Module 2 Project Gap Analysis Strategy

for Team 3: Coast to Coast

7/5/2016
Objectives:

Develop survey and interview questions to obtain critical information from management, operators,
human resources and SMEs.
Compile information received from surveys and interviews.
Analyze data obtained from surveys, interviews and observations to determine a design plan.
Determine a plan that aligns with organization's goals and objectives.

Current Situation:
Currently, the telephone operators and director of sales support, Human Resources and SMEs contain the
knowledge we need to get a better picture of what the current situation is at PJ Enterprises. The team
recommends gathering information through surveys from management and operators, interviews from
management, human resources and SME and observations of environments and office culture to determine
the next step in the planning process.
Outcomes:
The team will compile and analyze the data received from interviews, surveys and observations to determine
the next step in the planning or design process. In the analysis process, the team will devise methods to
ensure that the objectives are met to meet the needs of the client and enhance the companys mission.

Project Description [EK, KT, CB, BT, MS]issues.

PJ Enterprises is requesting the design, development and delivery of a learning program for their telephone
operators. The training that has been requested is projected to be delivered before the catalogs are mailed and
targeted to address customer service supervisors, and telephone operators on catalog items.

PJ Enterprises is reporting a high turnover rate of the telephone operators and a poor customer service
reporting. As a result, PJ Enterprises is seeking consultation to improve customer service results. Coast to
Coast needs to analyze training strategies, onboarding and orientation, technology needs, management and
employee communication, office culture, and expectation and workflows.

Coast to Coast will create a project to assist PJ Enterprises in promoting better customer service
results.

Information Needed [CDB, MS]

Analysis
Category
Learner
Demographic
s

Key Questions

Environment /
Morale

Leadership/
Management

Objective

Age range of operators?

Educational background?
What is the most common employment
experience background?
Operators roles and responsibilities?
Current work schedule?

Develop Survey and interview questions

to target core issues within organization

How would you describe the current

work environment?
What are the current reward structures?
What is the turnover rate?
What is the environment like (e.g.,
lighting/ heating)?
Why are employees dissatisfied with
their jobs?
Are there advancement opportunities?
Can we observe the operators and
shadow calls/listen to recordings?

Determine office culture and environment

and supports needed to ensure
employees feel valued and appreciated

Roll out date of the catalog?

Previous customer service experience?
How is leadership managing the
workflow?
Have employees been trained on phone
etiquette? Other trainings?
Is there a standard greeting?
What is the most common issue with
customers?
How are the customer issues
addressed?
How are customer issues addressed
with operators?
How many calls are the operators
required to take each hour/day? How
long should an average call take?
Is there access to an employs
knowledge base/process documentation
data base?
Are there call scripts and role strategies
used?
What is an example of a call that goes
well?
What is an example of a call that does
not go well and what should be done
afterwards?

Crate workflow and timeline progression

for employee production

Provide analysis of data

Create employee/ management and

communication strategies

Assess development of employees to

increase employee retention

Determine management structure,

training and employee feedback
strategies
Management expectations of employees
performance
Assess needs and gaps in training,
documentation, training manuals and
performance from a management
perspective

Training and
Onboarding

What is the current onboarding process

like?
Is the current training effective? Why or
why not?
How experienced are the current
trainers? What are the guidelines to be a
trainer?
Is there any training feedback?
operators
How knowledgeable are the operators
with answering product questions?

Assess current training and onboard

strategies
Determine training needs
Assess how training can be improved

Team Strategy [EK, KT, BT, CB, MS]

Currently, the company is experiencing high turnover, low customer service ratings, and problems with
workflow processes. As a result the following strategies will be utilized to help determine how to solve the core
problems within the company and address additional problems to improve overall performance:

Surveys
Operators
Leadership
Interviews
Operators
s
Leadership
Survey Analysis Review ts
Analyze data
Performance solution
Observe operations
Operator ergonomics
Physical environment
Office culture
Access of process documentation/training

Analysis Plan [KT, CB, MS]

Research
Method
Obs Observation
e1.

Target
Audience

Information
You Hope to
Gain

Team Member
Responsible

Telephone
Operators

Efficiency, what Kelly Thorell

does the
process look
like, what is the
office culture
like, what does
the physical
environment
look like.

2.

Interviews

Leadership
(Supervisors,
human
resources,
SMEs)

Getting insight Kelly Thorell

into how the
leadership
handles and
feels about job
performance,
human
resources to
get a better
idea of job
descriptions
and goals and
SME s to get a
better picture
of training.

3.

Surveys

Leadership and
Telephone
Operators

Gain insight
Chris Bland
into training,
technology and
equipment,
Environment
and Morale
and
management

4.

Survey
Analysis
Review

Leadership and
operators

Analyze data
and gain
insight into
performance
solution form
results.

Activity 1# - Observation- KT

Melissa Smiley

Details of Activity/Method
Observe telephone operators across three days observing at least two different shift times to gain information
about the work environment, culture and telephone etiquette.
In addition, the observer will either sit in on or listen to recorded calls to get a better picture of how telephone
etiquette is being handled and what improvements can be made.

The observer will document the following items:

Physical environment- distractions, equipment, technology, work set up, temp and lighting.
Telephone operator skills- typing, entering data, wait time/ response time, using the computer,
communication with customers, product knowledge, how they answer customer questions, transferring
calls and billing process.
Office Culture- dynamics between supervisors and operators, dynamics between operators, breaks and
staff distractions

Activity 2 # - Interviews - KT
Details of Activity/Method
The team will interview leadership, which includes Supervisors, Human Resource and SMEs Judie and
Sheena. The team will interview the leadership to get a better picture of how they feel about job performance
and possible improvements they would make. They will also interview human resources to learn about the
hiring process, staff evaluations and performance. In addition, the SMEs will be interviewed to get more
information about their current training process, what they think is working and what they would like to improve.

Questions to Ask
Human Resources

Can you provide us with job descriptions for Supervisors and Telephone Operators?
What previous experience do you require from telephone operators coming in?
What does an ideal supervisor and operator look like to you?
How do you measure the performance of supervisors and operators?
How would you describe the office culture?
What is your current evaluation process look like?
What are the employee incentives to perform better?
What are some of the advancement opportunities for employees?
What are your key performance indicators for employees?
How is feedback to staff handled and documented?
Can you share some of the new policies and procedures that have recently been put into place?

Subject Matter Experts Judie and Sheena

What are your current thoughts about the training process?

What were your goals and objectives?
Were you familiar with the trainees and what experience they had coming into the training?
How did you evaluate/assess the training?
What are some of the biggest strengths of the training?
What are some improvements you would like to make about the training?

Can you share some of the training information you have handed out and presented?
How did the employees respond to the training?

Activity 3# - Survey CB
Details of Activity/Method
The team will conduct a survey to leadership and operators. The survey will be confidential and address
training, technology and equipment, environment, morale and management.

Questions to Ask
xx
PJ Enterprises Manager Discovery Survey
1. Training
Strongly Agree
(1)
I am confident
that PJ
Enterprises'
training program
properly prepares
our operators to
take calls. (1)
I participate in
post-training
feedback with
operators
frequently within
the first 90 days
of employment.
(2)
I conduct reviews
periodically about
operator
performance and
make employees
aware of
improvement
opportunities. (3)
All supervisors
help operators
overcome my
challenges. (4)

Somewhat Agree
(2) (2)

Somewhat
Disagree
(3)disagree (3)

Strongly
Disagree
(4) (4)

Operators are
more confident
as they gain
more experience
taking calls and
receiving
feedback. (5)
Mentoring is an
effective way for
employees to
gain skills from
more
experienced
employees.. (6)

2. Technology and Equipment

Strongly Agree
(1)
The current
technology is
adequate for
operators to do
their job. (1)
Computers and
laptops are
updated and
upgraded
regularly. (2)
Operator
workspace and
equipment is
ergonomically
comfortable. (3)
The operators'
workspace has
all of the
equipment they
need to do their
job effectively
(i.e. dual screens,
keyboard,
telephone,
headset, a
mouse, and a
comfortable
chair). (4)
Current call
software is up to
date and has all
of the features
that an operator
would need to do
their work. (5)

Somewhat Agree
(2) (2)

Somewhat
Disagree
(3)disagree (3)

Strongly
Disagree
(4) (4)

3. Environment and Morale

Strongly Agree
(1)
PJ Enterprises'
work environment
influences
employee
production and
positive output. (1)
Employees aren't
recognized
enough for their
accomplishments.
(2)
When morale
level is low, job
performance is
also low. (3)
Employees are
leaving PJ
because they
don't feel
management
supports them. (4)

Somewhat Agree
(2) (2)

Somewhat
Disagree
(3)disagree (3)

Strongly
Disagree
(4) (4)

