GETTING STARTED GUIDE
www.serviceskills.com
A guide to help you get the most out of the Telephone Doctor® Courseware
Congratulations!
You’ve chosen a training program that will improve the way your organization communicates with
customers. Based on laughter and humor, the ServiceSkills Library, with over 100 techniques, is
designed to provide immediate and long-term behavior modification. This easy to use guide will help
you understand how to get the most out of the courseware.
Good training to you!
Nancy
Nancy Friedman
President
Telephone Doctor, Inc.
ServiceSkills.com • a division of Telephone Doctor, Inc.
30 Hollenberg Court • St. Louis, MO • 63044
800.291.5905 • 314.291.5905
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
Main Index
General Overview
Page
3
System (Primary) Administrator
System Admin Main Menu Overview
Structure Set-Up
Adding Learners
Individual Learner Profiles
Learner Activity
Individual Course Assignment
Course Assignments
4
5
6
7
9
9
10
11
Sub-Administrator
Sub-Admin Main Menu Overview
Assignments Link
14
14
15
Overview of Additional Function Links
Courses
Evaluations
Admin Resources
ASCII (Data Reporting)
16
16
17
17
18
Learner Instructions
22
Common Technical Issues
27
Keys to Success
28
Quick Reference to the Telephone Doctor Courseware
29
Detailed Course Outlines
30
“Who Sees What” Chart
34
Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions
35
Additional Courses
What to Say When℠ Team Building Series
What to Say When Conflict Resolution Series
What to Say When Mentoring Series
Service Matters℠ Roundtable Series
ServiceSims℠ Challenge Series
Newmarket Learning℠ Leadership Series
Email Matters The Art of Better Service Series
Houndville℠ Animated Workplace HR Series
Supplemental (Legacy) Telephone Doctor® Courses
Alternate (Legacy) Service Scenarios℠ Series
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45
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48
50
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54
55
Learning Paths
56
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Getting Started Guide
3
General Overview
ServiceSkills.com includes 20 Telephone Doctor® Courses, 30 What to Say When℠ Courses, 12 Service Matters℠ Courses, 12
ServiceSims℠ Courses, 6 Newmarket Learning℠ Leadership Courses, 19 Email Matters℠ Courses and 10 Houndville℠
Animated Workplace Courses. Each course in each of these series is a complete training module:

Course Selection: The course progression you take will depend on your specific learning needs. While all the
courses in this online library will help improve customer service skills, there may be some titles that will have a
more specific application, based on your organization’s business needs. The latter portion of this guide provides
some curriculum suggestions, based on the job titles of your trainees.

Course Chapters: Progress through the chapters in sequential order, beginning with Chapter 1. You may wish to
review certain chapters more than once to ensure the message was clear. To progress through the chapter, simply
select the “video” segment under the specific chapter number, watch the video and then progress through the
non-scored exercises in that chapter. If you need to leave the course before you’ve completed it, you’ll be able
to return to the last chapter that is bookmarked (the chapters you’ve completed will be indicated with a special
icon to the left of the chapter number).

Key Points: Key Learning Points are included in each chapter. You may print this content by clicking the printer
link in the lower left corner of the Key Points display. This link will open a small window where the Key Points
from the entire course can be printed at once. Using the Key Points in addition to other notes you might take will
provide you with a valuable reminder of the course content.

Quiz Taking: There is a final quiz available only after you have completed ALL chapters in the course. This quiz
is not timed. Take your time and read each question carefully before selecting an answer. As with most tests,
some incorrect answers may seem correct at first glance.

Quiz Grading: When you’ve answered all the questions, click the “Grade Quiz” button in the lower-right corner of
the page. The system will provide color-coded feedback to assist in learning. Be sure you understand the
rationale behind each answer. Once a quiz is graded, you will be restricted from resubmitting new quiz results
for that specific course for 7 days.*

Certificates of Completion: Certificates are provided for each of the Telephone Doctor and Newmarket courses.
For the What to Say When (each of the three series), Service Matters, ServiceSims, Email Matters and Houndville
courses, a certificate is provided for the series rather than for individual courses. When you receive a score of
80%* or higher on a Telephone Doctor or Newmarket course, a “Print Certificate” link will appear in the course
menu. Click this link and follow the instructions for printing and/or emailing your certificate. When you receive a
score of 75% or higher on EACH of the What to Say When Team Building, What to Say When Conflict Resolution,
What to Say When Mentoring, Service Matters, ServiceSims, Email Matters or Houndville courses, a “Print
Certificate” link will appear in any of the course menus for those series. Please Note: once you’ve earned a
certificate, you’ll be offered the option of printing that certificate whenever you access the course in the future.
Certificates are also printable from each learner’s “My Profile” page.
*These are standard default values. They are client-definable, prior to initial launch.
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Getting Started Guide
4
System (Primary) Administrator
You should have received a system email message containing your username and password. This should also
have been given to you during your administrative orientation session, conducted by ServiceSkills personnel.
To log in to your admin area, simply go to: www.serviceskills.com and find the user login fields in the lowerleft corner. Enter your username and password and click “SUBMIT.” Please note: The password field is casesensitive and will accept upper-case and lower-case alpha characters, number characters and special
characters. Keep this in mind should you wish to change your own password, or when creating new passwords
for your learners in the future. The password field needs to contain at least four characters.
The first time you log in, you’ll see the End User License Agreement (EULA). You’ll need to click “Agree” in
order to move on. Once you’ve done so, you should not see the agreement on future visits.
Your next stop will be the System Admin
Main Menu.
Your page should look something like the
picture on the right; though there may be
no learners (or fewer learners) listed in
your user table as you are just beginning
to enter your data.
As an administrator, you will be landing on
the Main Menu when you log in. Your
course learners with no admin access will
log directly into the course library. You
may access the library yourself by clicking
the “Library” link in the upper-right
corner of your page:
Each person in your organization
(administrator and learners alike) will be
able to change their own password. They will simply need to click
the “My Profile” link which is also located in the upper-right corner
of the page. “My Profile” will also show the learner’s own history of
completed courses and scores and provides them with a convenient
way to print (or reprint) certificates they have earned.
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System Admin Main Menu Overview
1. Navigation “Tool” Bar – Clicking “Main Menu” will bring you back to your organization’s main page.
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2. Organization Name.
3. System Admin’s Name.
2
3
4. Number of “User Licenses in
Use.”
5. Sort Headings:
 Name
 Last Activity
 Division
 Business Unit
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12
8
9
5
10
6. User Table, containing the
names of all your registered
learners.
7. Add New Users directly under
system administrator (Note: this
will be discussed in more detail
in section on adding learners).
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11
7
8. “Courses Completed” column
shows total number of courses that have been completed by learner. Clicking this number is a shortcut to
learner’s profile with listing of completed courses.
9. “Courses Assigned” column shows total number of courses that have been assigned by learner. Clicking this
number is a shortcut to the learner’s course assignment page.
10. “Evaluations” column shows score this learner has given to the training platform (Note: this will be
discussed in more detail in section on evaluations).
11. Buttons to send welcome message, course assignment message or request evaluation from all “checked”
users (meaning users whose left column checkbox has been marked – the “X” in the upper-left corner marks all
checkboxes at once).
12. “Library Displays Active Assignments Only” – checking this box will cause all courses to be hidden in your
learners’ library except for those currently assigned or previously completed.
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Getting Started Guide
6
Structure Set-up
We encourage you to use the optional “Structure” feature to define “Divisions” and “Business Units”
for your organization. By setting up your organizational structure, you’ll gain the ability of advanced
sorting of learners, with the facility to compare the performance of different units or groups of
learners. Defining your organization’s structure also facilitates the assigning of courses to specific
groups of learners at once.
Note: This feature should be set up prior to learner registration.
Add “Divisions” and
“Business Units” to
best fit your
organization. These
structural elements
are not pre-arranged
in any sort of
hierarchy, so you
may utilize them any
way you wish. You
may use either or
both of these fields,
or skip this set-up
altogether if you
wish.
Once you’ve added all needed divisions and business units, these become selectable when you are
registering your learners. You’ll be able to assign learners to the division and/or business unit to
which they belong at the time you register them for the training. If your learners have already been
registered, then you will be able to assign them to the correct division and/or business unit on their
individual profile page. The next section of this guide will cover adding learners and making changes
to existing learners’ profiles.
The “Merge” link will allow for you to merge two different divisions or business units, if needed at
some point. When you perform a merge, the administrative hierarchy (as defined by
administrator/sub-administrator assignments) remains unchanged.
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Getting Started Guide
7
Adding Learners
Here are step-by-step directions for adding (registering) learners:
1. Find “Add New User” fields at the bottom of the Main Menu or at the bottom of the learner’s
profile under whom you wish to add a new learner. (Note: ServiceSkills.com will create a
multi-level supervision hierarchy, allowing for any number of sub-administrators. Learners’
privacy is assured by restricting access to only those administrators in a learner’s (vertical)
line of supervision. You can picture this as an old-fashioned organization chart. You, as the
System Administrator, are in the very top position on this chart. You can draw a line from
yourself to any number of sub-administrators that will exist on the next level below you and
lines to any sub-administrators on the next level down and so on. There are no horizontal
lines allowed, however, so no sub-administrators will be able to see the learners of their
counterparts on the same level. However, there can be sub-administrators below subadministrators - to any number of levels).
2. All fields
(except
“Title”) are
mandatory.
However, if
you are adding
someone you
wish to serve
as a subadministrator,
it is strongly encouraged that you fill in his/her title as it will show up in the user table,
allowing you to see, at-a-glance, all of your sub-administrators. As you are adding learners,
you should first add any that are going to be in a sub-administrator role (if any) and then be
sure you are adding your other learners under the sub-administrator that you wish to have
supervision of the learner’s training activity.
