COMMUNICATE

EFFECTIVELY IN A CALL
CENTRE

Presenter: Mrs. J. Headley, B.Sc.

 COMMUNICATION

• The process by which information is

transmitted and understood between two
or more persons.
 4 MAIN FUNCTIONS OF
COMMUNICATION
• Informative – permits sharing & exchange of
information & increases knowledge
• Social – allows you to make contact with others
& develop relationships & sense of harmony
• Expressive – allows you to clearly express
yourself and create a level of identity
• Inspirational- leads to problem solving and
allows for changing conditions for individuals
COMMUNICATION PROCESS

MESSAGE

SENDER MEDIUM

FEEDBACK RECEIVER

NOISE
 COMMUNICATION INVOLVES
• Sender – person who has the message to send
• Message – the information that is to be sent
• Medium/channel – the method by which the
information will be sent
• Receiver - the person(s) for whom the message is
intended
• Feedback – the response that is given by the receiver
• Noise – any obstacle that interrupts the free flow of
information
 VERBAL COMMUNICATION

• Verbal communication – this is probably the

most effective way of expressing yourself. It
involves the skills of listening and speaking,
both of which are essential if the message is
to be conveyed and received successfully. The
examples of verbal communication are:
person to person, by telephone, radio, voice
mail.
 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

• Written communication – this involves writing

and the sender has to take time to collect the
information, make a draft and revise it before
it can be sent. The receiver is able to read it
through carefully and can refer to it
repeatedly for clarity. The examples of written
communication are: memos, letters, e-mail
 VISUAL COMMUNICATION

• Visual communication – this type of

communication includes graphics, charts and
graphs. In some instances a combination of
the other forms of communication are used,
for example the use of the television.
 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

• Non-verbal communication – this is

sometimes referred to as body language
and helps to express what you are saying.
Non-verbal communication takes in: eye
contact, gestures and posture. Non-verbal
communication gives added emphasis to
the points you want to stress.
 ORAL COMMUNICATION
• Oral communication may include but is not
limited to:
• Answering telephone calls
• Taking requests from colleagues
• Use of voice mail
• Informal discussions
• Answering enquiries from clients
 COMM. METHODS IN BUSINESS
• Network systems
• Telephones
• Keyboard equipment e.g mouse, touch pad,
and keyboard
• Pens, pencils
• IT components including hardware, software
& communication packages
• Facsimile machines
 LISTENING

• Is the psychological process of attaching

meaning to and remembering what one
hears.
• Listening is required to gain an
understanding of what is being said.
Conversations, meetings, use of the
answering machine, use of voice mail will
all be meaningless if you fail to listen.
 LISTENING

• Listening skills not only involve a mental

process but it takes in the physical aspects
of hearing as well. When we are listening,
our mind processes the information we
hear though evaluating and storing the
information for it to be used in the future.
 LISTENING

When you listen effectively you will be able to:

• Follow through on oral instructions correctly
• Use time productively
• Store information as you continue to work and
make decisions
 4 LISTENING ACTIVITIES
• Selecting – to select a sound is to focus on
one sound as you sort through the various
sounds competing for your attention. Even
now as you are reading, there are
undoubtedly countless noises within your
earshot.
• Attending – after selecting a sound, you
then focus on it. You may attend to the
sound for a moment and then move on or
return to other thoughts or other sounds.
 4 LISTENING ACTIVITIES
• Understanding – this is the process of
assigning meaning to the sounds you
select and to which you attend. We know
that people understand best if they can
relate what they are hearing to something
they already know.

• Remembering – is to recall information.

 CAUSES OF INEFFECTIVE
LISTENING
• Focusing on a personal agenda
• Emotional noise
• Criticizing the speaker
• Information overload
• External noise
 HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR
LISTENING SKILLS
• Listen with the intention to learn from the
speaker
• Respect the different unique backgrounds
of others
• Focus your attention
• Mentally summarize and review
information
• Take notes and ask questions
 SPEAKING

• Speaking: the act of using vocal sounds

to communicate with each other.

• To communicate your thoughts effectively,

you must show your listeners that you are
interested in what you are saying.
 WHEN SPEAKING…

• Express your ideas clearly

• Speak clearly in an appropriate tone
• Use standard language
• Consider your audience be aware of your
non verbal communication
• Be interested in the listener’s responses
 COMMON FORMS OF
INFORMATION

• Numbers – amounts, quantities, weights,

tables, listing
• Text – words organized to convey meaning
• Image – charts, graphs
• Voice – messages conveyed in person or
by telephone
 DEFINITIONS

INTERNET INTRANET

Internet: a public, Communications

worldwide computer network within an
network made up of organization that is used
smaller interconnected by its employees or
networks. members.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
WRITING
• Clarity - a clear message is logically
arranged when the information is in an
order that is natural for the reader to
follow. To prepare a clear message you
must know why you want to
communicate, what you want to
communicate and who your reader will
be.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
WRITING
• Concise - a concise message states
what you want to communicate in
the fewest and most direct words
possible.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
WRITING
• Courteous – written communications are
courteous when they conform to the expected
polite, considerate behaviour of the business.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
WRITING
• Complete – a complete message provides all
the information that is needed.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
WRITING
• Correct – a correct message is accurate and up
to date.
 EFFECTIVE WRITING