4. Opinions of Management
Strongly Agree
(1)
As a manager/
supervisor I have
confidently prepared
my operators to do
their jobs effectively.
(1)
I am actively
interested in my
employees'
personal and
professional growth.
(2)
The call goals and
work expectations
are fair and match
up with the business
expectations. (3)
Low call ratings are
indicators of poor
performance and
employees should
be reprimanded
instead of trained.
(4)
I believe the
operators trust me
as a leader and
supervisor. (5)

PJ Enterprises Employee Discovery Survey

Somewhat Agree
(2) (2)

Somewhat
Disagree
(3)disagree (3)

Strongly
Disagree
(4) (4)

1. Training
Strongly Agree
(1)
My training
prepared me to
do my job
effectively (1)
I receive
performance
feedback often.
(2)
I receive reviews
periodically about
my performance
and am aware of
improvement
opportunities. (3)
My supervisors
help me
overcome my
challenges. (4)
Post-training
follow up makes
me more
confident. (5)
I have a mentor
to talk with about
my job
performance. (6)

Somewhat Agree
(2) (2)

Somewhat
Disagree
(3)disagree (3)

Strongly
Disagree
(4) (4)

2. Technology and Equipment

Strongly Agree
(1)
The current
technology is
adequate for me
to do my job. (1)
My laptop or
computer is
modern. (2)
My workspace is
ergonomically
comfortable. (3)
My workspace
has all of the
equipment I need
to do my job
effectively (i.e.
dual screens,
keyboard,
telephone,
headset, a
mouse, and a
comfortable
chair.) (4)
The technology
equipment
available needs
to be upgraded to
more modern
options. (5)

Somewhat Agree
(2) (2)

Somewhat
Disagree
(3)disagree (3)

Strongly
Disagree
(4) (4)

3. Environment and Morale

Strongly Agree
(1)
PJ Enterprises'
work environment
influences
employee
production and
positive output. (1)
Employees aren't
recognized
enough for their
accomplishments.
(2)
When morale
level is low job
performance is
also low. (3)
Employees are
leaving PJ
because they
don't feel
management
supports them. (4)

Somewhat Agree
(2) (2)

Somewhat
Disagree
(3)disagree (3)

Strongly
Disagree
(4) (4)

4. Opinions of Management
Strongly Agree
(1)

Somewhat Agree
(2) (2)

Somewhat
Disagree
(3)disagree (3)

Strongly
Disagree
(4) (4)

Management has
supplied me with
all of the tools I
need to do my
job effectively. (1)
Management is
interested in my
success as an
Operator and
supports my
professional and
personal goals.
(2)
Management's
expectations of
my call goals are
too high. (3)
Management
reviews all low
call ratings so I
can learn from
them and make
improvements.
(4)
My overall
perception of
management is
favorable. (5)

Activity #4 - Survey Analysis MS

Details of Activity/Method
Review data from survey that was conducted with leadership and operators.

Questions to Ask

Review content from surveys given to leadership and operators

Review process form collecting data
Review the quantitative results from the survey
Review qualitative results from the survey
Look for patterns and trends in the data that will help develop a performance solution.

Roadblocks & Dependencies [EK, BT, CB, MS, KT]

Roadblocks / Dependencies

Mitigation Strategies

Obtaining accurate information

from telephone operators.

Obtain data from multiple

sources and check for
reliability. c.

Observations - making sure the

employees are not acting any
different while you are there
observing.

Talking to all employees and

making sure they go about their
normal day and try not to
distract them.

Scheduling time for surveys to

be completed.

Blocking out time for operators

and managers to be able to
complete surveys during the
work day.

Determining which individuals

will be interviewed and
coordinating the interviews with
workflow needs and schedules.

Collaborating with
management to determine
interview structure and
appropriate times for face-toface interviews.

Collaboration with schedules

and employees in more than
one location

Utilizing Skype and electronic

surveys to address logistical
issues

Performance Analysis Report

for Team 3: Coast to Coast

7/13/2016

Introduction and Background [EK]

This report is submitted to the owners of PJ Enterprises as a report of findings and recommendations on the
performance issue analyzed by Coast to Coast:

PJ Enterprises is reporting a high turnover rate of the telephone operators and a poor customer service
reporting. As a result, PJ Enterprises is seeking consultation to improve customer service results. Coast to
Coast needs to analyze training strategies, onboarding and orientation, technology needs, management and
employee communication, office culture, and expectation and workflow analysis.

Senior management of PJ Enterprises, in light of new company policies, projecting an increase in sales from
the new catalog and customer complaints of telephone operators, are seeking support to resolve the core
issues posed by PJ Enterprises with the poor customer service surveys and decreased profits from lack of sale
completion by the customer service operators. PJ Enterprises is requesting a design, development, and
delivery of a learning program for their telephone operators (TO). The training that has been requested is
projected to be delivered before the catalogs are mailed and targeted to address customer service supervisors
and telephone operators on catalog items.

As a result of the problems described above,

Coast to Coast will create a project to assist PJ Enterprises in promoting better customer service
results.

Purpose of the Report [EK]

The purpose of the performance analysis at PJ Enterprises is to provide the PJ Enterprise management team
with the results of our analysis; including the causes of the performance issues and possible solutions to the
increased customer complaints, lack of product knowledge by the TOs, and the increased amount of calls
escalated to supervisors.

Analysis Methods [MS]

Surveys of TOs, management, HR

Provided surveys to TOs, regardless of length of employment, to determine information about
training needs, morale, customer service background, experience, education, environment, and
feedback/incentives
Provided surveys to management to obtain information about management perspectives of
employees and TOs, feedback and recognition programs, training, professional development,
and awareness of technology needs
Provided surveys to HR staff to obtain information about current training methods, onboarding
and orientation procedures, long-term training opportunities, employee mentoring, and reward
and recognition program.
Interviews of TOs, management, HR
Met with focus group of TOs to discuss specific questions related to customer service surveys,
gauge office culture, and find out the needs of the TOs to perform at a higher level in their
positions
Met with representatives from different levels of management from customer service
supervisors, middle management, and upper level management personnel to gain information
regarding leadership structure, communication to employees, feedback processes, and
workflow creation.
Observation of training, TO workflows, and company processes
Observed TOs and timed tasks and workflows to see which employees were meeting the 10minute quota.
Observed TOs telephone etiquette, and the amount of times a phone call was escalated or
ended abruptly

Observed TOs how they handled difficult and challenging situations, if they referred to a manual
or a script for assistance.
Data analysis of customer surveys
Analyze the data provided by customer service surveys to determine what the customers main
complaint is about
Analyze the customer service survey data to gain insight into the nature of the calls and relate to
the training and or experience of the TOs handling the calls

Overall Telephone Operator (TO) Calls: [MS BT]

Characteristics of Calls Meeting

Quota: [MS] [BT]
The calls that lasted 10 minutes or less were more likely to
include a PJ Enterprise welcome in the greeting, a warm
transfer, if needed, and the call closed with a warm thank
you.

Customer Complaint Break Down:

[MS] [BT]
The top three complaints involved lack of phone etiquette,
followed by lack of product knowledge, and spending too
much time in the queue. Nearly half of the customer
complaints focused on a lack of phone.

Reasons Calls went Past 10 Minutes:

[MS] [BT]
Of the calls that went past the 10-minute quota, a majority
were ended curtly by the customer. Roughly 1/4 of the TOs
became frustrated, and resulted in an escalated call to a
supervisor; while another 1/4 show that the customer
became frustrated first, and requesting an escalated call to
a supervisor. Findings,

Needs, and
Recommended Solutions [CDB, KT]
The following table is a collection of findings from interviews, surveys, and other documentation that gives
Coast to Coast the current state of whats going on in the areas of technology, human resources, management,
and the telephone operators. The findings help us identify what needs exist at PJ and then weve listed the
recommended solution for those needs.

Finding

Need

Recommended Solution

Staff
Incentive programs for error-free
work are limited to just discounts
on orders for one week.
Employees dont see others
being acknowledged for their
contributions.

TOs need/want performance

incentives that promote
investment in TO performance
enhancement.

Implement a performance reward

program acknowledging top
performers and offers friendly
competition. Rewards can be
cash, discounts, gift cards, etc.

Product guides are not as helpful

as one would believe and they
are barely complemented by the
order entry system.

One system that covers

descriptions and also can assist
with orders is needed to increase
productivity and call speed.

A new easy access product

information guide designed to
help increase TO call volume,
sales, customer satisfaction, and
overall productivity.

TOs do not feel prepared to

handle workload after initial
training.

Training needs to be revamped.

Current training must be

evaluated and options must be
explored for improving it and
accommodating learner needs.

TOs would feel more successful if

equipment was ergonomically
efficient and up-to-date.