3. Choose the “Division” and/or “Business Unit” (if you are utilizing the “Structure” option) to
which you wish this learner assigned.
4. You must assign a password. It can be any password you like, as long as it is at least four
characters in length. The password field is case-sensitive and will accept any combination of
upper and lower-case alpha characters, numerical characters and special characters. You can
use the same password for everyone, if you wish, though each learner must have his/her own
email address.
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Adding Learners - continued
5. “User Access” indicates whether or not this person will be using a course user license and what type of
curriculum they will be able to access. In most cases, all users will have access to all courses, so you
will choose “Both Comm Skills & Ldrship.” If you wish, the ServiceSkills team can configure your user
licenses so that a portion of your learners will have access to only the communication skills courses. For
that type of access you would select “Comm Skills.” You can leave this field blank if you are setting up
a sub-administrator who will be serving in an administrative role only and will not actually be taking the
courses. Leaving this field blank means this person will NOT have access to the course library. The
“Administrator” check box should only be checked if you are adding someone who is going to serve in an
administrative role. You may check the “Send Email Message” checkbox if you wish. This automatically
(within minutes) sends a “Welcome Message” to your new learner. This message can also be sent from
the user table on the Main Menu at any time you wish.
6. Click “Add User” and you’re ready to begin assigning courses to this learner.
7. You can promote
a learner to a
sub-administrator
position by
selecting the
“Administrator”
checkbox on the
learner’s profile
7
page. You may
also make a
7
number of other
changes to a
learner’s profile,
anytime you wish. Simply click on the learner’s name in the user table and you’ll be on their individual
profile page. After you’ve made any desired changes, you will need to click the “Update User” button
to save those changes.
8. You are NOT able to change a learner’s name so, if they should change their name sometime during the
year, or if you’ve accidentally entered their name incorrectly, please contact ServiceSkills directly for
assistance (1-800-291-5905). Likewise, it will be necessary to contact SerivceSkills to restrict course
user status after a learner has been added. If a learner should leave your organization in the middle of
your subscription, please contact ServiceSkills support to help you delete or deactivate their license.
Please note: Your learners may also self-register, if you wish. Step-by-step instructions for learners are
available on page 20 of this guide. The registration code on your own profile page will be used for these selfregistering learners unless you are setting up a supervisory hierarchy and will have sub-administrators. In that
case, you should generate a registration code for EACH of your sub-administrators by clicking on the dice you see
next to the registration code field on each sub-administrator’s profile page – be sure and click the “Update User”
button right after you generate the code. Then, be sure and give, to your learners, the unique registration code
associated with their own supervisor.
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Getting Started Guide
9
Individual Learner Profiles
To reach an individual learner’s profile page, you can simply click on their name in the user table on your Main
Menu page or, for organizations with large numbers of learners, you may search for a specific learner by their
last name or by simply displaying all the learners with a last name beginning with a certain letter. To search,
simply click the “Users” link at the top of your page.
You can now enter
the learner’s last
name in the
search field and
click “Search,” or
select the first
letter of the
learner’s last
name from the
alpha list near the top of the page. When the results are displayed, simply click on the learner’s name to open
their profile page, or click on “Assign” to jump directly to their individual course assignment page.
Learner Activity
A learner’s profile
page is where you
will go to view their
progress through
the ServiceSkills
courses. The
default view is of
the courses the
learner has
completed. Also
displayed will be
the score achieved
and the date and
time the course was
completed. If the learner has achieved a passing score on the course, there will also be a link where you will
be able to print their certificate for them. This is an option of which you may or may not choose to take
advantage since learners can also print their own certificates.
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Individual Learner Profiles – continued
Learner Activity - continued
Clicking the “View
All Course Activity”
link will display a
more detailed view
of the activity of
this learner,
including courses
that are currently
“in progress” and
have not been
completed.
Course Assignment
Clicking the “Course
Assignment” link on an
individual learner’s profile
will take you to his/her
personal assignment page.
Here, you can make or edit
assignments for this
individual learner. The
initial view will be of this
learner’s pending assignments. You will also be able to see missed or late assignments as the deadline date
will be displayed in red for assignments that fall into either of those categories.
Changes to these assignments are made and new assignments created by clicking the “Add Assignments”
button.
Each assignment must have a deadline date.
Simply click the plus sign to the left of any series,
then check the title(s) you wish to assign, select a
deadline date for each and then repeat this
process for as many of the course series as you
wish to assign. Once you’ve made all the
selections needed, you may choose if you wish to
send this learner an email notification of their
assignments and then simply click the “Process
Assignments” button to save the assignments in
the database.
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11
Course Assignments
Assignments can also be made to the organization as a whole as well as to groups of learners, by Division or
Business Unit or by SubAdministrator grouping. Click
on the “Assignments” link near
the top of the page.
Your page view will change and
you will see the course
assignment interface as in the
lower screen shot.
There are two parts to the
course assignment process. On
the left-hand side of the page
(where you see the colored
bars), you will choose the
course(s) you wish to assign.
Then, on the right-hand side of
the page, you will filter the
assignment to make sure you are including the correct learner(s).
The course assignment interface
in ServiceSkills provides you with
many options. You may assign an
entire series of courses at once
by clicking the check-box on the
right-hand side of the colored
bar representing the series you
wish to assign. Or, you may
assign individual courses by
clicking the + sign on the lefthand side of the colored bar
representing the series from
which you wish to choose courses
to assign. Either of these actions
will cause the series to expand
revealing the individual titles. A
new option that is now available is “Learning Path” assignments. The courses have been grouped into Bronze,
Silver and Gold Learning Paths and can be assigned as a group. Keep in mind that the Bronze Path is a prerequisite for the Silver Path and the Silver Path is a pre-requisite for the Gold Path.
For more detail on “Learning Paths” and exactly how they were created, please go to the last page in this
Guide.
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Course Assignments - continued
To set up assignments, first
1
decide whether you wish all the
courses you are assigning to have
the same deadline date or if you
wish to set individual deadlines
for each course. If they will all
have the same deadline, then
2
you can set the “Default
Deadline Date” at the top of the
Course & Deadline Selection
section (1). If they will have
different deadline dates, then
simply ignore that “Default
Deadline Date” and go to the next step.
3
Now, select the course(s) you wish to assign by selecting either the “Learning Path,” or the check-box
to assign a whole series, or the plus sign to expand a series and select individual titles (2).
To set individual deadline dates, you will simply click the calendar icon to the right of the date field
for each of the courses you are assigning and then choose the date you wish from the calendar that
pops up (3). This will be the date by which you wish the assignment(s) to be completed.
You may choose as many different course titles from as many different series as you wish before
moving to the next step.
You are now ready to set the filter
for this assignment. Move over to
the right-hand side of the page. If
the assignment you are making is
for everyone in your organization
(or, in the case of a subadministrator, for everyone who
falls below you in the
administrative hierarchy), then
you are pretty much done since
“All Learners” is selected by
default (4). Your only remaining
step is to click the “Process Assignments” button (5).
4
5
The next page provides a look at more filtering options.
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Course Assignments - continued
If the assignment you are making
is for a specific “Division” or
“Business Unit,” you can use
section two of the Assignment
Filter to specify which of these is
to receive this assignment (6).
After selecting the appropriate
“Division” and/or “Business
Unit,” simply click the “Process
Assignments” button and you’re
done.
6
Filtering can also be done on a
person-by-person basis. Use the
third section of the Assignment
Filter for this option.
There may be certain individuals who need to have a particular assignment or perhaps you want to make an
assignment to the a particular sub-administrator’s direct reports. For these situations, you should select the
“Filter Individual Learners” check box. When you select this option, a list of learners will open (7).
At this point, you may select the
learners you wish to have the
assignment. You may notice that
some of your learners are blue
and clickable. These are subadministrators and, when you
click on their names, you should
then see a list of the learners
who report to them. You can
drill down in this way to select
the learners on a given team.
7
You’ll notice that you can select
8
a group of people or even all
learners in your organization and
9
use the “Exclude” function to eliminate certain people from an assignment who may have already taken the
course(s). Use the calendar icon to define the starting date of a range that ends with the current day’s date.
When you use this option, anyone who has completed the course(s) within that range will be excluded from
receiving this new assignment (8).
You can use the system to notify your learners (by e-mail) of their assignments. Before clicking the “Process
Assignments” button, simply put a check-mark in the “Email Learners” check box (9).
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Sub-Administrator
Sub-Admin Main Menu Overview
1
3
2
6
4
5
1. Navigation Bar – Click “Users” at any time to return you to this Main Menu.
2. User Table – all learners for whom you have administrative rights should be listed here. See previous
section on learner profiles for more detailed information.
3. Sort Headings – as with System Admin, you may sort by Learner’s Last Name, Division or Business Unit.
Clicking “Division” and/or “Business Unit” will further refine your view.
4. Add New User – Any learners you add will be associated with you as their administrator. A unique email
address is mandatory for each learner and will become their login username. Using anything other than
a valid email address will result in loss of some functionality. See previous section on adding learners
for more detailed information on this process.
5. Send Email Message – Checking this box before clicking the “Add User” button will cause a system email
to be generated, notifying the new learner that their administrator (you) has registered them for
ServiceSkills training. This message will also contain their username and password.
6. Email me quiz results of my users – Check this box and the quiz results for all users reporting up to you
as an administrator will automatically be emailed to you as they are completed.
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Sub-Administrator - continued
Assignments Link
The sub-administrator’s “Assignments” link works identically to the system administrator’s
“Assignments” link (see pages 11 thru 13 for complete instructions). The only difference is the range
of users to whom assignments can be made. As a sub-administrator, you will be able to make
assignments only to learners who fall below yourself in the hierarchy.