Effective writing reveals good command of the

English Language. The following guidelines are
important:
• Check sentences for structure and
completeness
• Use proper grammar
• Follow the rules of punctuation and
capitalization
• Spell words correctly
 ROUGH DRAFT
The rough draft is to record your ideas. Do not try to
make each sentence perfect; you will refine your
document during the editing and proofreading stages.
• To help focus your writing as you develop your
document, the following are pertinent questions to
ask:
• What is the purpose of the writing?
• What is your message?
• Who and where is the audience?
• What response do you want from the reader?
 GOOD CORRESPONDENCE -
HINTS
• Plan what you are going to write by jotting down points and
arranging them in a logical order
• Always ensure that your writing is clear and easily
understood
• Always ensure you use the correct style and appropriate
tone of writing suited for the situation
• Always use a format that is accepted by your organization
• Ensure your grammar, spelling and punctuation are correct
• Never use language that is provocative or too emotional
 TYPES OF CORRESPONDENCE

• Memoranda
• Messages
• Pro-formas
• E-mails
• Standard/form letters
 REVISE

• This is the process of going through a

document so that errors and omissions can be
identified for it to be edited
 EDIT

This is the process of making changes to a

document.

To make editing changes that can be understood

easily by others, you should use what is called
proofreaders marks when editing on printed
copy.
 PROOF-READING

• This is checking a document carefully for

errors or omissions.

• This is the final stage of preparing a

document, it is the overall check of the
document. During this process, you verify that
the changes you marked in the editing stage
have been made correctly.
 WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE

• Handwritten and printed materials

• Electronic mail
• Internal memos
• Briefing notes
• Facsimiles
• General correspondence
• Telephone messages
 BUSINESS LETTERS -
CHARACTERISTICS
A letter makes a good impression if it has the
following characteristics:
• The margins, indentations and spacing are
effective
• Each letter part is correctly placed within the
letter
• Appropriate stationery is used
• There are no obvious errors
• The print is neat and clear
• There are no smudges
 PARTS OF THE LETTER
STANDARD LETTER PARTS OPTIONAL LETTER PARTS
Printed letterhead Mailing Notations
Date Attention Line
Inside Address Subject Line
Salutation Enclosure Notation
Body Copy Notation
Complimentary Close Postscript
Signature, printed name, Title Reference Initials
 ELECTRONIC MAIL
• The electronic transfer of messages.
• E-mail addresses begin with a user
identification (id), which is a unique identifier.
The user identification is followed by the @
symbol which serves merely as a separator
and the domain name.
• Example: dsmith@yahoo.com
 4 ELEMENTS OF AN E-MAIL
• The message itself
• The address of the person to whom you are
sending the letter
• Your return address
• A short description of the contents of your
letter
 MEMORANDUM
An internal correspondence that is used to
transfer information from one person to
another or department.
• used to communicate identical info to several
people
• used to give instructions, explain or clarify
policy or procedures or make announcements
 ELEMENTS OF A MEMO

• Addresses
• date
• file reference
• use the first name and the last name of the
individual
• use the job title of the individual if it is
company policy
 SAMPLE MEMO
HEART COLLEGE OF
INNOVATION &
TECHNOLOGY

Memo
To: All Lecturers

From: Mrs. S. Maragh, Managing Director

cc: Mr. K. Minto, Program Coordinator

Date: February 9, 2016

Re: Dress Code for students

Please be advised, that effective immediately, all students who turn up for classes and are not
attired in the prescribed uniform will be sent home.

Please affix your signature to acknowledge receipt of this correspondence>

Mrs. J Kerr _______________________ Mr. L. Lindo __________________________

Mr. v. Stennett ____________________ Mr. D. Brown _________________________

 TELEPHONE MESSAGE

When taking telephone messages one should:

• Verify names and telephone numbers by
reading back the information to the caller.
• Take time out to repeat the message and
verify spelling and numbers.
• Write the message carefully, write legibly so
you do not waste time rewriting it or the
reader failing to read and understand it.
 ELEMENTS OF A MESSAGE
A message should have the following information:
• Date and time of the call
• Name of the caller with the caller’s company
• Caller’s telephone number
• Details of the message
• Your initials or name
 FACSIMILE

• Often called fax, these are easy to use,

convenient, relatively inexpensive fast way to
transmit and receive information.
• They are essentially copying machines in
which items to be copied and the printing
device may be connected via a telephone line.
 GUIDELINES FOR FAX
TRANSMISSIONS
• Prepare a fax cover sheet or note with the following
information: current date, total pages being sent
including the cover page; name, company name and
address of the recipient of the message; fax number of
the recipient; your name, company name, address,
telephone number and fax number; subject of the
document or message and any special instructions.

• Enter your name, department, date and number of

pages transmitted on a fax log sheet if one is provided
 SECURITY AND
CONFIDENTIALITY
Paper-based documents:
• Files: these are records that are stored in a
folder within an organized system
• All filing cabinets that contain confidential
documents should be locked whenever the
office is left unoccupied and at the end of
each day before the staff go home.
 SECURITY AND
CONFIDENTIALITY
• Electronic files: these are data that have been
stored electronically in order to secure data.
• The internal storage for most systems is a hard
disk. The hard disk is used to store
programmes that run the system and data
files as they are being created and processed.
 GUIDELINES FOR
STORING E-FILES
• Create folders to group-related files
• Give each file a unique name
• Use abbreviations that are commonly
recognized
• Use a security measure such as access logs
and passwords, which allow only authorized
personnel to access certain files. Encryption
may also be used to secure files.
 CORRESPONDENCE/FILES

• Correspondence: Is a written form of

communication that is used to transfer
information from one source to another.

• Files: these are records that are stored in a

folder within an organised system