Equipment upgrade plans needs

to be assessed.

IT, management, and HR will need

to address these issues as
mentioned throughout this
document.

Management
Monthly meetings are being held
with employees and hosted by
supervisors and management,
which are unpaid, optional, and
promote low morale.

Employee meetings must be

mandatory, paid, and promote
employee morale to support
training provided by Coast to
Coast.

Cover training highlights and

updates, make them mandatory,
incentives to attend by providing
paid meetings and employee
recognition during meetings.

Supervisors prefer to handle

service complaints instead of
TOs.

TOs need to be able to handle

conflict resolution issues as they
arise before they are escalated to
supervisors

TO training should incorporate

how to handle customer service
issues on the phone. These can
be done through role plays, demo
videos, or e-Learnings.

Peak Season ordering is slow.

Faster ordering with shorter wait

times, higher order completion,
and efficient customer service
during peak ordering times.

TO training to include training

with the product quick guide, role
playing, and practice on taking
orders start to finish.

Product reference guides exist in

paper format only. Managers feel
that this is good enough.

Product reference guides need to

be available in digital format and
be searchable.

Get an online version of this

guide set up to speed up the
search process and increase call
volume.

Human Resources
Staff doesnt see anyone as a
leader or champion and would like
management to take the lead on
this.

Formalized employee recognition

and a structured organization
chart needs to be developed to
display the chain of command.

PJ Enterprises to consider
promotion plan and employee
progression path to leadership
and professional development.

A self-evaluation process is in
place but its unsure if
management sits down with
employees to go over it.

Information about reviews need to

be made public.

Set review dates, inform TOs

about what they are being
reviewed on. Implement a review
plan and use it as a platform to
implement additional training and
employee development.

Employees arent loyal, are

dissatisfied with their job, pay,
have low opinion of training.
Management cannot supply a
reason for this.

Continued employee satisfaction

surveys, interviews, and
performance reviews need to be
implemented to address gaps in
TO performance.

Management and HR town hall

style meetings can allow
employees to voice concerns,
questions, and receive important
updates or feedback in a neutral
environment.

There are ]no current staff

development initiatives or
opportunities to practice/apply
new skills. The best reps get
chosen for supervisor roles.
Judie would like to consider
adjusting their the feedback
process for operators

An employee training and

development plan and
department needs to be explored
to learn and apply new skills.

HR and Management need to

discuss and implement options to
improve this and align it with the
company goals and mission
through the training, product
reference guide, and
assessments provided by Coast
to Coast.

Training
Operators/supervisors are trained
with demonstrations in the form of
PowerPoint presentation on the
order entry system. There is no
training documentation.

Role playing, hands-on training,

problem solving activities, and
presentation based training
needed to increase TO
knowledge and skills.

Coast to Coast will design training

that includes various learning
modalities with visual
presentations, hands-on learning
activities, problem-solving
activities, and role playing
activities.

Training and training material is

limited. There are also no current
training guides.

A catalog training curriculum

needs to be created with call
scripts to be used after training to
compensate for lack of a
formalized and a uniform call
script.

Refer to training plan

recommendations above. In
addition, more frequent trainings,
follow up, retraining, and possibly
ad hoc training should be made
available. Product training can
be conducted through special
visits with the product
representatives. This can replace
Sheenas need to be there for all
product training.

New catalog training is scheduled

for late 3rd quarter for Fall/
Holiday. Training is two weeks
prior to release.

Training plan must be

implemented by late 2nd quarter
to ensure completion prior to
peak season.

Gather the experts to devise a

training plan with a script. Set it
up for more than just a half day of
training. Use it as a pilot for
future training. Pick dates in
advance of the release date with
enough time to accommodate all
learners. Invite representatives
to come onsite and demonstrate
the product or conduct training for
that product.
Explore a variety of adult
education including ways that
learners can be more enticed to
learn (games, exercises, role
plays, etc ). Also incorporate
more phone etiquette training

Training room has one LCD

projector and several tables

Training room needs to be set up

as a mock call desk with all new
equipment for operators to
practice with and be trained on.

Get a hold of upgraded

equipment and set up the room
for ideal state training purposes.

New product information is only

available at quarterly trainings.
Employees dont always get
trained on all items and are given
the guide to depend on only.

These product lists need to be

available in advance and
accessible to the training team to
discuss with the operators.

E-Learnings, product literature, or

product videos would be great for
upcoming product information.
These would be good for
mandatory self-paced learning
and preparation. No more slide
presentations.

Sheena wants to continue to

conduct trainings but has been
promoted. She also admits that
training has been less than
stellar.

Sheena needs to share the

responsibility of training with
other employees. She needs to
delegate the expert trainers.

Utilize the experts as the lead

trainers to take over teaching all
operators, including new hires.
Sheena can prepare them and
they can teach the others after
the contract with Coast to Coast
has been completed.

Employees don't receive any

phone etiquette training. Many of
them believe they are polite and
that is enough.

A phone etiquette training class

would be necessary.

Incorporate proper phone sales

and etiquette training with demos,
e-Learnings, videos, role plays, or
other ways to enhance current
skills or establish new and good
call habits. This should be done
during initial training and
periodically for refreshers.

Role-play and script writing can

enhance the TOs ability to apply
the knowledge from the trainings
into real-life settings.

There is no intermittent training or

follow up training.

More regular training than the

once/quarter product training.

Pre-shift huddles and training or

product focus sessions scheduled
regularly. Training of any type
needs to happen more frequently.
Before each shift and periodically
(weekly, monthly) have
management and training experts
go over the days focus, new
products, product highlights, or
daily goals to educate and
influence staff.

Training instructors are just

content experts. They have no
experience as trainers but are
good salespeople.

Content experts, training

instructors need to have additional
training and teaching development
to ensure that the TOs are being
properly trained.

Anyone training employees

should be taught how to train.
Create a train-the-trainer course
for employees leading training to
learn methods to train other
employees.

Environment
Operators sit in a large room, not
in cubicles, work on dated
equipment, and the room is fairly
noisy.

TOs need a quieter area to work

to reduce environmental noise
and distraction with updated and
efficiently placed equipment.

High-wall cubicles would reduce

the noise transfer and increase
focus on the call, equipment
updates are needed as well.
Changes need to be made here to
improve work productivity. New
equipment purchases and
revamping the workspace layout
will help make improvements
here.

Technology
Equipment upgrade and
replacement plan is to be
completed by Q1 2017 and
should make the job easier

Softwares, hardwares, and

technologies need to be updated
and efficient for TO performance.

IT needs to provide a specific list

of equipment that is being used
for the upgrade (software) and a
training will need to be conducted
on how to use any new softwares
or databases implemented. As
well, all equipment, including
headsets, should be provided by
PJ.

There will be a new order entry

system in place.

A demonstration/training on the
new order entry system needs to
be set up.

This mandatory training can be

set up in the main training room
where employees can stop by
throughout their shift to either
have instructor-led or self-paced
training. This can be done over a
week or longer and happen during
the day and night shifts with
sessions lasting no longer than 30
minutes.

The order entry system will not

have a product guide in place
initially.

The product guide should be

embedded initially and then the
system rolled out. This is a desire
of the TOs to have something
better than the paper guide.

Although it could delay the new

system roll out, it is recommended
that the product guide be built into
the new order entry system prior
to being implemented. This will
minimize the need to do additional
training after initial training,
followed by continued follow-up
training implemented by PJ
Enterprises based on the training
and facilitator guides provided by
Coast to Coast.

Present phone system supports

20 incoming lines, 40 headsets,
and automatic call-distribution
features yet only used at 85%
capacity .

A phone system upgrade thats

modernized enough to be able to
allow TOs to communicate and
work efficiently to decrease call
times and to allow for more
incoming calls.

Cisco phones, for example would

be a great choice for expanding
capabilities.

Proposed Solutions for Consulting Firm to Carry Out [KT, BT]

Priority

Solution

Description

Implement TO training
program through a more
efficient product guide,
customer service training,
call completion and sale
closing training, and
increased skills for TO
performance.

Program will include items

such as CBTs, eLearnings, videos, demos,
role plays, phone etiquette,
classroom and self-paced.
This strategy will also
include products for the
catalog. Product
representatives can come
in for product demos.

Product guide and ordering Develop new product

system
guide, working in
coordination with the IT
team in order to ensure it is
operable for the TOs.

Training for Supervisors

Develop training programs

for supervisors. Training
will include, role play
leadership for staff, training
new hires, performance
evaluations, supervisor
skills and performance and
evaluations.

Redesign Catalog

Include more product

information and content,
such as fabric, color, size,
dimensions. The guide
should list products
alphabetically and should
ease searching and
replace paper guide.

Staff development

Advanced opportunities for

more advanced levels of
training, professional
development, and
enhanced skills trainings.