One feature that has been added to the sub-administrator’s “Assignment” interface is the check box
labeled “Including Me.” This enables you to include yourself in an assignment if you wish to do so. As
a sub-administrator, you are not able to see your own profile, so this is the only method you have
available for assigning a course to yourself.
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Overview of Additional Function Links
Courses
This link provides a
brief description of
each of the courses,
along with a view of
the status of your
learners in regards
to a specific course.
You will also find
here a link to assign
any of these courses
to all the learners
who report directly
to you. Click on any
of the series to expand that series and see the individual course titles.
This page view shows the percentage of your
learners who have completed any given
course in the series.
When you click “Assign to Users,” in
connection with any specific course title,
you’ll see a page displaying a list of your
learners, their assignment status in regards to
this course and whether or not they’ve had
the course previously. If you wish, you can
assign this course to any of your learners
directly from this page. Simply check the
learners you wish to take the course, select a
deadline date and then click the “Save
Assignments” button.
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Overview of Additional Function Links
Evaluations
This feature enables you to
measure the satisfaction of your
participants regarding various
aspects of the training experience
– things like relevant content, ease
of use, etc.
Evaluations can be requested on
the Main Menu. Selecting the
“Email evaluation results to
primary user” checkbox prior to
clicking the button, “Request
Evaluation from Checked Users”
will result in the System Administrator receiving a completed evaluation by email from each user who
completes it. This emailed copy will also show any free form comments by the learner, which are otherwise
not archived.
Evaluations can be requested of learners by any administrator or sub-administrator, but the results an
administrator will see depend on who falls below them in the administrative hierarchy. Only the System
(Primary) Administrator can see the cumulative scores for the entire organization.
Admin Resources
For organizations that
would like to use the
Service Matters course
topics in group discussions,
a leader’s guide with
discussion questions and
other helpful tools is
available for administrators
to download in pdf format.
This and other helpful tools
can be found under the
“Admin Resources” link.
Margie Schmitz will be glad
to help with questions about
any of these tools
(margie@serviceskills.com).
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Overview of Additional Function Links
Activity Report
This link is used to generate
an Excel spreadsheet or to
save learner data as a .txt file
to be downloaded and
imported into another type of
1
spreadsheet or database.
To generate a report on all
your training activity,
formatted as an Excel
Worksheet:
2
4
1. If you are using Excel 2003 or newer, skip steps 1 through 3, and go directly to step 4. If
your version of Excel is prior to 2003, then start in the left column and choose how you’d like
to format your report. You may order your query by LastName or FirstName. You may include
inactive users (people who no longer work for you, but whose activity has been archived) if you
wish, and you may choose if you’d like to include users who have no scores so far.
2. Once you’ve made your choices for refining your results, then click the “Display Results”
button. This will open a new window:
3
3. Unless you have a version of Excel
prior to Excel 2003, you can
ignore the instruction to
download your ASCII file. With
Excel 2000 or older, you’ll want
to download the ASCII file by
right-clicking on the link and
selecting “Save Target As. . .”
and giving the file a name you’ll
remember. Note: For
administrators using these older
Excel versions, please talk to
ServiceSkills support for next
steps.
4. Click the “Download Excel Report Generator” link.
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19
Overview of Additional Function Links
Activity Report - continued
5. A “File Download Security Warning” may now appear, with three options: “Open,” “Save”
or “Cancel.” Choose “Save” or “Save and Open” and save the file. If you chose “Save and Open,” the
file should now open in Excel. Otherwise, please open the file now with Excel.
6. For now, ignore the
fact that you are
looking at Sheet1.
6
7
This is simply a
placeholder and
presently does not
contain any valid data.
Different versions of
Excel are going to
perform a little
differently at this
point. Note: Excel
2003 may warn that
macros or other active
content has been
disabled. You will
need to access Excel’s “Tools” Menu, then choose “Options” and then “Security” and then “Macros” or
“Macro Security,” then set it to “Low.” Click “OK,” close Excel and return to step 4. Excel 2007 or
2010 may display a “Security Warning” in their message bar. It will look something like #6 above.
7. Click on the “Options” button following this warning
and choose “Enable this Content” wherever you see it
(either one or two places) and then click “OK.”
7
7
7
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Getting Started Guide
20
Overview of Additional Function Links
Activity Report - continued
8. Your view should now switch to the Instructions Sheet and you’ll see the ServiceSkills logo,
under which will be a teal colored bar with two buttons in it. Now, on this sheet, click the
button labeled “Retrieve File (Web)” – see #8 below.
8
9. You should now be asked for
your “ServiceSkills Admin
Login User Name.” This will
be your full email address
that you’ve used to log in to
ServiceSkills.
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9
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Getting Started Guide
21
Overview of Additional Function Links
Activity Report - continued
10. Once you’ve entered your “ServiceSkills Admin Login User Name,” click “OK” and your Excel
sheet should open. Drop-down menus at the head of each column will allow for additional
filtering options (Excel 2007 shown below).
11. You may now delete the placeholder, “Sheet1 (2).”
11
12
12. Selecting the additional tabbed sheets (“Business Unit,” “Division,” “Users,” “Series” and
“Course”) will provide you with a summary of the data filtered on these various elements.
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22
Learner Instructions
Self-Registration
If your supervisor has already registered you in our system, you should skip this page altogether and
go directly to “Login” on the next page.
1. Your first step is to register with ServiceSkills by using the unique registration code provided by
your supervisor or training administrator. The registration code is used only once for learner
setup.
2. Go to: www.serviceskills.com In
the lower-right corner of the home
page, you will find the “Register”
field. Enter your unique
“Registration Code” into this field
and click “Go.” You will only use
this method of logging in on this
first visit. On each successive visit,
you’ll login with your username and
password, which you’ll set up
during this registration phase.
3. Once you’ve entered your code,
you’ll be taken to a page where
you’ll be asked to complete a form
with your First and Last Name,
Title, Email Address and Password
(this can be anything you want, though it must be at least four characters in length). The
password field is case-sensitive. If your manager has established a “Structure” for your
organization, you will also be able to choose your “Division” and/or “Business Unit” from dropdown menus in this step. Your email address will be assigned as your Username.
4. Once you’ve finished the
registration form, be sure to click
“Submit Registration” to
complete the process. From now
on you will login with your
username and password.
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23
Learner Instructions - continued
Login
Once your registration is complete,
you may login and begin using the
ServiceSkills library.
If you did not self-register, your
supervisor or training administrator
should have provided you with your
username and password. Your email
address is typically used as your
username.
The first time you log in, you’ll be
presented with the ServiceSkills End
User License Agreement (EULA).
You’ll need to agree to it in order to
access the courses. You should not
see this agreement on future log-ins.
Course Library
Your next destination will be the Course
Library. Learners are able to view all
available courses and, as you mouse over
each title, a window will pop up to display a
brief description of the course.
Each course is a stand-alone module. There
are no prerequisites and they may be
completed in any order, though your
manager may have assigned specific
modules.
Though not required, some knowledge of
Telephone Doctor® skills and techniques is
recommended before attempting to
complete Service Scenarios courses.
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Getting Started Guide
24
Learner Instructions - continued
Course Library - continued
On the Course Library page, you will see any
number of colored bars, which represent each of
the series of courses (Purple = Telephone
Doctor® Series, Red = What to Say When℠ Series,
Green = Service Matters℠ Series, Blue =
ServiceSims℠ Series, Orange = Newmarket
Learning℠ Management & Leadership Series,
Yellow = Houndville℠ Animated Workplace
Topics, Pink = Telephone Doctor® Legacy Series).
Clicking on any of these bars will open access to
the corresponding series of courses. You may
not see one or more of these bars, depending on
the subscription level for your organization.
Taking Courses
Any courses that are assigned to you will be
marked with this icon in the upper-left
corner of the title button:
Pointing
and hovering your mouse cursor over this
icon will cause your deadline date to pop
up. Please take a look at the key on the
left-hand side of the page and note the
other icons (and their meanings), which
may be used to mark your courses.
From the Course Library page, click on
the title of the course you’d like to view.
The course may take a few seconds to
load. You may then click on the chapter
of the course where you’d like to begin.
Each course consists of multiple
chapters, each comprised of three
elements: video segment, non-scored
exercises and key learning points in a
bulleted format. There will also be a (scored) final quiz in each course.
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25
Learner Instructions - continued
Taking Courses - continued
To start a course, select a chapter from the menu
on the left. You will need to complete each
chapter to advance through the course. Once
you’ve chosen the chapter, simply click on the
“Video” link to launch the player and view the
video segment for that chapter.
The media player also has controls to fast forward,
pause, play, rewind and switch to full-screen mode.
These controls are visible when you place your
mouse cursor on top of the video player. There is a
volume control and mute feature as well.
Non-scored exercises can then be completed after
viewing the video segment.
Keypoints
The “Keypoints” feature displays, in bulleted form, the condensed key learning points that were
presented in the chapter. The user may print these. To do so, simply click on the “Print” link at the
bottom of the “Keypoints” window. This will open up a small window which allows you to print the
Key Learning Points for the entire course at once.
Quiz
After you have completed all chapters of the
course, you can take the interactive quiz. After
completing the quiz, click the “Grade Quiz”
button to immediately see your score, view the
correct answers and receive post-quiz feedback.
If your supervisor or training admin has authorized
this feature, you will be able to email your quiz
results to any supervisor or manager by entering
their email address into the proper space at the
bottom of the quiz window just prior to clicking
the “Grade Quiz” button.
