory Guidelines -- Federal Communication Commission's 900-Number Rule -- Federal Trade Commission's Mail or Telephone Trade Regulation Rule -- Federal Trade Commission's Telemarketing Sales Rule -- The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) -- Recap -- Review Questions -- Additional Resources -- Post-Test -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- V -- W.