Evaluation plan [KT]

Coast to Coast will work with PJ Enterprises by conducting ongoing evaluations of the effectiveness of the
proposed solutions to ensure that customer complaints are reduced by at least 10% from initial data.
Follow up data will be taken on:

Product knowledge by operators through a low-stakes summative assessment

Calls per hour
Amount of calls transferred to supervisors
Annual sales after training is completed in comparison to the prior years sales reports
Telephone capacity use
Customer satisfaction
Increased call to sale completion rate

Request for Proposal [KT]

Coast to Coast has developed recommendations and solutions based on previous data taken and analysis
plan. Coast to Coast would welcome a request from PJ Enterprises to carry out the solutions in the proposed
solutions section.

Project Charter for

Team 3: Coast to Coast
7-23-2016
Project Information [EK, KT]
Project Name and Description
Senior management of PJ Enterprises, in light of new company policies, projecting an increase in sales from
the new catalog and customer complaints of telephone operators, are seeking support to resolve these issues.
PJ Enterprises is requesting a design, development and delivery of a learning program for their telephone
operators. The training that has been requested is projected to be delivered before the catalogs are mailed and
targeted to address customer service supervisors, telephone operators on catalog items.

PJ Enterprises is reporting a high turnover rate of the telephone operators and a poor customer service
reporting. As a result, PJ Enterprises is seeking consultation to improve customer service results. Coast to
Coast has analyzed the needs of the company and proposed two main solutions for the first round of training
development: (1) in-class instruction on telephone etiquette; and (2) a reference guide for the product catalog
to make finding product information easier for telephone operators. Training on how to use the reference guide
will also be provided.
Project Manager
Emily Kuiper
Project Sponsor
Jane Mackenzie, PJ Enterprises
Stakeholders and Impact

Stakeholder

Responsibilities and Impact

on the Project

Project Impact on Them

Jane McKenzie, Project

Sponsor

Responsibilities include: Final

approval, resource allocation,
sign off on project charter
Impact on project: provides
direction to project team on
what issues are a priority,
allocates resources for project

Project will ultimately improve

customer satisfaction at
Janes company. She will
receive updates on project
status and be notified of any
significant risks to project
timeline, budget, and impact.

Jane McKenzie, Tie-breaker

(person who will make
decisions, both strategic
and content, should SMEs
disagree)

Responsibilities include:
approval of project direction,
review and approval of
content outlines, final review
of content before
implementation
Impact on project: will be the
final say on important project
decisions (both content and
strategy), will provide sign off
on project documents to
indicate approval

Project will require Janes

attention when decisions
need to be made on timeline,
budget, and impact.

Ray Johnson and Sheena

Perez - Product Experts

Responsibilities include:
providing content for training,
reviewing drafts throughout
development, acting as
experts on content and
product knowledge
Impact on project: will provide
necessary examples for
training materials, will review
drafts of project documents,
review drafts of all training
materials, will be available to
answer questions

Project will require SMEs to

be responsive to questions
during development, will need
to provide relevant examples
to designers will require time
to review drafts and will need
to provide detailed feedback
on drafts by the stated
deadlines without interfering
with the day-to-day operations
of PJ Enterprises.

Responsibilities include:
providing insight to SMEs and
instructional designers on end
user needs, review drafts of
training materials (as needed)
Impact on project: will
represent all end users while
training is being developed,
will provide relevant examples
for content and skill checks

Project will require time to

consult with the project team
about current work conditions,
end user needs, and relevant
work examples.

Sara Commons and Maria

Gomez - Trainers and
Supervisors
Reviewers and Subject
Matter Experts
Sarah Commons, Maria
Gomez Customer Service
Supervisors, acting as SMEs
Nominated Telephone
Operators and Supervisors,
Additional Subject Matter
Experts [if other than
reviewers] Paula More and
Rosalinda Sanchez

Emily Kuiper, Chris Bland,

Melissa Smiley, Kelly
Thorell, Beth Tietz, and the
IT Department Project Team
Members

Responsibilities include:
drafting project documents
and training materials,
coordinating with SMEs,
sponsor, and end users to
document current processes
and relevant examples for
training and skill checks
Impact on project: team will
complete the majority of the
design work and must meet
all deadlines to ensure project
success.

Project will require

coordination with the SMEs,
project sponsor, IT, end users,
and all other stakeholders to
provide effective training by
the stated due date.

IT
Sam Fisher

Responsibilities include:
working with the project team
to prepare training
environment (as it relates to
technology) as well as
integrating any updates to the
telephone operator computers
during implementation

Project will require IT

members knowledge of
current system functionality to
advise on realistic updates to
telephone operators current
technology as well as time to
perform any needed system
updates.

Description of Work [KT]

Project Purpose
Coast to Coast will create a telephone etiquette training, new PDF product reference guide and training for
catalog reference guide, to telephone operators. The purpose of this training and new guide is to provide
telephone operators with the skills and tools to be able to appropriately handle sales calls with quicker access
to product information and descriptions, reducing customer and operator frustrations.
Business Objectives
The primary goal is to improve customer satisfaction scores by 10%. Included in this goal is to improve
telephone operator skills and customer service, product knowledge, call wait time and increase calls taken per
hour. As a result telephone operators will be better informed and be able to respond to telephone orders in a
more efficient manner, this will help PJ Enterprises achieve their objectives to improve customer service and
increase last years sales from $10 million.
Project Deliverables
Coast to Coast will deliver the following solutions to PJ Enterprises
Solution

Delivery Method

Seat Time or Pages

Description

Phone Etiquette
Training for
Telephone
Operators

ILT

Four hour training

session

Training will consist of

face to face, instructor
led training that
includes:
-Handle phone calls
-Put customers on
hold
-Transfer customers
to a supervisor
-Provide customer
service
-Take orders
- Up sell and cross
sell
-Process returns
-Administer Survey
Role play scenarios
will be used to
provide operators with
real scenarios they
might encounter
during sales calls and
handouts, scripts and
job aides will be
provided for access to
critical information.

Development of
PDF Product
Reference Guide

N/A

N/A

A new PDF product

guide will be
developed to provide
telephone operators
with product
information they can
access during sales
calls.

Training for PDF

Catalog Reference
Guide

ILT

Four hour training

session

Training on the new

PDF catalog
reference guide will
consist of step by
step instruction,
Instructor led training
on how to search for
product information to
provide to customers
during sales calls.
Topics covered:
-How to find PDF
catalog guide in the
system
-How to search for
specific products in
the PDF guide/ wiki
pages
-How to find specific
product information
(e.g., descriptions,
fabric, dimensions)
-How to answer
product questions
including top
projected best selling
products

Deliverables In Scope
Deliverables will include: four 4 hour training sessions in which telephone operators will be instructed on
telephone etiquette and use of the new product reference guide; searchable PDF product reference
guide for new product catalog; materials (such as a PowerPoint, facilitator guide, participant guide and
relevant handouts) for the ILT sessions; design document; evaluation for future course updates; any
materials relevant to a train the trainer session (agenda, handouts, etc.)
Out of Scope
Integration of product reference guide into current software system; redesign of new hire orientation or on
boarding materials/agenda; specific leadership training materials.
Project Completion Criteria
This project will be complete when the 4- 4 hour ILT sessions have been completed, the reference guide
is implemented, and the evaluation report has been written. If requested, project team will compile a
report of future recommendations for PJ Enterprises.
Project Parameters [MS, KT, BT, CB, EK]
Budget
Deliverable/Solution Type of Training/
Deliverable

Seat Time/or
Scope Figure

Total Hours
Estimated

Cost

Phone Etiquette
Training

Classroom training
2 sessions

8 hours

320 hours

$32,000

Customer Service
Quick Guide

Paper documentation

15 - 25 pages

90 hours

$8,000

Total

$40,000

Project Team Members & Roles

Name

Role

Responsibilities

Est. Hours Needed

Emily Kuiper

Project Manager

Maintaining the project

schedule, budget, and
project documents;
communicating project
updates to project team
and project sponsor,
scheduling project
meetings and tracking
project progress

100 hours

Kelly Thorell

Project Coordinator

Track and schedule

tasks, communicate
with team on problems
and issues.

50 hours

Melissa Smiley

Technical Writer

Analyze project
120 hours
requirements, identify
the types and formats of
documents required for
the project, ensure the
right tools are available,
maintain communication
between the team
leaders and team
members, maintain
communication with all
stakeholders, ensure
that all problems are
resolved, generate
reports on the project,
coordinate and manage
documentation, perform
final review/edit/
proofreading prior to
submission, ensure
establishment of style
guides to ensure
accuracy and
consistency.

