THE IMPORTANCE OF TELEPICTING

When TOOTY INC. first started in 1988, telemarketing was the only form of advertising we used. Every day, religiously, we would contact new companies to continue building our list of prospective clients. For each new contact we created a file that contained such basics as company name, contact person, address and phone number. In addition to that essential information, we wrote comments about our impression of the person we spoke with i.e., personable, knowledgeable, interested or abrupt. We found those comments to be invaluable when it came time to call the person again.

Periodically through any given day, we would witness each other's reactions to these different phone voices. After a conversation, we would chat about how we "pictured" the person on the end of the line. Eventually, we would find ourselves discussing our impression of the company as projected through the phone by that person.

It's amazing the chain reaction of thoughts that happen from a single phone conversation. If the person on the end of the line works for a big name company, but uses poor grammar or sounds "lifeless", you immediately assume the company is doing poorly and can't afford good help. If, on the other hand, the person on the end of the line sounds energetic and intelligent, you can't help but feel the company would provide a great product or service.

This process of associating a voice to a face affects all business dealings. How many times a day do you use a phone? You hear a voice-you picture the person-you make a mental note of his or her personality-and then you form an impression of the company that is being represented by this person. The bottom line is that the "TELEPICTING PROCESS" has an affect on the company image in the marketplace, which in turn affects sales and resolution of complaints.

At some point, a customer will call your company and make a mental note of the impression left by one of your staff. It will be a key factor in deciding whether or not to use your company's product or service. Would you be shocked to find the impression was one of unfriendliness or incompetence?
 
Telepicting Voice Profile Objectives

  1. To assess the effectiveness of your staff as a whole, in servicing the customer,
  2. pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of each individual,
  3. highlight specific areas that need further training,
  4. identify and implement quality standards,
  5. ensure uniformity, conformity and accuracy in delivering information,
  6. assess one's ability to correctly assess the customer's needs and communicate on his/her level of understanding,
  7. make one aware of how he/she is perceived by the customer,
  8. give immediate suggestions for individual improvement.


Profiling Process

One or more calls will be evaluated by a Telepicting expert. There are two different methods for obtaining a sample call. Either a Tooty Inc. staff member will pose as an existing or potential customer, or we can remotely monitor your calls and capture a real customer conversation.  You will need to provide Tooty Inc. with a list of employee names, phone numbers and job descriptions ahead of time.

Telepicting Training
Telepicting - The process of associating a face to a phone voice

Objectives

  1. To make each person aware of how his or her voice is perceived by others,
  2. Improve questioning/assessment skills,
  3. Develop listening skills,
  4. Develop one's ability to take charge and handle the call versus reacting to the caller,
  5. Improve speaking skills,
  6. Improve individual phone demeanor,
  7. Develop a consistently positive and professional phone image throughout the company.

Target Audience

  • IT Department/Help Desk
  • Customer Service
  • Telemarketing
  • Sales
  • Management
  • Reception
  • General Office


The Workshop

This workshop requires the completion of the Telepicting Voice Profile(c) for each participant. Once they are completed, the workshop is customized to develop specific weak areas for each individual and the group as a whole. The workshop begins with the interactive video "Do You Know Who You Sound Like?" This video makes each person aware of how much information his/her voice conveys and the impact it has on the company as a whole. The group will "Telepict" or describe how they picture several characters based on voice and attitude. This video works not only as a great ice breaker, but it generates some interesting discussion on the common perceptions we have. At this point, each person participates in a voice and listening warm-up exercise which makes the person realize that there is room for personal improvement. The Telepicting Voice Profiles are then distributed confidentially. The Tooty Inc. trainer will explain how everything is compiled and have a brief discussion with each person to answer questions and let him/her know what to work on in the following role-play exercises. These role-play situations will be recorded, played back and evaluated by everyone. Each person will learn how to evaluate voice, attitude and content which will develop listening skills and set the stage for implementing quality assurance standards. At the close of the workshop, each person will complete an action plan that will detail what he/she will improve, how it will be accomplished and in what time-frame.

Click on this link to see a PDF based sample: Telepicting