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Getting Started Guide
26
Learner Instructions - continued
Certificates of Completion
Upon successful completion (pass/fail threshold set by your supervisor or training admin) of each
course (or series, in the case of Service Matters, Service Scenarios or Houndville), you will have the
opportunity to print a “Certificate of Completion.” This is done by clicking on the link that will
appear at the top of your graded quiz or a “Print Certificate” link that will be displayed on your
course menu just below the “Keypoints” and “Quiz” links the next time you open the course. In
addition, certificates are available from your “My Profile” link. Your manager or training
administrator will also be able to print certificates for you.
Quiz Results Page
Certificate of Completion
Course Menu
or “My Profile”
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Getting Started Guide
27
Common Technical Issues
Adobe Flash plug-in (version 9.0 or newer) is required to play the clips.
To install or update, go to: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer
Click on the button labeled “Download Now” and follow the very simple instructions to install.
Depending on your security and/or firewall settings, you might need to click “yes,” “accept” or
“install” on a security warning pop-up. In the case that your IT Department prevents you from
downloading and installing anything on your computer, you may need to ask them for help.
Firewall settings may need to be adjusted.
The video files are formatted as mp4 Video media with the extension .mp4. These files should play
on PCs, MACs and any tablet or mobile device. Firewalls can be set to block these types of files or all
media files in general, so your firewall settings may need to be adjusted.
Domain blocking is another typical firewall issue that keeps the video from playing. If you experience
difficulty, you might want to check with your IT Department and find out if they are blocking either of
these domains: www.serviceskills.com or www.serviceskills.net
Here are the details for unblocking our content, which you should pass along to your IT Dept:






Protocol: http (hyper text transfer protocol)
Port: 80
URLs: http://www.serviceskills.com and http://www.serviceskills.net
IP: 207.150.196.72
File extensions: swf – the swf loads an mp4 file (which is transparent to the user)
Content-type: application/x-shockwave-flash
Browser



Cookies – your browser should be configured to accept first-party cookies
ActiveX Controls – your browser should be configured to display sound, animation, video and
pictures (most are configured this way by default, so this is not likely a problem). “Run
ActiveX Controls & Plug-Ins” should be set to “Enable.” Also, “Script ActiveX Controls marked
safe for scripting” should be set to “Enable.”
Pop-up Blockers – these should all be turned off if you have them enabled. Pop-ups are not
common in this application so, if you encounter one in ServiceSkills, you will probably be able
to allow it on a one-time basis without disabling your pop-up blocker altogether.
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Getting Started Guide
28
Keys to Success
1. Get to know the 20 Telephone Doctor courses
a. Part of your success is determined by how well you understand each course in the
library. To help with that, we’ve included:
i. Quick Reference to Course Titles
ii. One-line description of each course
iii. Courses at a Glance
iv. Running time of each title and key points covered in each
v. “Who Views What?” Chart / Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions
2. Use the skills as the Telephone Doctor prescribes
a. Let the simple, skill-driven format work for you.
b. Just like a medical doctor’s prescription, to get maximum results, don’t change the
dosage!
c. Encourage your users to take notes while viewing the video chapters. This will help
them to retain the skills.
3. Consider each course as a building block.
a. Start small – one or two courses at a time. Have your participants learn and practice the
skills.
b. Reinforce and then add new courses to continue improvement
c. Use the Service Scenarios series to reinforce and build on the core Telephone Doctor
content.
4. Ongoing training is key.
a. Build a foundation with initial training, but don’t let the courses sit idle.
b. Repetition is the Mother of Learning. Reviewing completed courses will improve
performance.
5. Remember to have FUN!
a. Encourage group reinforcement of these easy-to-use techniques.
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Getting Started Guide
Quick Reference to Telephone Doctor Courseware
The Service Mentality
A mind-set for serving customers.
Listening Skills
Listening is a critical component when determining
the needs of your customer.
From Curt to Courteous
Raises awareness of the various means of
communication and how we can best utilize them.
Questioning Techniques
Proper questioning techniques are a key component
to delivering superior customer service.
Five Forbidden Phrases®
Avoid negatives. Offer positive alternatives.
Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service
Basics of good customer service.
Selling Skills from A to H
Enhance communication skills. Eight tips for
inbound/outbound calls.
Selling Skills from I to Q
Enhance communication skills. Nine tips for
inbound/outbound calls.
Selling Skills from R to Z
Enhance communication skills. Nine tips for
inbound/outbound calls.
Proactive Customer Service
Skills for proactive customer service: rapportbuilding and cross-selling.
29
Essential Telephone Skills
The essentials of managing the telephone
effectively.
Six Steps to Service Recovery
Specific actions to take whenever there is a
disappointment for the customer.
Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
Explores the key essentials to developing and
keeping a positive attitude on your job and in every
aspect of life.
Business Friendly™ Customer Service
Deals with the core values of delivering exceptional
service.
Influencing the Interaction
Identifies six practices that will contribute to a
positive interaction with customers.
How to Handle the Irate Customer
Quick tips for defusing angry customers.
Essential Elements of Internal Customer Service
Helps employees realize we are customers to each
other.
Killer Words of Customer Service
Well-intentioned phrases which can damage
customer relationships.
That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the Rudeness
Matrix)
The business effect of being rude.
Maintaining Customer Relationships
The importance of follow-up after the sale.
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Detailed Course Outlines
Telephone Doctor 20-course core curriculum
The Service Mentality
Duration: 37 Minutes
A mind-set for serving customers.
Keypoints:
 Empathy – Having the capacity for
understanding, being aware of and being
sensitive to the feelings, thoughts and
experiences of a customer.
 Enthusiasm – Bringing an observable high level
of energy or interest to a project or situation.
 Ownership – Possessing the commitment to
solve a problem or steering it to someone who
will.
 Responsibility – Living up to previously agreed
upon commitments.
 Adaptability – Having the flexibility to
effectively deal with different types of
customers and situations.
 Balance – Having the capacity to successfully
satisfy the customer while taking into account
the resources and needs of your organization.
 Resiliency – Having the ability to bounce back
from adversity.
Listening Skills
Duration: 29 Minutes
Listening is a critical component when determining the
needs of your customer.
Keypoints:
 Decide to be a better listener.
 Welcome the caller.
 Concentrate.
 Keep an open mind.
 Give feedback.
 Take notes.
Jump to Main Index
From Curt to Courteous
Duration: 38 Minutes
Raises awareness of the various means of
communication and how we can best utilize them.
Keypoints:
 Ways to communicate with customers include:
mail, telephone, face-to-face, fax, voice &
email and instant messaging.
 Your communication tools while you’re on the
telephone are your voice, your tone of voice,
the words used and the listener’s imagination.
 In all voice mails, leave the reason for your
call, your name, and a return number; and, if
time, your city and time zone. Always, twice
and slowly, please!
 Keys to effective face-to-face communications
are facial expressions and body language.
 Keys to good email/instant messages are: a
brief greeting as a welcome signal, and end
your message with “thanks.”
 Being obviously friendly in all forms of
communication will go a long way towards
lessening resentment, disputes and
misunderstandings.
Questioning Techniques
Duration: 30 Minutes
Proper questioning techniques are a key component to
delivering superior customer service.
Keypoints:
 Open and closed-ended questions.
 Probing questions.
 Echo questions.
 Leading questions.
 Using the “And” technique to get information.
 Interpreting disguised responses.
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Detailed Course Outlines - continued
Telephone Doctor 20-course core curriculum - continued
Five Forbidden Phrases®
Duration: 33 Minutes
Avoid negatives. Offer positive alternatives.
Keypoints:
 “I don’t know. . .”
 “I can’t do that. . .”
 “You’ll have to. . .”
 “Hang on a second.”
 “NO” at the start of a sentence.
Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service
Duration: 33 Minutes
Basics of good customer service.
Keypoints:
 People before paperwork.
 Don’t rush callers.
 Be friendly BEFORE you know who it is.
 Don’t be too busy to be nice.
 Don’t use military language on civilians.
 Be personally accountable – don’t pass the
buck.
Proactive Customer Service
Duration: 34 Minutes
Skills for proactive customer service: rapport building
and cross-selling.
Keypoints:
 The difference between passive, average and
proactive customer service.
 Tools for productivity.
 Establishing rapport with customers
 Ways to introduce additional products or
services.
Jump to Main Index
Selling Skills from A to H
Duration: 26 Minutes
Enhance communication skills. Eight tips for inbound
and outbound calls.
Keypoints:
 A – Ask your customer for time to talk.
 B – Benefits.
 C – Closing.
 D – Discipline.
 E – Echo Questions.
 F – Four Killer Words – “Hi, how are you?”
 G – Go home ready to begin the next day.
 H – Humor.
Selling Skills from I to Q
Duration: 26 Minutes
Enhance Communication Skills. Nine tips for inbound
and outbound calls.
Keypoints:
 I – “I” irritates.
 J – Jerry’s pet peeve.
 K – Know your objective.
 L – Let’s.
 M – Monogram the call.
 N – Naturally inquisitive.
 O – One-word answers.
 P – Practice being positive.
 Q – Qualifying.
Selling Skills from R to Z
Duration: 27 Minutes
Enhance communication skills. Nine tips for inbound
and outbound calls.
Keypoints:
 R – Rejection.
 S – Smile.
 T – Tie-downs.
 U – Understanding needs.
 V – Vary your responses.
 W – Weak, wimpy words.
 X – X-out credibility busters.
 Y – You buy or they buy.
 Z – Be creative.
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Detailed Course Outlines - continued
Telephone Doctor 20-course core curriculum - continued
Essential Telephone Skills
Duration: 35 Minutes
The essentials of managing the telephone effectively.
Keypoints:
 Use the 3-part greeting to answer
professionally.
 Know how to put a caller on hold.