Beth Tietz

Graphic Designer

Create graphics and

60 hours
style documents for -TO
training
-SME training
-Catalog guide

General support

Chris Bland

Instructional Designer Conduct needs

assessment
Analyze the
characteristics of the
environment.
Analyze the
characteristics of
existing technologies
and their use in an
instructional
environment.
Formulate and finalize
design solutions.
Build curriculum, lesson
plan, and outline.
Partner with SMEs on
responsibilities.
Manage the design
process.
Create classroom
materials (handouts,
guides, workbooks).

Project Milestones

120 hours

Milestone

Date

Outline of phone etiquette training

July 28, 2016

Phone etiquette training signoff

August 7, 2016

Design Document signoff

August 14, 2016

Customer Service and Catalog Quickguide Signoff

August 28, 2016

Assigned phone operator training;

revision signoff

September 13, 2016

Phone etiquette training rollout

September 20, 2016

Vendor Assistance Required

Coast to Coast does not anticipate the need of an additional vendor or outsourced responsibilities. Coast
to Coast is prepared to meet the needs of PJ Enterprises in this training project with the staff provided by
Coast to Coast. Coast to Coast will implement the expertise of a technical writer, graphic designer,
instructional designer, project manager, and project coordinator to work within the proposed budget and
timeline to complete the needs for PJ Enterprises.
Possible Problems and Risks
Problem Area

Likelihood

Problem Owner

Possible Impact to
Project

Mitigation Plan

Shifts and schedules

of trainees

Sara Commons
and Maria Gomez Trainers and
Supervisors

Scheduling conflicts
can cause trainees to
fall behind schedule
or miss important
learning sessions

Create a training
schedule and
training workflow to
accommodate gaps
in schedules

Employee turnover/
losing employees in
the current training
program

Jane Mackenzie

Employee turnover
can cause loss in
project budget due to
training individuals
who do not complete
the training schedule

Break training down

to work first with
long-term
employees and
supervisors

Missing information
from SME's

Jane Mackenzie

SMEs provide the

knowledge needed
about the current
training and the gaps
in training, including
what is expected of
the phone operators.
Missing information
can delay proper
training course
development

Have consistent
feedback and faceto-face meetings
with the SMEs and
management to
ensure that their
evaluation of the
project is continually
utilized through the
implementation
process

Training learning
curve

Emily Kuiper, Chris

Bland, Melissa
Smiley, Kelly
Thorell, Beth Tietz

Telephone operators
may have various
learning, cultural, or
other differences that
may require slight
accommodations or
modifications

Ensure learning
materials and quickguides are efficient
and easy to use for
all employees,
utilize textual and
visual layout
formats to
accommodate
different learning
styles

Assumptions

se.

PJ Enterprises project sponsor is supporting this project with sufficient labor hours to develop content,
conduct the training, and implement the solutions.
The following items will be provided by PJ Enterprises:
Technology provided for training computers and imbedded PDF guide
Training room
Providing content for training by SMEs and customer service supervisors
Provide IT support to implement the guide
Helping manage scope of project, budgets and time lines
Ensuring staff are at training, provided time to attend the training and tracking completed training

Coast to Coast will provide:

All stated deliverables
Meeting deadlines and providing solutions

 Monitoring budget and schedule

Constraints
The SMEs will need to provide content information and feedback on drafts in a timely matter - they are
busy with their current work responsibilities and will have limited time to work with the project team.
Telephone operators work in first, second, and third shift and there must be constant coverage on the
telephones to answer customer calls. Therefore, training must take place in rotations and supervisors
should be the priority when scheduling training shifts; however ensuring there is proper supervisor
coverage during each shift.
External Influences/Dependencies
The following external influences/dependencies could potentially impact the budget, timeline, and or
completion of the project:

Economic influences to consumer spending

Natural Disasters, weather, road closures, power outages

Internet connection that is slow or down

Approvals
Role

Signature

Date

___________________________________ _____________________
___________________________________ _____________________

Project Plan for

Team # 3
7/30/2016

Project Information [EK initials]

Project Name
This project will be referred to by PJ Enterprises as Operator etiquette and Catalog training.

Project Description/Overview
Senior management of PJ Enterprises, in light of new company policies, projecting an increase in sales
from the new catalog and customer complaints of telephone operators, are seeking support to resolve
these issues. PJ Enterprises is requesting a design, development and delivery of a learning program for
their telephone operators. The training that has been requested is projected to be delivered before the
catalogs are mailed and targeted to address customer service supervisors, telephone operators on
catalog items.

PJ Enterprises is reporting a high turnover rate of the telephone operators and a poor customer service
reporting. As a result, PJ Enterprises is seeking consultation to improve customer service results. Coast
to Coast has analyzed the needs of the company and proposed two main solutions for the first round of
training development: (1) in-class instruction on telephone etiquette; and (2) a reference guide for the
product catalog to make finding product information easier for telephone operators. Training on how to
use the reference guide will also be provided.

Project Purpose
Coast to Coast will create a telephone etiquette training, new PDF product reference guide and training
for catalog reference guide, to telephone operators. The purpose of this training and new guide is to
provide telephone operators with the skills and tools to be able to appropriately handle sales calls with
quicker access to product information and descriptions, reducing customer and operator frustrations.

Business Objectives
The primary goal is to improve customer satisfaction scores by 10%. Included in this goal is to improve
telephone operator skills and customer service, product knowledge, call wait time and increase calls
taken per hour. As a result telephone operators will be better informed and be able to respond to
telephone orders in a more efficient manner, this will help PJ Enterprises achieve their objectives to
improve customer service and increase last years sales from $10 million.

Scope Statement [KT]

Deliverables Included

To develop the training course, Coast to Coast will deliver the

following documents:
Phone Etiquette
PDF Catalog Guide
Product Guide Training
Handouts

Exclusions No
Coast to Coast will not provide the following items or services :
Training room or computers
Internet Access for training

Project Completion Criteria

This project will be complete when the 4- 4 hour ILT sessions have been completed, the reference guide
is implemented, and the evaluation report has been written. If requested, project team will compile a
report of future recommendations for PJ Enterprises.

Project Plans [KT]

Primary Plans
This project will follow formal plans as outlined in this document. These plans include:

Schedule

Communication Plan

Change Management Plan

Scheduled Meetings

Meeting

Frequency

Attendees

Description

Kick off
Meeting

Once at
beginning of
the project

Jane
Mackenzie,
SMEs,
Emily Kuiper,
Chris Bland,
Melissa
Smiley, Kelly
Thorell, Beth
Tietz

To ensure
stakeholders and
team members
are aware of the
information in the
project charter,
key milestones,
schedule and
answer any
questions about
the project.

Sign off
Meeting

As outlined in
Jane
the schedule
Mackenzie,
Emily Kuiper,
Chris Bland,
Melissa
Smiley, Kelly
Thorell, Beth
Tietz

Review project as
milestones are
completed and
obtain sponsor
sign off.

Status
Meeting

Weekly

Emily Kuiper,
Chris Bland,
Melissa
Smiley, Kelly
Thorell, Beth
Tietz

Discuss issues,
solve problems,
update status of
project and
milestone
deadlines.

Content
Meeting with
SME

As needed

Emily Kuiper,
Chris Bland,
Melissa
Smiley, Kelly
Thorell, Beth
Tietz, SMEs

Review project,
ask questions and
get clarification on
content.

Scheduled Status Reports

Coast to Coasts, Project Manager, will provide a status report to PJ Enterprises sponsor Jane
Mackenzie, in writing every other week by the end of the day on Friday. The status report will include:
overview of the project and status, milestones that have been achieved and any challenges or issues that
have arisen.

Assumptions

PJ Enterprises project sponsor is supporting this project with sufficient labor hours to develop content,
conduct the training, and implement the solutions.
The following items will be provided by PJ Enterprises:
Technology provided for training computers and imbedded PDF guide
Training room
Providing content for training by SMEs and customer service supervisors
Provide IT support to implement the guide
Helping manage scope of project, budgets and time lines
Ensuring staff are at training, provided time to attend the training and tracking completed training

Coast to Coast will provide:

All stated deliverables
Meeting deadlines and providing solutions
Monitoring budget and schedule

Contraints
The SMEs will need to provide content information and feedback on drafts in a timely matter - they are
busy with their current work responsibilities and will have limited time to work with the project team.
Telephone operators work in first, second, and third shift and there must be constant coverage on the
telephones to answer customer calls. Therefore, training must take place in rotations and supervisors
should be the priority when scheduling training shifts; however ensuring there is proper supervisor
coverage during each shift.

External Dependencies

Economic influences to consumer spending

Natural Disasters, weather, road closures, power outages

Internet connection that is slow or down

Project Approach
For this project Coast to Coast will use a phased plan including the ADDIE process.
In phase One:
Analyze effectiveness of current training needs, goals and solutions.

