This plan will help you train employees who serve customers over the phone.

It guides you through the Phone-Based Customer Service course on LinkedIn Learning. Make sure your team has access to LinkedIn Learning before you begin.

Phone-Based Customer Service focuses on essential phone skills:

• Building rapport

• Exceeding expectations

• Solving problems

The course is ideal for anyone who serves customers over the phone. This includes contact center agents, customer support representatives, and office receptionists.

This training plan uses a unique approach to training videos.

It divides the lessons into short segments, spaced out over four weeks. This approach maximizes learning and application while minimizing the disruption to your regular operations.

This guide covers:

1. Resources Required

2. Preparation

3. Pre-work

4. Week 1: Kick-off

5. Week 2: Building rapport over the phone

6. Week 3: Exceed expectations over the phone

7. Week 4: Solve problems over the phone

You'll need these resources to use this training plan.

1. Access to Phone-Based Customer Service for all participants. (via LinkedIn Learning)

2. The exercise files from the course.

3. Workshop planning tool (free download).

Contact LinkedIn Learning for pricing and subscription options if you don't already have access.

Estimated time needed: 1 hour per week

• Group activities: 30 minutes per week

• Individual learning: 30 minutes per week

Get ready for the training by preparing yourself and your team.

Step 1: Create a training plan. Use the Workshop Planner to create an action plan.

• Identify a goal for the training

• Decide how to prepare your team

• Create a plan to help the team use their new skills

Use this how-to video for more details:

Step 2: Announce the training. Tell your team about the training and what to expect. Address three questions for participants:

1. What is the training about?

2. Why is it important?

3. How are employees expected to use what they learn?

Keep your announcement simple. Consider sharing it in a team meeting. Follow-it up with a short email that contains the pre-assignments.

Step 3: Schedule team meetings. You'll be meeting with your team once per week for four weeks. Each meeting should take 30 minutes.

Step 4: Share pre-work. Share the pre-work with your team. I've included that in the next section.

Ask participants to complete two short assignments before the first meeting.

Assignment 1: watch these videos:

1. Phone service still matters

2. Understand the phone's unique challenges

Assignment 2: Complete page one of the Learning Plan worksheet that's included in the course's exercise files.

This includes:

• Discussion questions

• Learning objectives

The initial meeting should set the tone for the course. Start by reviewing the overall goal for the training that you identified on the Workshop Planner.

Next, discuss the following questions:

1. How is this course relevant to the team?

2. What are some opportunities to apply new phone skills?

3. What are some unique challenges when serving customers over the phone?

It's helpful to share a few best practices for getting the most out of this course:

1. Watch just one video at a time.

2. Complete the activity that goes with each video.

3. When possible, try using what you learned from the video before moving on to the next module.

Assignments for next week: Ask your team to watch the following videos and complete the activities described in each one. Videos with an activity at the end are marked with an "A."

1. Develop the perfect phone greeting (A)

2. Create personal connections (A)

3. How to fill dead air (A)

4. Manage holds and transfers

5. Control the call with friendliness

6. Complete the quiz at the end of Chapter 1

This week's theme is building rapport with customers.

Rapport is a process of getting customers to know, like, and trust you. Start by reviewing the week one assignments.

Discussion questions:

1. What impact does your phone greeting have on customers?

2. What is one way that you build personal connections over the phone?

3. How have you filled dead air?

4. Describe one takeaway from the holds and transfers module.

5. What is one technique you can use to move the call forward while still being friendly?

Assignments for next week: Ask your team to watch the following videos and complete the related activities.

1. Tune out distractions

2. Listen over the phone

3. Use advanced communication techniques (A)

4. Deliver moments of "wow" (A)

5. Complete the quiz at the end of chapter 2

The focus is understanding customer needs so you can consistently meet or exceed their expectations. Start by reviewing the week two assignments.

Discussion questions:

1. How can you tune out distractions?

2. What are examples of listening techniques you use to understand customers?

3. How have you used visual references when communication with customers?

4. What is one opportunity you've had to delight a customer?

Assignments for next week: Ask your team to watch the following videos and complete the related activities.

1. How to express empathy (A)

2. De-escalate angry calls

3. Friendly follow-up (A)

4. Stay focused while you work (A)

5. Create your action plan (A)

The final week is focused on service recovery. Start by reviewing the week three assignments.

Discussion questions:

1. How can you express empathy with customers?

2. What techniques have you used to de-escalate angry calls?

3. How can you apply the friendly follow-up technique?

4. What have you done to stay focused at work?

5. What is your top takeaway from the course?

Remind participants that they can earn a certificate for their LinkedIn profile by doing the following:

1. Watch all the videos

2. Complete the chapter quizzes

This how-to guide provides additional help with accessing certificates.

Conclusion

It helps to go back to your original goals for this training and note the team's progress.

Your employees should show improvement in their phone skills, but it's likely they also have areas for continued growth.

Set aside time to provide each person with coaching and feedback. You can also give them weekly reminders from the Customer Service Tip of the Week.