 Monogram the call. Use the caller’s name.
 Avoid excuses.
 Give the caller your undivided attention.
 Give spoken feedback signals.
 Take accurate messages. Don’t be a message
“mangler.”
 Control the conversation.
 Avoid mouth noises.
 Leave a good last impression.
Six Steps to Service Recovery
Duration: 39 Minutes
Specific actions to take whenever there is a
disappointment for the customer.
Keyoints:
 Respond rapidly.
 Take ownership.
 Apologize sincerely.
 Solve the problem.
 Manage the feelings.
 Verify satisfaction.
Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
Duration: 40 Minutes
Explores the key essentials to developing and keeping a
positive attitude on your job and in every aspect of
life.
Keypoints:
 Choose your attitude in advance.
 Visualize success.
 Demonstrate humor, energy and enthusiasm.
 Resist negative influences.
 Be a “whatever it takes” person.
 Embrace change: expect it and accept it.
 Be grateful for what you have.
Jump to Main Index
Business Friendly™ Customer Service
Duration: 32 Minutes
Prevent stress from “leaking” through the phone
wires.
Keypoints:
 Be Business Friendly™
 Every call is unique – don’t become
desensitized.
 Solve the problem – don’t argue.
 Show empathy – don’t ignore what customers
say.
 Smile – don’t be cold.
 Avoid emotional leakage.
Influencing the Interaction
Duration: 35 Minutes
Indentifies six practices that will contribute to a
positive interaction with customers.
Keypoints:
 Mood and enthusiasm.
 Displaying confidence.
 Establishing a warm relationship.
How to Handle the Irate Customer
Duration: 27 Minutes
Quick tips for defusing angry customers.
Keypoints:
 You are the lightening rod, not the target.
 The ASAP technique.
 You can satisfy most people most of the time.
 Use our swear stopper.
 Don’t offer excuses. Offer to help.
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Detailed Course Outlines - continued
Telephone Doctor 20-course core curriculum - continued
Essential Elements of Internal Customer Service
Duration: 33 Minutes
Helps employees realize we are customers to each
other.
Keypoints:
 Know the mission of your organization and your
role. Be aware of the big picture and know
how your specific role is helping your
organization achieve its mission.
 Internal service is everyone’s responsibility.
Remember, avoid double standards when it
comes to delivering great internal customer
service.
 Respect employee differences. Be tolerant of
all the differences that make up your diverse
workplace.
 Recognize the personal space of others. Be
sensitive to the fact that other people are
working nearby and practice the “Golden Rule”
in all your office interactions.
 Work to resolve conflicts. Use the 3-step BIF
approach for smoothing out rough spots in your
relations with others.
 Show appreciation. When someone does
something good that affects you, let him/her
know.
Jump to Main Index
Killer Words of Customer Service
Duration: 36 Minutes
Well-intentioned phrases which can damage customer
relationships.
Keypoints:
 Calm Down.
 Can I Be Honest With You?
 No Problem.
 Our Computers Are Slow.
 What’s Your Name Again?
 Yes, But. . .
 Sorry, That’s Our Policy.
 You Don’t Understand.
That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the Rudeness Matrix)
Duration: 29 Minutes
The business effect of being rude.
Keypoints:
 Accidental rudeness by omission.
 Accidental rudeness by commission.
 Intentional rudeness by omission.
 Intentional rudeness by commission.
Maintaining Customer Relationships
Duration: 29 Minutes
The importance of follow-up after the sale and the
five most common scenarios.
Keypoints:
 No ulterior motive calls.
 Sandwich technique.
 New contact situations.
Technical Support
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Getting Started Guide
34
Receptionist/Switchboard
Customer Service
Technical Support
Sales/Sales Support
Administrative Assistant
Accounting/Collections
Management/Supervisor
Face-to-Face Customer Service
“Who Views What?” Chart
The Service Mentality
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Listening Skills
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
From Curt to Courteous
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Questioning Techniques
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Five Forbidden Phrases®
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Absolutely every Telephone Doctor course will benefit
every position in your organization.
This chart condenses the Target Audience Curriculum
Suggestions that follow beginning on the next page.
Only the Telephone Doctor Series of courses is
included in these curriculum suggestions, though your
organization may also have access to other course
series. These additional courses are listed, beginning
on page 40.
Selling Skills from A to H
•
•
Selling Skills from I to Q
•
•
Selling Skills from R to Z
•
•
Proactive Customer Service
•
•
•
Essential Telephone Skills
•
•
Six Steps to Service Recovery
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Business Friendly™ Customer Service
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Influencing the Interaction
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How to Handle the Irate Customer
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Essential Elements of Internal Customer Service
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Killer Words of Customer Service
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the Rudeness Matrix)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Maintaining Customer Relationships
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Jump to Main Index
•
Technical Support
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Getting Started Guide
Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions
35
Receptionist/Switchboard
Telephone Doctor suggests these courses:
1. The Service Mentality - A mind-set for
serving customers.
2. Listening Skills - Listening is a critical
component when determining the needs of
your customer.
3. From Curt to Courteous - Raises awareness
of the various means of communication and
how we can best utilize them.
4. Five Forbidden Phrases® - Avoid negatives.
Offer positive alternatives.
5. Killer Words of Customer Service – Wellintentioned phrases which can damage
customer relationships.
6. Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service –
Basics of good customer service.
7. Questioning Techniques – Proper
questioning techniques are a key
component to delivering superior customer
service.
8. Essential Telephone Skills - The essentials
of managing the telephone effectively.
9. Six Steps to Service Recovery - Specific
actions to take after a disappointment for
a customer.
10. Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
- Explores the key essentials to developing
and keeping a positive attitude on your job
and in every aspect of life.
11. Business Friendly™ Customer Service Deals with the core values of delivering
exceptional service.
12. Influencing the Interaction – Identifies six
practices which will help service providers
offer a more positive experience for their
customers.
13. How to Handle the Irate Customer - Quick
help for defusing angry customers.
14. Essential Elements of Internal Customer
Service - Helps employees realize we are
customers to each other.
15. That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the
Rudeness Matrix) - The business effect of
being rude.
16. Maintaining Customer Relationships Five Common scenarios for on-going followup after a sale.
Jump to Main Index
Technical Support
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Getting Started Guide
Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions - continued
36
Customer Service
Telephone Doctor suggests these courses:
1. The Service Mentality – A mind-set for
serving customers.
10. Essential Telephone Skills – The essentials
of managing the telephone effectively.
2. Five Forbidden Phrases® - Avoid
negatives. Offer positive alternatives.
11. How to Handle the Irate Customer – Quick
help for defusing angry customers.
3. Killer Words of Customer Service – Wellintentioned phrases which can damage
customer relationships.
12. Business Friendly™ Customer Service –
Deals with the core values of delivering
exceptional service.
4. Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service –
Basics of good customer service.
13. Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
– Explores the key essentials to developing
and keeping a positive attitude on your job
and in every aspect of life.
5. Listening Skills – Listening is a critical
component when determining the needs of
your customer.
6. Questioning Techniques – Proper
questioning techniques are a key
component to delivering superior customer
service.
7. From Curt to Courteous – Raises
awareness of the various means of
communication and how we can best
utilize them.
8. Proactive Customer Service – Skills
needed for proactive customer service:
rapport-building and cross-selling.
9. Selling Skills from A to Z (three courses) –
Twenty-six tips on inbound and outbound
calls.
Jump to Main Index
14. Essential Elements of Internal Customer
Service – Helps employees realize we are
customers to each other.
15. That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the
Rudeness Matrix) – The business effect of
being rude.
16. Six Steps to Service Recovery – specific
actions to take after a disappointment for
the customer.
17. Influencing the Interaction – Identifies six
practices which will help service providers
offer a more positive experience for the
customer.
18. Maintaining Customer Relationships –
Five common scenarios for on-going followup after a sale.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions - continued
37
Technical Support
Telephone Doctor suggests these courses:
1. The Service Mentality – A mind-set for
serving customers.
2. Listening Skills – Listening is a critical
component when determining the needs of
your customer.
3. Questioning Techniques – Proper
questioning techniques are a key
component to delivering superior customer
service.
4. From Curt to Courteous – Raises
awareness of the various means of
communication and how we can best
utilize them.
9. Business Friendly™ Customer Service –
Deals with the core values of delivering
exceptional service.
10. Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
– Explores the key essentials to developing
and keeping a positive attitude on your job
and in every aspect of life.
11. Proactive Customer Service – Skills
needed for proactive customer service:
rapport-building and cross-selling.
12. Essential Elements of Internal Customer
Service – Helps employees realize we are
customers to each other.
5. Five Forbidden Phrases - Avoid
negatives. Offer positive alternatives.
13. That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the
Rudeness Matrix) – The business effect of
being rude.
6. Killer Words of Customer Service – Wellintentioned phrases which can damage
customer relationships.
14. Six Steps to Service Recovery – Specific
actions to take after a disappointment for
the customer.
7. Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service –
Basics of good customer service.
15. Maintaining Customer Relationships –
Five common scenarios for on-going followup after a sale.
®
8. How to Handle the Irate Customer – Quick
help for defusing angry customers.
Jump to Main Index
16. Influencing the Interaction – Identifies six
practices which will help service providers
offer a more positive experience for their
customers.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions - continued
38
Sales/Sales Support
Telephone Doctor suggests these courses:
1. The Service Mentality – A mind-set for
serving customers.
10. How to Handle the Irate Customer – Quick
help for defusing angry customers.
2. Selling Skills from A to Z (three courses) –
Twenty-six tips on inbound and outbound
calls.
11. Business Friendly™ Customer Service –
Deals with the core values of delivering
exceptional service.
3. Proactive Customer Service – Skills
needed for proactive customer service:
rapport-building and cross-selling.
12. Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
– Explores the key essentials to developing
and keeping a positive attitude on your job
and in every aspect of life.
4. Listening Skills – Listening is a critical
component when determining the needs of
your customer.
5. Questioning Techniques - Proper
questioning techniques are a key
component to delivering superior customer
service.
6. Five Forbidden Phrases® - Avoid
negatives. Offer positive alternatives.
7. Killer Words of Customer Service – Wellintentioned phrases which can damage
customer relationships.
8. Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service –
Basics of good customer service.
9. From Curt to Courteous – Raises
awareness of the various means of
communication and how we can best
utilize them.
Jump to Main Index
13. Essential Elements of Internal Customer
Service – Helps employees realize we are
customers to each other.
14. That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the
Rudeness Matrix) – The business effect of
being rude.
15. Six Steps to Service Recovery – Specific
actions to take after a disappointment for
a customer.
16. Maintaining Customer Relationships –
Five common scenarios for on-going followup after a sale.
17. Influencing the Interaction – Identifies six
practices which will help service providers
offer a more positive experience for their
customers.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions - continued
39
Administrative Assistant
Telephone Doctor suggests these courses:
1. The Service Mentality – A mind-set for
serving customers.
9. Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service –
Basics of good customer service.
2. Five Forbidden Phrases® - Avoid
negatives. Offer positive alternatives.
10. How to Handle the Irate Customer – Quick
help for defusing angry customers.
3. Killer Words of Customer Service – Wellintentioned phrases which can damage
customer relationships.
11. Business Friendly™ Customer Service –
Deals with the core values of delivering
exceptional service.
4. Essential Telephone Skills – The essentials
of managing the telephone effectively.
12. Essential Elements of Internal Customer
Service – Helps employees realize we are
customers to each other.
5. Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
– Explores the key essentials to developing
and keeping a positive attitude on your job
and in every aspect of life.
13. That’s Just Rude (Exploring the
Rudeness Matrix) – The business effect of
being rude.
6. Listening Skills – Listening is a critical
component when determining the needs of
your customer.
14. Six Steps to Service Recovery – Specific
actions to take after a disappointment for
a customer.
7. Questioning Techniques – Proper
questioning techniques are a key
component to delivering superior customer
service.
15. Maintaining Customer Relationships –
Five common scenarios for on-going followup after a sale.
8. From Curt to Courteous – Raises
awareness of the various means of
communication and how we can best
utilize them.
Jump to Main Index
16. Influencing the Interaction – Identifies six
practices which will help service providers
offer a more positive experience for their
customers.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions - continued
40
Accounting/Collections
Telephone Doctor suggests these courses:
1. The Service Mentality – A mind-set for
serving customers.
9. Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service –
Basics of good customer service.
2. Five Forbidden Phrases® - Avoid
negatives. Offer positive alternatives.
10. From Curt to Courteous – Raises
awareness of the various means of
communication and how we can best
utilize them.
3. Killer Words of Customer Service – Wellintentioned phrases which can damage
customer relationships.
4. Listening Skills – Listening is a critical
component when determining the needs of
your customer.
5. Questioning Techniques - Proper
questioning techniques are a key
component to delivering superior customer
service.
6. How to Handle the Irate Customer – Quick
help for defusing angry customers.
7. Business Friendly™ Customer Service –
Deals with the core values of delivering
exceptional service.
8. Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
– Explores the key essentials to developing
and keeping a positive attitude on your job
and in every aspect of life.
Jump to Main Index
11. Essential Elements of Internal Customer
Service – Helps employees realize we are
customers to each other.
12. Proactive Customer Service – Skills
needed for proactive customer service:
rapport building and cross-selling.
13. That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the
Rudeness Matrix) – The business effect of
being rude.
14. Six Steps to Service Recovery – Specific
actions to take after a disappointment for
a customer.
15. Maintaining Customer Relationships –
Five common scenarios for on-going followup after a sale.
16. Influencing the Interaction – Identifies six
practices which will help service providers
offer a more positive experience for their
customers.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions - continued
41
Management/Supervisors
Telephone Doctor suggests these courses:
1. The Service Mentality – A mind-set for
serving customers.
2. Five Forbidden Phrases® - Avoid
negatives. Offer positive alternatives.
3. Killer Words of Customer Service – Wellintentioned phrases which can damage
customer relationships.
4. Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service –
Basics of good customer service.
5. Listening Skills – Listening is a critical
component when determining the needs of
your customer.
6. Questioning Techniques - Proper
questioning techniques are a key
component to delivering superior customer
service.
7. From Curt to Courteous – Raises
awareness of the various means of
communication and how we can best
utilize them.
8. How to Handle the Irate Customer – Quick
help for defusing angry customers.
Jump to Main Index
9. Business Friendly™ Customer Service –
Deals with the core values of delivering
exceptional service.
10. Essential Elements of Internal Customer
Service – Helps employees realize we are
customers to each other.
11. Proactive Customer Service – Skills
needed for proactive customer service:
rapport building and cross-selling.
12. Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
– Explores the key essentials to developing
and keeping a positive attitude on your job
and in every aspect of life.
13. That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the
Rudeness Matrix) – The business effect of
being rude.
14. Six Steps to Service Recovery – Specific
actions to take after a disappointment for
a customer.
15. Maintaining Customer Relationships –
Five common scenarios for on-going followup after a sale.
16. Influencing the Interaction – Identifies six
practices which will help service providers
offer a more positive experience for their
customer.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
Target Audience Curriculum Suggestions - continued
42
Face-to-Face Customer Service
Telephone Doctor suggests these courses:
1. The Service Mentality – A mind-set for
serving customers.
2. Five Forbidden Phrases® - Avoid
negatives. Offer positive alternatives.
3. Killer Words of Customer Service – Wellintentioned phrases which can damage
customer relationships.
4. Seven Keys to a Positive Mental Attitude
– Explores the key essentials to developing
and keeping a positive attitude on your job
and in every aspect of life.
5. Six Cardinal Rules of Customer Service –
Basics of good customer service.
6. How to Handle the Irate Customer – Quick
help for defusing angry customers.
7. Business Friendly™ Customer Service –
Deals with the core values of delivering
exceptional service.
8. Listening Skills – Listening is a critical
component when determining the needs of
your customer.
Jump to Main Index
9. Questioning Techniques - Proper
questioning techniques are a key
component to delivering superior customer
service.
10. From Curt to Courteous – Raises
awareness of the various means of
communication and how we can best
utilize them.
11. Proactive Customer Service – Skills
needed for proactive customer service:
rapport building and cross-selling.
12. That’s Just Rude! (Exploring the
Rudeness Matrix) – The business effect of
being rude.
13. Six Steps to Service Recovery – Specific
actions to take after a disappointment for
a customer.
14. Maintaining Customer Relationships –
Five common scenarios for on-going followup after a sale.
15. Influencing the Interaction – Identifies six
practices which will help service providers
offer a more positive experience for their
customers.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
43
Additional Courses
What to Say When℠ Team Building Series
Human Resources expert Hugh Murray shares the tactics and strategies necessary to navigate a variety of
workplace challenges. These powerful just-in-time learning modules will deliver proven skills and
techniques to help maximize team unity and employee relationships. Each module should take between 8
and 12 minutes to complete.
What to Say When. . .
A Co-Worker is Negative (9 minutes)
Why do some people always seem to be so
negative? This module introduces a solid strategy
for removing the reward involved when a team
member insists on being negative.
You Have a Personality Clash With a Co-Worker
(10 minutes)
Not getting along with a team member at work is
unpleasant and can harm productivity. This
module shows important DOs and DON’Ts involved
in sorting out such situations.
Someone Resists Change (9 minutes)
In truth, people don’t resist change, they resist
particular change. Isolating the factors involved
will help overcome such situations.
You See an Opportunity to Do Things Better (11
minutes)
The manner in which you present a new idea can
have more to do with its potential acceptance
than with the validity of the idea itself. Knowing
these three principles is key.
You Need Help With Work (9 minutes)
Everyone needs assistance from time to time.
Knowing precisely how and when to ask for help is
key when making such a request at work.
Jump to Main Index
You Need to Persuade a Colleague (10 minutes)
How do you get a coworker to change the way
they do something when you're not their boss?
Persuasion means getting people to "want" to do
something. Learn the 3 points necessary to
persuade a colleague.
You’re Asked to Host a Meeting (10 minutes)
Running an effective meeting doesn't have to be a
challenge. Don't focus on what you're going to say,
instead, focus on what they're going to say. And,
focus on the one takeaway you want attendees to
leave with.
There’s a New Team Member (12 minutes)
How we act and what we say to a new employee
can make or break the success of the hiring
decision.
A Co-Worker Has an Embarrassing Problem (9
minutes)
Bad breath, annoying sounds, body odor - how can
we effectively co-exist with team members who
have anti-social issues?
You’re New on the Job (9 minutes)
Presents a four point plan to gather information so
you're equipped for any task at your new job.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
44
Additional Courses
What to Say When℠ Conflict Resolution Series
Human Resources expert Hugh Murray shares the tactics and strategies necessary to successfully navigate a
variety of workplace challenges. These powerful just-in-time learning modules will teach proven skills and
techniques to help defuse and resolve workplace conflict situations. Each module should take between 8
and 12 minutes to complete.
What to Say When. . .
You’re Asked to Compromise Your Ethics (9
minutes)
What do you do when a colleague you respect
suddenly displays lower standards than you
expected? Knowing whether to say something,
when to say it and how to say it is the key.
A Team Member is Uncooperative (9 minutes)
What do you say when someone isn’t pulling their
weight? Knowing why a person is behaving this
way is the first step to resolving the problem.