 Design a training course, for telephone operators that will provide operators with the skills and tools to
be able to appropriately handle sales calls.
Development of the product reference guide and catalog reference guide training. The product guide
will provide telephone operators with product information they can access during sales calls and the
catalog will consist of step by step instruction, on how to search for product information to provide to
customers during sales calls.
Implemented the training courses.
Evaluation will be conducted to assess results.
Phase two is to be determined after evaluation of phase one has been completed.

Milestones
Milestone or Activity

Deliverable

Target Date

Phone Etiquette and Customer

Service training signoff

Design Document

August 7, 2016

Customer Service and Catalog

Quick-guide Signoff

Design Document

August 20, 2016

Phone Operator Training pilot

Design Document

August 28,2016

Assigned phone operator

training; revision signoff

Phone Operator
Revision Training

September 6,
2016

Phone etiquette and Catalog

Guide training rollout.

Phone Etiquette and

Catalog Guide Training

September 9,
2016

WBS Diagram

Schedule

Task

Who

Start Date

End Date

Leaners

EK, KT, MS,CB, BT

6/28/16

7/23/16 (kick off call)

Work Environment

EK, KT, MS,CB, BT

6/28/16

7/23/16 (kick off call)

Training Environment

EK, KT, MS,CB, BT

6/28/16

7/23/16 (kick off call)

Jobs and Tasks

EK, KT, MS,CB, BT

6/28/16

7/23/16 (kick off call)

MS, CB

7/23/16

7/28/2016

Analyze

Design
Write Outline

Document Objectives

MS, CB

7/25/16

7/28/2016

Document Course
Specifics

MS, CB

7/28/16

8/6/2016

Create Assessments

CB

7/28/16

8/6/2016

Determine Instructional
Methods

CB

7/28/16

8/6/2016

Write Design Document MS

7/28/16

8/6/2016

Submit Design
Document for Review

8/6/2016

8/6/2016

8/7/2016

8/7/2016

8/7/2016

8/7/2016

8/9/2016

8/10/2016

EK

8/10/2016

8/11/2016

Write Facilitator Guide

CB

8/7/2016

8/14/2016

Write Participant Guide

CB

8/7/2016

8/14/2016

Create Catalog
Reference Guide

CB, BT

7/23/2016

8/10/2016

Submit Materials for

Review

EK

EK

Review Design
Document (SME)
Revise Design
Document

MS

Verify Design
Document (SME)
Sign off on Design
Document (SME)
Develop

Review Materials
(SME)

8/14/2016
8/14/2016

9/9/2016

8/17/2016

8/18/2016

Verify Materials (SME)

8/19/2016

8/20.2016

Sign off on Materials

(SME)

8/21/2016

8/21/2016

Revise Materials

CB, BT, MS

Implement
Identify Audience

KT

7/23/2016

8/5/2016

Determine Time and

Location for Training

KT

7/23/2016

8/5/2016

9/6/2016

9/9/2016

Train the Operators

Evaluate
Create Evaluation Plan

CB

8/28/2016

9/6/2016

Gather Data

EK, KT, MS,CB, BT

Monthly? Or quarterly?

Monthly? Or quarterly?

Evaluate Data

EK, KT, MS,CB, BT

Monthly? Or quarterly?

Monthly? Or quarterly?

Report Results

EK, KT, MS,CB, BT

Monthly? Or quarterly?

Monthly? Or quarterly?

Gantt Chart

Change Management Plan [KT]

Coast to Coast will proposes to use the process below to manage any changes to the project scope.

Purpose
Purpose of change management plan is to outline a formal process to managing changes to the scope of
the project, schedule or budget. It is to ensure that changes are made with minimal disruption to the
project, provide accurate and timely manner of all changes and that they are consistent with documented
plans.

Goals
The goal of the change management plan is to ensure that changes in the scope, under all
circumstances maintain the priority of the project based on the timeline.

Change Control Process

The change control process is to provide a means to make changes to the scope by identifying a change,
defining it (request, reason, completion and value to the project), submitting the change, reviewing the
request, waiting for approval or rejection of changes and documenting the changes that have been made
to the project.

Responsibilities
Person Responsible

Responsibilities

Any Stakeholder

Identifies change that needs, wants to happen

and submits a request to Project Manager.

Project Manager

Evaluates impact of the change on the project

and determines how to move forward with the
issue (accept or reject request).

Project Manager,
Sponsor, Stakeholders

Reviews changes and discusses next step.

Sponsor

Approves delays or rejects change.

Project Manager

Verifies decision, makes any changes to

documentation (schedule, scope, plan, budget),
delegates tasks to team members.

Communication Plan [CDB, KT]

Purpose and Goals
PJ Enterprises is going through an important change to their operator staff that affects how
business is conducted daily. It will impact the Telephone Operator staff primarily so it is
important they are aware of these changes and their new training requirements. New
expectations are being set and operators will be held accountable for the information they
receive through the training. It important that management communicates to the staff in a way
that promotes a positive change from their current state to their desired state. This message
should be shared in advance of the new training start date.

Recommendations to PJ on Messages to Address Impact of Project

PJ Enterprises management staff and HR will be the ones responsible for marketing
(promoting) explaining the information about the training. They should stress how important
the training is to the success of the business and the growth and advancement of the
Telephone Operator staff. Emphasis should be placed on the concerns and feedback that
the staff shared and how management is going to address it through this training. Emphasis
should also be placed on the results of customer surveys to help drive home the point of the
training. HR can help emphasize what advancement opportunities could come from the
expected post-training performance improvements. Overall, the plan should be to
communicate to the staff why the training is important, what it will cover, and the benefit it has
for the staff and the company.

Here is a suggested timeline of recommended communication distribution prior to training:

8 weeks prior to training: Initial meeting with Coast to Coast and PJ management and the key
supervisors and trainers to discuss plans to rollout communications.
Seven weeks prior to training: Initial email to staff explaining the need for training and
promoting an upcoming staff meeting to into more details.
Four weeks prior to training: A mandatory staff meeting for each shift that will cover the
findings, needs, feedback, and training details and benefits.
Three and Two weeks prior to training: Follow up emails as reminders for upcoming dates.
One week prior to training: Distribute and post flyers with training dates.

Challenges and Opportunities

Audience

Challenge

Message to address
challenge

Telephone
Operators

Resistance to
training

Training will enhance

customer service to alleviate
employee frustration and
enhance skills.

Supervisors

Resistance to
Training

Training will enhance customer

service and elevate employee
frustration, as well as customer
frustration. Supervisors will
have more time to train and
help support operators and
spending less time on the
phones answering customer
product questions and
complaints.

Channel

Responsible

Date

Face-toface
communic
ation/
meetings;
additional
written
communic
ation

Sarah
Commons and
Maria Gomez

August
5, 2016

HR

August
14,
2016

Face-toface
communicat
ion/
meetings;
additional
written
communicat
ion

Risk Management Method [EK]

Coast to Coast will monitor and track all risks by setting up a risk registry that includes the following
information.

Date the risk was identified

Description of the risk

Risk Type

Impact of risk on cost, scope, time (using a 1-10 scale)

Person responsible investigating and solving the issue

Resolution

Project Plan Approvals [CB]

Approvals
Approved by:
Name

Role

Jane McKenzie

Sponsor

Signature

Date

Job Task Analysis

Telephone Operator Modules
Module 1 Phone Etiquette
1.

Course Introduction
A. Training Introduction
B. Course Overview
C. PJ Enterprises
D. Telephone Operator Roles and Responsibilities
I. Taking Orders
II. Customer Service
III. Selling Products
IV. Processing Returns

2. Lesson 1: Basic Telephone Etiquette

A. Lesson Introduction
B. Answering the Customer Call

C. When and How to Transfer and Hold Calls

D. Knowledge Check - Taking Calls: Answer, Hold, and Transfer
E. Review and Summary
3. Providing Customer Service
A. Lesson Introduction
B. Phone Etiquette
C. Call Protocol
D. Video: Chester Hull: Phone Etiquette Training
E. Review and Summary
Review and Conclusion

Module 2 Product and Product Guides

1. Course Introduction
A. A.

Product Guide Overview

2. Lesson 1: Lesson introduction

A. How to find the PDF Catalog Guide: Guided Practice
B. How to Search for Products: Guided Practice
C. How to find Product Information: Guided Practice
3. Product Training
A. Product Categories and Examples
B. Product Models - Product Description Matching Activity
C. Fall/Holiday Catalog Products
4.

Practice Activity - Product Guide Usage and Ordering Practice - Scavenger Hunt
A. Product Scavenger Hunt

5.

