Effective Telecommunication- Receptionist
Effective Telecommunication Training for Hotel Receptionists
The effective telecommunication training program will train employees on how to answer the telephone in a clear and professional tone. Also, they will understand the importance of conducting telephone conversations in this manner. The training consists of video examples, written curriculum and a practice exercise.
Needs Analysis
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Common complaints from customers:
- long wait times
- being transferred to the wrong extension
- lack of manners/respect
- unable to hear what the person was saying
- Receptionist sounded too busy to deal with the client on the phone
After careful analysis of the organization, the employees and the tasks at hand, it was decided that receptionists need to be trained on how to effectively communicate with client’s over the phone. They need to be trained on appropriate wait times and how to politely place a caller on hold. Furthermore, they need to be taught how to speak clearly and how to control their tone of voice to ensure the client feels at that moment they are the most important. If the client must be transferred, then the employee should be careful to ensure they are transferring the client to the correct extension. Employees have been given an updated extension list and the extension list has been placed on the company intranet for easy access.
Technology Enhanced Learning will help the receptionists better perform when dealing with clients over the phone. The information can be accessed at any time and location, in particular, each employee will be able to access the program through a link provided. The content can be provided with a variety of tools that will adhere to a variety of learners. For example, web-based training can include written information, videos, images, and audio placed into PowerPoint and then placed on the website. It can also include participatory tools such as quizzes or activities. The content that will be delivered to new and current employees will be consistent as they will all receive the same information when completing the training program. The training will be conducted for current employees throughout a specified week, employees will be able to complete the program during company time; they will be able to choose a time that is best suited for them. Employees will rotate through the training so some employees are still tending to the phone and customers.
Providing a program that is easily accessible by all employees will ensure that our clients are satisfied with the service they receive. Receptionists provide the first impression of the company as they are the first individual that the client interacts with. Failure to meet their needs at this point will result in a decrease in the amount of repeat customers. Also the program will increase employee moral which in turn will decrease the turnover rate. Training of the receptionists will maintain the company reputation as, previously mentioned, they are the first contact that clients have with the company.
Audience
The users of this program will be receptionists, working at The Garden Hotel across Ontario. There are 10 locations throughout Ontario with 16 Receptionists at each location. Each location runs 3 different shifts throughout the day, with 4 receptionists on duty during each shift, plus an additional 4 receptionists to cover vacations, sick days etc. These employees range from the age of 21 to 55 consisting of 65% females and 45% males. These employees need to be trained properly in order to perform their duties up to hotel standard. The company image is highly important and must be maintained. In order to maintain or improve the current company image, it is crucial for employees to be able to communicate with clients effectively.
Learning Objectives:
After completing the training on Effective Telecommunication, you should be able to:
- discuss the importance of effective telecommunication
- determine the appropriate time frame of a conversation
- describe common errors that take place during a telephone conversation
- Deliver and demonstrate through the use of proper speech, tone of voice, and clarity to meet business standards
Content Required
The content required to develop this training program include:
- Lecture notes discussing the importance of effective telecommunications, the benefits of it and how it impacts the business overall
- Sample video comparing a bad and good telecommunication skills
- Lecture notes emphasizing common errors that occurs during a business phone call
- Instructional video on how to answer a business phone call professionally in a timely manner to avoid the common mistakes that were shown
- Summary notes of all the key points the trainees should keep in mind for improvement in answering business phone calls
- Audio recorder: an effective tracking technique (at the end of the training, a self-assessment audio test will be completed by the participant for their practice; this self- assessment will determine whether or not their telecommunication skills meet the business standards)
- Links for additional resources that will be made available for the participants to access for further learning regarding the importance of practicing professional telecommunication skills
Table of Contents
Please click on the link below for further information
Effective Telecommunication Training for Receptionists Support(1).docx
Resources Required
- Video recording/editing tools
- Audio recording/ editing tools
- Microphone
- Video Camera
- Website
- PowerPoint for written content and videos
- Use of company meeting room to video tape good and bad telephone conversations
KPI Assessment
- Ability to verbally communicate over the phone
- Ability to use the necessary tools to perform the required tasks; such as telephone, headset, computer
- Limiting the amount of time spent on the phone from the start to the end of the conversation
- Achieve a high level of customer service
- Ability to solve immediate client problems
- Ability to adapt to different situations
- Ability to handle stressful situations
- Ability to prioritize calls and client inquires
- Ability to pay attention to details
Resources and Tasks
Ashley - Project Manager and Writer - Ashley will be responsible for writing, editing and formatting the content. She will also search for images to be placed in the program.
Kiana - Researcher - Kiana will be responsible for finding content relevant to the training program. Specifically, she will research what it takes to be an effective communicator through the telephone.
Marie - Technical - Marie will be responsible for taking the content that is developed and placing it on the internet. Specifically, the program will be viewed on Wordpress.
All members will participate in developing videos to place in the training program.
Schedule
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Cost
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Monitor
Employees will be required to complete a quiz at the end of the training to reinforce what they had learned and be able to record themselves practicing how to speak clearly and professionally. The company can have secret callers to see if the employees are answering the phones in a manner that meets company standards. The secret caller will conduct random calls to The Garden Hotel to ensure that the receptionists maintain the standard. The secret caller will be someone within the organization at a management level. Also, if the training was effective, customer complaints will be decreased.
Close Out
The project will be over when the program is fully developed and working. A test will be conducted to ensure that the program meets the needs of the learner; specifically 10 random employees will be selected to complete the program and provide us with feedback for improvement. Feedback will be taken into consideration to improve the program and then another group of employees will complete the training and provide additional feedback. Finally, the program will be delivered to all of the receptionists at The Garden Hotel.