Shows how to use specific examples of
uncooperative behavior to guide the team
member to a constructive discussion.
Someone Disagrees With You (9 minutes)
Disagreement in the workplace isn’t necessarily a
bad thing. It tests our ideas, helps raise our game
and can lead to better outcomes. Getting people
to explain their ideas is the key to resolving
disagreements.
You Need to Break a Commitment (8 minutes)
When a scheduling conflict forces you to break a
previously agreed upon commitment, knowing the
proper techniques will help to minimize the
inconvenience caused to others.
Your Boss Doesn’t Notice Your Contributions (9
minutes)
Techniques for requesting feedback to ensure that
the work you’re doing is properly aligned with the
expectations of your boss and the organization.
Someone Breaks a Commitment (8 minutes)
Explores the strategies for handling a coworker
who’s broken a commitment. While we can’t do
anything about broken commitments in the past,
we can explain the effect it’s had on us.
It’s Someone Else’s Fault (8 minutes)
While it may seem natural to point the finger
when someone else screws up, it doesn’t work.
Focus your attention away from shifting the blame
and get to work on solving the problem.
A Co-Worker is Too Social (9 minutes)
We all work with people who occasionally chat too
much. This module explains how to preserve
relationships with social co-workers and still get
your work done.
Someone Criticizes You (8 minutes)
It’s never pleasant to face criticism at work, but
knowing how to handle such a situation makes all
the difference. An effective three step process
will help defuse the emotion so you can focus on
the facts.
The Boss Keeps Changing Priorities (11 minutes)
A little stress at work is a good thing but when it
gets to be too much the pressure can overwhelm
even the most organized team member.
Jump to Main Index
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
45
Additional Courses
What to Say When℠ Mentoring Series
Human Resources expert Hugh Murray shares the tactics and strategies necessary to successfully navigate a
variety of workplace challenges. These powerful just-in-time learning modules will impart proven skills and
techniques to enhance the ability of anyone in a mentoring, coaching or supervisory role. Each module
should take between 8 and 12 minutes to complete.
What to Say When. . .
Haunted by the Ghost of Your Predecessor (9
minutes)
It can be frustrating when the legacy and
decisions of the person who previously held your
position continue to crop up. Having a strategy in
place to handle such situations is the key to a
smooth transition.
Setting Objectives (10 minutes)
Setting and gaining commitments for work
objectives is fundamental to attaining your
organizational goals. Employing the S.M.A.R.T.
model will ensure your objectives are Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebounded.
There’s Conflict Between Team Members (10
minutes)
So long as people care about what they do, you’re
going to have conflict at work. And that’s not
necessarily a bad thing so long as you’re skilled in
how to work through these challenges without
pointing fingers.
Conducting Interviews and Appraisals (10
minutes)
Many candidates will happily tell you “we did this”
and “we did that,” but you’re truly only
concerned with “what did YOU do?” Learning to
use the “Power of You” will help ensure
candidates exhibit the behaviors you need.
People are Wasting Time Online (8 minutes)
The Web offers incredible opportunities to
enhance productivity at work. Unfortunately, it
also offers the ability to waste large amounts of
time working on personal tasks during office
hours. How do you encourage the former and
limit the latter?
A Team Member is Late (8 minutes)
Ignoring punctuality problems can easily lead to
larger issues for your organization. What’s the
proper method to handle a team member who
isn’t making it to work or meetings on time?
Criticizing a Team Member’s Work (9 minutes)
An essential part of leadership involves letting
team members know when their work is suffering.
Gaining agreement about the performance gap is
the first step to improving performance.
Jump to Main Index
Someone’s Not Doing What You Need (11
minutes)
When you analyze it, there are just four possible
reasons why a team member isn’t doing what you
need. Understanding, isolating and addressing that
cause is the key to getting staff members back on
track.
Technical Support
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Getting Started Guide
46
Additional Courses
What to Say When℠ Mentoring Series, continued
What to Say When. . .
Generations Clash (11 minutes)
The modern workplace features staff members
representing a wide range of ages. And the work
styles of millenials can differ greatly and
sometimes annoy your more established team
members.
Jump to Main Index
You Want to Offer Praise (9 minutes)
Offering praise can be a powerful motivator which
rewards, reinforces and encourages the behavior
we want to see more of. Knowing the rules for
delivering praise will help to improve performance
throughout the workplace.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
47
Additional Courses
Service Matters℠ Roundtable Series
We surveyed hundreds of organizations and asked them to nominate their highest performing service
providers. After months of interviews and evaluations, we assembled a group of six individuals in an open,
casual setting. Letting the cameras roll, we asked these "service superstars" to freely discuss their opinions
on topics such as service-based cultures, satisfying customers and what drives them to be excellent. The
result is this powerful new training series, SERVICE MATTERS: Real People - Real Ideas. Each module
should take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete.
Introduction (11 minutes)
Meeting our six service superstars and learning
where you can find people like them.
Motivation to Excel (11 minutes)
Exploring the motivations that cause these people
to perform at a high level.
What’s In It for You? (11 minutes)
Taking a look at some of the benefits that can be
derived when you strive to go “above and
beyond.”
Advice for New Team Members (10 minutes)
Valuable suggestions for new staff members from
people who are performing the job at a high level.
Taking Ownership (10 minutes)
What “taking ownership” means to our service
superstars and how it affects service levels.
Building Rapport (12 minutes)
The importance of rapport-building to the
customer relationship.
Handling Varied Customer Styles (10 minutes)
Customers, just like everyone else, come in a
variety of personality styles. How do you handle
that?
Is the Customer Always Right? (10 minutes)
The customer is always right – in their own mind.
Discusses how to respond when they really aren’t
right.
Demonstrating You Care (10 minutes)
How (and why) you should demonstrate a caring
attitude toward customers.
Who Would Replace You? (11 minutes)
The characteristics to look for in future service
superstars like you!
Excellent Customer Service: Natural or
Learned? (11 minutes)
Do you have to be “born to serve,” or can the
desire to serve others be taught?
Handling Bad Days (11 minutes)
How and why to keep your performance level high
even on your worst days.
Jump to Main Index
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
48
Additional Courses
ServiceSims℠ Challenge Series
Each module in the ServiceSims℠ Challenge Series presents a call center-related scenario followed by two
alternate paths learners may choose from to determine the best way to resolve the situation presented.
Once they click the path they would choose, they will view a video showing the likely outcome when that
path is followed. There’s no penalty for choosing the wrong path, but learners will need to select the best
possible path in order to advance to the review of key learning points and take the related quiz to complete
the module. Each ServiceSims module will take about 8 to 11 minutes to complete. These modules are
designed to help you take the skills and techniques you’ve learned from Telephone Doctor® Courses so it is
recommended that you attempt these only after completing at least a few courses from the Telephone
Doctor Series.
Raging Bull (10 minutes)
Rude, angry, abusive customers are a challenge to
handle. What’s the best method to defuse the
situation so you’re able to steer it towards a
positive outcome?
The Hangover (10 minutes)
Some late night and weekend callers can be in a
“unique frame of mind.” How do you walk the
tight rope of staying polite while also valuing your
time so you’re able to assist other customers?
Les Miserables (9 minutes)
Occasionally we encounter a chain of complaints
about our policies. What’s the best method to
handle these situations?
Look Who’s Talking (11 minutes)
Sometimes customers love to tell you their life
story. What’s the best strategy for resolving
situations like this without upsetting talkative
customers?
Reality Bites (9 minutes)
Occasionally, callers seem to operate outside of
reality. What’s the best way to handle
challenging situations like these?
Jump to Main Index
Show Me the Money (10 minutes)
Customers occasionally argue for more than your
policy allows. What’s the best course of action
for these thorny requests?
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (10 minutes)
Background noises and distractions can make
delivering excellent service extremely difficult.
What strategies can help solve these problems?
Just the Facts, Ma’am (8 minutes)
Sometimes customers can be extremely emotional
about personal situations. What’s the best way to
handle these issues?
Back to the Future (11 minutes)
Calls from “seasoned” citizens deserve extra care.
How can you demonstrate great service when you
don’t have what they’re calling about?
The Terminator (9 minutes)
Thankfully, threatening callers are rare. If you do
encounter a customer making threats, what
course of action should you take?
Technical Support
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Getting Started Guide
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Additional Courses
ServiceSims℠ Challenge Series, continued
Rules of Attraction (9 minutes)
Sexual harassment is a serious issue. How should
you react if it arises in a customer service setting?
Jump to Main Index
Top Gun (9 minutes)
Your manager just issued a directive to escalate
fewer calls. How do you handle the caller who
immediately demands a supervisor?
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
50
Additional Courses
Newmarket Learning℠ Management & Leadership Series
The Newmarket Learning Leadership Series is a new series of courses designed for the management and
leadership team in your organization. Employing the leadership skills presented in these courses will help
you improve the manner in which you manage and supervise other team members. These courses may be
blocked from those users who don’t need them.
A Question of Evidence (48 minutes)
Explores the benefits of behavior-based interviewing.
A.I.M. for Development (49 minutes)
Helps managers to become effective at learning how to A.I.M. for better development plans for their
employees.
Delivering Feedback (50 minutes)
Managers will learn to use the C.E.D.A.R. model to prepare for and engage in constructive feedback sessions
with employees.
Coaching: The Power of Questions (51 minutes)
Provides managers with a practical approach to using questions to help your team members think through a
problem or task and come up with the right solution on their own.
Gaining Commitment (51 minutes)
Provides new insights into getting team members both emotionally and intellectually engaged in achieving
objectives.
Using Competencies Successfully (49 minutes)
How to make explicit the way your organization wants its people to work. Also shows how to use
competencies in appraisals, in promotion interviews and for self-development.