Review and Conclusion

Design Document for

PJ Enterprises
By Team 3: Coast to Coast

Document Description [EK]

The purpose of this document is to provide PJ Enterprises with a thorough description and outline of the
telephone etiquette and reference guide training that is being delivered on September 9, 2016.

Purpose of the Course [CB]

The purpose of this training and new guide is to provide telephone operators with the skills and tools to be able
to appropriately handle sales calls with quicker access to product information and descriptions, reducing
customer and operator frustrations. The new expectations that will be set going forward will result in improved
customer service, increased product sales, and employees with advanced skills.

Audience Description [CB]

There is a singular audience structure for this training course, telephone operators. There are 25 telephone
operator. The demographics of the participants include that 100% women, with ages range from 18-60.
Operator education ranges from high school diplomas to undergraduate degrees. The majority of employees
speak English, but four of them are bilingual and speak Spanish. Previous experience includes retail sales,
customer service, call center, phone and marketing sales, or as an administrative assistant.

Course Description [CB]

The course is designed for Telephone Operators and targets the improvement of customer service skills and
speed when finding products. The course also includes application of the learned skills in the form of role
playing with the trainers and other operators. The first module will be on phone etiquette and the second will
be on working with the new product guide.

Course Seat Time [CB]

This training will be 8 hours in length with two modules at 4 hours each.

Instructional Architecture/Strategy for Course [EK - MS]

The primary architecture of this course is directive. Coast to Coast will be providing specific instruction,
demonstrations, and opportunities for practice for the participants to meet the training objectives. Practice
exercises will be role plays, hands-on, or written activities. Although most of the activities are based on
customer service scenarios, the overall architecture of the training course is directive.

Major Course Objectives [MS/ KT]

At the end of this course, telephone operators will be able to:

Use proper etiquette to greet customers when answering the phone
Provide enhanced customers service, call protocol, and ensure customer happiness
Utilize product catalog more efficiently and decrease amount of hold time for lack of product knowledge
Use proper etiquette to place customers on hold and transfer calls
Search for products and locate product information using the new product guide
Navigate computer and phone systems effectively and efficiently

Learning Assessment for Course [CB]

There will not be a scored assessment. There will be role plays and scenario practices.

Course Outline [CB]

Telephone Operator Modules

Module 1 Phone Etiquette
1. Course Introduction
A.Training Introduction
B.Course Overview
C.PJ Enterprises
D.Telephone Operator Roles and Responsibilities
I. Taking Orders
II. Customer Service
III.Selling Products
IV. Processing Returns
2.Lesson 1: Basic Telephone Etiquette
A. Lesson Introduction[jem8]
B.Answering the Customer Call
C.When and How to Transfer and Hold Calls
D.Knowledge Check - Taking Calls: Answer, Hold, and Transfer
E.Review and Summary
3.Lesson 2: Providing Customer Service
A.Lesson Introduction
B.Phone Etiquette
C.Call Protocol
D.Video Example- Trainertainment: Good Call vs. Bad Call" https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=t4w46RPukbc
E.Review and Summary
4. Review and Conclusion
Module 2 Product and Product Guides
1.Course Introduction
A.Product Guide Overview
2.Lesson 1: Lesson Introduction
A.How to find the PDF Catalog Guide: Guided Practice
B.How to Search for Products: Guided Practice
C.How to find Product Information: Guided Practice
3.Lesson 2: Product Training
A.Product Categories and Examples
B.Product Models - Product Description Matching Activity
C.Fall/Holiday Catalog Products
4. Practice Activity - Product Guide Usage and Ordering Practice - Scavenger Hunt
A.Product Scavenger Hunt
5. Review and Conclusion

Media [EK]
The course will utilize the following media:
Computers and telephone equipment for operators to practice
PowerPoint presentations
Recorded Calls

Development Tools [CB]

The tools we will use to develop this course will be MS Word, Visio, and PowerPoint. We will also use Audacity
to make edits to audio of recorded calls where needed.

Development Time [KT]

This project will take a total of 410 hours of development time. The telephone etiquette and catalog reference
guide training will take 320 hours of staff time that will be used to develop the two four hour training sessions.
In addition, the development of the product guide will take 90 hours of development time.

Support requirements [EK, CB, KT, BT]

The support requirements for training include:
Room setup,
Scenarios for practice,
Recorded calls from supervisors,
Access to customer surveys,
IT support to make sure PDF is inserted,
Computer setup and software updates for training,
Computers and phone setup for training
Scheduling of operators and training space

Ownership [EK]

Training materials will be owned and modified by PJ Enterprises after the initial train the trainer session and
the initial rollout.

Project Sign-off [CB]

Please sign below indicating agreement with the proposed course plan and approving start-up of the
development phases.
Christopher Bland
Instructional Designer

8/7/2016
Date

Jane McKenzie
Project Manager/Sponsor

[jem13]

8/7/2016 ________________________
Date

Appendix A: Job Task Analysis[jem14]

Appendix B: Detailed Course Outline

Mins.

Task /
Objective
Topic / Key
Concept

Instructional
Method

Assessment
Method

Assessment
Description

1A

10

Introduction N/A

Presentation
of Information

N/A

N/A

1B

Course
Overview

N/A

Lecture

N/A

N/A

1C

PJ
Enterprises

N/A

Presentation
of Information

N/A

N/A

1D
(IIV)

15

Telephone
N/A
Operator
Responsibil
ities (Taking
Orders,
Customer
Service,
Selling
Products,
Process
Returns)

Presentation
of Facts

N/A

N/A

2A

20

Answering
the
Customer
Call

Demonstration Demonstrate
using
task using
guidelines as
guidelines
examples

Visuals / Media
Support

Mo
dul
e 1:
Pho
ne
Etiq
uett
e

To learn
how to
answer all
incoming
calls

The instructor
will
demonstrate
how to
properly
answer the
incoming
calls.

PowerPoint slides
with details

2B

20

When and
How to
Transfer
and Hold
Calls

To learn
Demonstration Demonstrate
when it is
using
task using
necessary guidelines
guidelines
to hold
examples
and
transfer
calls and
how to do
both

The instructor
will
demonstrate
how to
properly place
a call on hold
and transfer a
call
Examples of
Guidelines
used:
-Say, "One
moment
please, and I'll
check to see if
someone is
available to
assist you."
-After having
the caller on
hold, be sure
to thank them
for holding
before you
continue with
the next step
of the
process.
-Say, "Hello
Mrs. Smith,
thank you for
holding. I am
going to
transfer your
call to Mr.
Jones, one
moment
please." If the
caller thanks
you, be sure
to tell them,
"You're
welcome."

3A

30

Phone
Etiquette

N/A

Lecture and
N/A
Video with
review of
guidelines and
principles:
-Speak clearly
and slowly.
-Pleasant
tone.
-Put a smile in
your voice.
-Express
energy!
-Volume: Too
Soft, Just
Right or Too
Loud.
-Let the caller
speak. Do not
interrupt.
-No matter
how badly
your day is
going, never
let the caller
know. Always
be pleasant to
your
customer
-Give the
caller your
undivided
attention.

N/A

Video of
Trainertainment:
Good Call vs. Bad
Call" https://
www.youtube.com
/watch?
v=t4w46RPukbc

3B

20

Call
Protocol

When a
customer
calls ,lear
ners will
greet
customers
and follow
the PJ
enterprise
guidelines
and
protocol

Demonstration Role play

on PJ
Enterprises
call protocol

Pair off with

another
operator and
practice the
PJ
Enterprises
greeting.
Greetings:
Practice using
a greeting,
making sure
to answer
after three
rings.
"Good
Morning."
"___(name of
office)___, my
name is
____"
"How may I
help you."

3C

30

Ensuring
Customer
Happiness:
Handling
Customer
Complaints

Given a
call from
an
unhappy
customer,
learners
will be
able to
apply
customer
service
skills to
resolve
issues
and
complaint
s

Discuss ways
to handle
customer
complaints

Role Play

Pair off with

another
operator. One
person will
call with a
complaint and
the other
person acts
as the
operator who
will offer a
solution. Then
switch roles
for the second
scenario.
Scenario 1.
Customer
received the
wrong size
clothing item.
The customer
is not pleased
with this as he
knew he
specifically
requested the
correct size.
Scenario
2.Acustomers
order has not
arrived as
promised and
they paid
extra money
to ship it
faster.

As the
telephone
operator it is
your
responsibility
to see to it
that the
customer's
concerns are
addressed.
Use the
customer
service
methods
discussed in
class to
approach
each situation
and resolve
the customer's
complaint.

3D

20

Role Play:

Given two
scenarios
of
customer
calls,
learners
will
practice
applicatio
n of
Phone
Etiquette
principles.

15

Review and Summariz

Conclusion e the
informatio
n
presented

Demonstrate
task or role
play
applying
principles and
guidelines/
rules

Practice or
demonstrate
task with a
role play.