Jump to Main Index
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
51
Additional Courses
Email Matters℠ The Art of Better Service Series
Email communication is a fundamental component of everyday business life. Email is so ubiquitous that it
can be easy to forget that it has only been with us since the mid-90s. While most team members know how
to send and receive email messages, there are dozens of important nuances which can make the difference
between your customers and coworkers getting mediocre service vs receiving top of the line treatment.
Each module takes about 8 minutes to complete.
Introduction (7 minutes)
An overview of this series and when to yield to
existing organizational policy.
Synchronous vs Asynchronous (8 minutes)
Synchronous vs Asynchronous – details the
differences between these two styles of
communication.
Subject Line (8 minutes)
Tips and reminders to ensure maximum value from
the subject line of your emails.
Address Fields (9 minutes)
The distinctions and uses of the To, CC and BCC
address fields.
Opening and Closing Lines (8 minutes)
This course explains the importance of proper
greeting and closing phrases.
Composing a Message (10 minutes)
The basic components to writing an effective
email message.
Proofreading (8 minutes)
Illustrates the importance of avoiding spelling and
punctuation errors and the challenge of misused
words.
Jump to Main Index
Message Length (8 minutes)
This course presents arguments in favor of brevity
in today’s attention deficit society.
Writing With Conviction (8 minutes)
Details how to avoid using weak and wimpy
wording in your email messages.
Jargon and Shortcuts (8 minutes)
You should avoid being too casual in business
email writing.
Respond Promptly (9 minutes)
Delaying a response can make the sender wonder
if their message was received.
Confidentiality (8 minutes)
Addresses some of the confidentiality pitfalls of
email communication.
Handling Irate Customers (9 minutes)
How to properly handle and defuse upset and irate
customers.
Replying to All (8 minutes)
Explores the pitfalls of unnecessary “reply to all”
responses.
Humor in Email (9 minutes)
The benefits of safe, gentle humor in building
business relationships.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
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Additional Courses
Email Matters℠ The Art of Better Service Series, continued
Tools for Emphasis (9 minutes)
Explores methods to deliver a particular “tone”
through the written word.
Authoring Emails When Angry (8 minutes)
Discusses the lasting effects of authoring or
replying to email when you are angry.
Jump to Main Index
Internal Customer Service (8 minutes)
Why distinguish between internal and external
customers? Introduces the concept of “WACTEO”
(We Are Customers to Each Other).
Inappropriate Topics (8 minutes)
Reminders about sensitive topics, off-color
messages and dangerous forwards.
Technical Support
support@serviceskills.com
Getting Started Guide
53
Additional Courses
Houndville℠ Animated Workplace HR Series
Meet the inhabitants of Houndville – animated canines who navigate various workplace dilemmas so you
won’t have to. Colorful and humorous, these business animations each take about 5 to 10 minutes to
complete and will immediately raise awareness about challenging workplace topics.
Email Communication: Barking Up the Wrong
Tree (7 minutes)
Joe sends his pal a scalding email about their
boss. . .only to wish he had double-checked who
the message was actually going to.
Reducing Careless Errors: Dog Gone It! (9 minutes)
Joe is excited when he’s put in charge of
developing the company’s new marketing
brochure. Unfortunately, he rushes the project
along and neglects to proofread it before it’s
printed. Whoops!
Customer Diversity: All Dogs Are Created Equal
(7 minutes)
Joe displays a lapse in judgment by assuming the
low potential of a prospective customer based
solely on the customer’s poor use of English in an
email message.
Valuing Learning Opportunities: Obedience
Training (9 minutes)
When Joe is asked to attend a training session, he
confuses it with the chance to get some rest and
relaxation. . .only to later learn he should have
been paying attention!
Diversity in the Workplace: Dogversity (8
Ethics in the Workplace: Canine Conduct (9
minutes)
Was it all just a dream? Joe comes to realize that
some of the ethical shortcuts he’s been taking
around the office could come back to haunt him.
It’s time to raise his level of integrity.
Sexual Harassment: Keep Your Paws to Yourself
(9 minutes)
After taking part in a pilot sexual harassment
training course, Karen visits another part of her
building only to discover that other people in the
organization are badly in need of the same
enlightenment on sexual harassment.
minutes)
Diversity finally comes to Houndville! A new team
member who doesn’t look or act like the rest has
the staff at Lincoln Funds up in arms. A gentle
way to drive home an important message that
differences make us stronger.
Avoiding Touchy Topics: Political Animal (8
minutes)
When Joe decides to make his political views
knows, it ends up costing his company a valued
client. This episode illustrates why it’s never
good to discuss religion, politics or social issues in
the workplace.
Jump to Main Index
Office Cell Phone Use: Muzzle That Cell Phone (9
minutes)
Joe’s brand new phone is suddenly missing. In
backtracking his previous day’s use, Joe recounts
several mishaps and inappropriate cell phone
usage. Will he learn his lesson?
Safety in the Office: Safety Patrol (9 minutes)
A recent string of office mishaps, accidents and
injuries has the team at Lincoln meeting about
ways to reduce workplace injuries. It’s decided
that much greater awareness and more common
sense are the prescription.
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Getting Started Guide
54
Additional Courses
Supplemental (Legacy) Telephone Doctor® Courses
These legacy Telephone Doctor titles have been dropped from our current library, but are available by
request to organizations needing these subjects.
Four Cs of Coaching Skills (31 minutes)
A practical approach to improving employee performance. Designed for new supervisors & managers.
How to Treat Every Caller as a Welcome Guest (15 minutes)
Create a great first impression while handling a high volume of calls. Designed for receptionist training.
What’s Wrong With This Picture? (22 minutes)
Puts the learner in charge of identifying various customer service blunders and gives them an opportunity to
suggest appropriate solutions. Telephone and face-to-face situations.
How to Deal With the Foreign Accent (27 minutes)
Awareness makes communication easier with customers who speak a different language.
Jump to Main Index
Technical Support
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Getting Started Guide
55
Alternate Courses
Service Scenarios℠ Challenge Series (Legacy)
Each module in the Service Scenarios Series presents a service-related vignette and will take only about 5 to
10 minutes to complete. These modules are designed to help you take the skills and techniques you’ve
learned from Telephone Doctor® Courses and think about how to apply them in challenging real-world
situations. Analyzing these unique cases will help you to improve the way you communicate with your
customers and coworkers. This series of courses has been replaced in our current library by the
ServiceSims℠ Challenge Series.
Staying On Track (6 minutes)
How do you remain firmly (yet politely) in control
of the call?
It’s Not Personal (5 minutes)
Remembering that an irate customer is not angry
with you personally.
Know Your Limits (6 minutes)
How far can you go in order to satisfy your
customer?
Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You (6 minutes)
When is it appropriate to relate negative
information regarding your company?
Harassment From Customers (6 minutes)
When does the customer interaction cross a line
into the realm of harassment?
What’s That Noise? (5 minutes)
What do you do when you can’t understand what a
customer is asking because of a high level of noise
or confusion on their end of the call?
To Escalate or Not to Escalate, Part 1 (5 minutes)
How do you handle a customer who demands an
immediate transfer to your supervisor?
To Escalate or Not to Escalate, Part 2 (5 minutes)
When is it best to take ownership of the
customer’s problem rather than escalate too
quickly to a supervisor?
Jump to Main Index
Negative PR (5 minutes)
Upset customers can sometimes be a public
relations disaster, given all the social networking
options that are now available.
Unreasonable and Irrational Customers (5
minutes)
The customer service business is difficult enough
when you are dealing with facts, but what do you
do when an upset customer has his or her own
version of reality?
Condescending Callers (5 minutes)
How do you handle it when a customer decides it
would be fun to talk down to you or belittle you
personally?
Cell Phone Difficulties (5 minutes)
Wireless technology has come a long ways and is
almost ubiquitous now. However, there are still
sometimes “dead cells” or “dropped calls” to deal
with.
Under the Influence (5 minutes)
What’s the best way to handle a caller who is
impaired or “under the influence?”
Caller Threats (5 minutes)
Who should you alert or what action should you
take when a caller threatens you or your
company.
Technical Support
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Getting Started Guide
56
Learning Paths
Our clients have often asked us for a year-long training plan that will provide an easy way to work through
the core communications skills curriculum in a year’s time. We took that request seriously and even
expanded upon it. Thus, “Learning Paths” were born.
“Learning Paths” are available for five different levels, though the three “core” paths have been built into
our course assignment system to make them even easier to use. Please look in the “Admin Resources”
section for a document with a complete description of all the “Learning Paths.”
The three “core” paths are
the Bronze, Silver and Gold
Learning Paths. These three
paths will take your learners
through the communications
skills courses and represent
the knowledge your
employees will need to
reflect excellence in
customer service.
The Bronze level is
comprised of all the courses
in the Telephone Doctor®
series, arranged in the order
found on page 36 of this
guide (the suggested
Customer Service
curriculum). When you select the bronze learning path in course assignments, all the Telephone Doctor
courses will be assigned and given deadline dates over a four-month period.
The Silver level is comprised of 12 Service Matters℠ modules and 12 What to Say When℠ modules and will
again be assigned with deadline dates over a four-month period. The Bronze level courses will need to be
completed before the Silver level can be achieved.
The Gold level is comprised of 9 more What to Say When℠ modules and 12 ServiceSims℠ modules. This level
again is assigned with deadline dates over a four-month period. Both the Bronze and Silver levels will need
to be completed before the Gold level can be achieved.
A special certificate of achievement is available to your learners as they complete each of these three
paths. These can be accessed by learners through their “My Profile” link.
For more information on Learning Paths or any other curriculum-related questions, please contact Margie
Schmitz (margie@serviceskills.com).
Jump to Main Index
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