Pair off with

another
operator. One
of you play
the customer
and one of
you play the
operator. As
the operator,
you are
responsible
for applying
the principles
learned in the
phone
etiquette
lesson and
using the PJ
Enterprises
call protocol.
You will also
utilize your
current
knowledge
and
experience to
apply to the
scenarios.
There are two
scenarios to
complete.
Participants
will switch
roles when
complete and
repeat the
evaluation
process.
[jem23]

Lecture

N/A

N/A

Mo
dul
e 2:
Pro
duc
t
and
Pro
duc
t
Gui
de
Trai
nin
g
1A

20

Product
Guide
Overview

N/A

Presentation
of facts

N/A

N/A

2A

10

How to find
the PDF
Catalog
Guide

Given the
new
product
guide on
their
computer,
the
learner
will
identify
how to
locate the
product
guide in
the
company
intranet.

Demonstratio
n of
procedure

Guided
Practice

The instructor
will walk the
operators
through the
process of
locating the
new product
guide PDF
file.

2B

20

How to
Search for
Products

The
Demonstratio
learners
n of
will be
procedure
guided
through
the search
features of
the new
product
guide PDF
and
different
ways they
can use
search
terms.

Guided
Practice

The instructor
will guide the
operators
through the
use ofCtrl
+FandShift
+Ctrl+Fto
search for
products in
the product
guide.
Activity 1
UsingCtrl
+F,search for
every instance
of the
following
words and
identify the
amount of
results
Sofa___
Knife___
Juicer___
Mixer___
Flat
Screen___
Activity 2
Using
Shift+Ctrl
+F,search for
every instance
of the
following
words and
identify the
amount of
results:
42" Flat
Screen
TV___
Outdoor Sofa
Set___
Ottoman__
Entertainment
Center___
Activity 3
Answer the
following
questions:
Which search
option offered
more results?
Which search
option found
your items the

2C

30

How to Find
Product
Information
in the
Product
Guide

Given the
product
guide, the
learner
will learn
how
locate the
product
informatio
n in the
guide.

Demonstratio
n of
Procedure

Guided
Practice

The instructor
will guide the
operators
through the
process of
locating a list
of products
and identifying
their
information in
the product
guide. The
instructor will
ask random
learners about
the product
information
they found to
repeat back to
the class.

The instructor
will give a list
of products to
the
operators.
The operators
will use the
search tools
(Ctrl+ForShift
+Ctrl+F) to
find the
products and
the product
information in
the guide.
The instructor
will then ask
specific
questions
about the
products on
the list.
An operator
will respond to
the
instructors
question
about the
product using
the
information
provided in
the guide.

Example
Questions
What color

3A

20

Product
Categories
and
Examples

Given
products.
Learners
will match
products
and their
descriptio
n their
correspon
ding
category.

Demonstration
of matching
products to
products with
examples

Matching
Activity
product
characteristic
to
Categories:
A.Sports
B.Kitchen and
home
C.Outdoor
D.Tools
E.Furniture
1.A tool that
can remove
striped screws
on one end
and can install
screws in on
the other.
2.A decorative
garden gnome
designed to
art to your
yard and
character to
your flower
bed.
3.Wheather
its for a kids
room or
college dorm,
this futon
serves
multiple
functions as
an extra bed
or small sofa.
4.It comes
with 5steak
knives, filet
knife, a large
serrated knife,
a sharpener, a
cutting board,
and a butcher
block
5.Practice tee
helps you get
off your golf
game up to
par by
bringing the
driving range
to your
backyard

3B

50

Product
Samples
and the
Fall/Holiday
Products

The
learners
will find
out about
the new
products
coming
out for the
holiday
season
and get to
watch and
participate
in
demonstra
tion's.
They will
also learn
about the
categories
these
products
belong
to.

Presentation
of the most
popular
products and
samples and
the new
specific
products in the
fall/Holiday
catalog.

Product
Trials and
demonstratio
ns.
Scavenger
hunt
checklist

Activity 1
Learners will
explore and
try the product
samples being
used in the
catalog
Activity 2
As they look
at the
products, they
will work
through a
checklist
identifying
products and
their
categories
writing them
into the listed
categories on
the sheet.

35

Practice
Activity

Given the Demonstration Application

procedure of procedure of
,a
Procedure
telephone
operator
will search
for
products,
locate the
products
and
complete
the
customer
s request.

A customer
calls in search
of a family
size camping
tent with two
doors and
multiple
rooms. He is
taking his
family on a
camping trip
in the
mountains
and is looking
for a tent that
will
accommodate
the five of
them
(customer, his
wife, and their
three kids).
You need to
locate some
tent options
for him and
describe
some of the
features that
match his
preferences.
The catalog
has a sporting
goods section
in the table of
contents that
has tents
init[jem35].
As the
operator, your
responsibility
is to use the
search tools
taught in
todays class
to find the
information
requested by
the customer.

20

Review and Summariz

Conclusion e the
informatio
n
presented

Lecture

N/A

N/A

[jem1]where does this come from? All TOs are women.

[jem2]no.
[jem3]???
Go back to the data document from mod 3 to check this information.
[jem4]are you teaching all expected duties. Focus on the task youre teaching them in training and those
outcomes, not business goals.
[jem5]this is a business goal.
[jem6]this is not part of your outline.
[jem7]Again, you dont teach this in your outline.
[jem8]you need to add these elements to each lesson. Also, label the lessons.
[jem9]where are the assessments listed? Are you going through all of this with only the one assessment at
the end? Thats a lot to sit through without practice.
[jem10]full sentence.
[jem11]even this is 80 hours of development/one hour of training; kinda high.
Your charter has 320, but your charter says 8 hours of training. So . . which is it? 8 or 4?
[jem12]full sentence. If you want to have this be a list, put a stem sentence before ti and bullet the items.
[jem13]Where is appendix B? Where is the revised JTA?
[jem14]I still think a lot of what you hae under taking orers might be considered selling products.
[jem15]this column should have the objectives; I dont see any for this module everything should be over one
column.
[jem16]here you say steps; to the left, you say guideliens same as below.
[jem17]Demonstration?
[jem18]I can see this as an enabling activity, but I think a role play would be better, even if very short.
[jem19]what are the guidelines? I would really like to see them in the content column.
[jem20]not an assessment method.
[jem21]same here.
[jem22]same here.
[jem23]this is nice!
Itd be even greater if I could see the scenarios.
[jem24]4 A and B. Did we agree that youd teach this?
[jem25]need objective
[jem26]if theres a role play, describe it.
[jem27]the objective should state what they will do in the activity.
[jem28]if theres an objective, then there should be an assessment.
[jem29]Again, need an activity if theres an objective. And its always a good idea ot include practices to make
sure they can do it as well as to break up the instruction.
[jem30]same
[jem31]this doesnt seem to fit the content what are they doing with product categories nd examples?
[jem32]if its facts, then theres no activity and no objective.
[jem33]Are you getting at categories? Is this then a concept or bunch of concepts youre teaching?
If so, then perhaps you need for them to be able to identify the category a product would be in. Give them
products and they classify them???
[jem34]this is not what theyll do.
[jem35]this is a good example. Are you going to do others?

2016 PJ Enterprises. All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents
Instructor Information..4
Using the Guide..4
Course Description...4
Content Details4

Audience Information.5
Topics..5
Preparation Checklist..6
Timeline....7
Class Overview.9
Module 1: Phone Etiquette.11
Lesson 1 : Course Introduction11
Lesson 2: Basic Telephone Etiquette15
Lesson 3: Providing Customer Service20
Lesson 4: Review and Conclusion..25
Module 2: Product and Product Training Guide....25
Lesson 1: Product Guide Overview...25
Lesson 2: How to Search for Products.27
Lesson 3: Product Training...31
Lesson 4: Review and Conclusion..35
Appendix A: Participant Guide and Activities

Instructor Information

Using the Guide [KT]

This guide was developed by Coast to Coast to help aide PJ Enterprises in
Telephone Operator Etiquette and using the Product Guide for telephone
operators.

Course Description
The course is designed for Telephone Operators and targets the improvement of customer service
skills and speed when finding products. The course also includes application of the learned skills in
the form of role playing with the trainers and other operators. The first module will be on phone
etiquette and the second will be on working with the new product guide.

Content Details [CB]

Telephone Operator Modules

Module 1 Phone Etiquette

1. Course Introduction
Training Introduction

Course Overview

PJ Enterprises

Telephone Operator Roles and Responsibilities

Taking Orders
Customer Service
Selling Products
Processing Returns
2. Lesson 1: Basic Telephone Etiquette
Lesson Introduction
A.
Answering the Customer Call
A.
When and How to Transfer and Hold Calls
B.
Knowledge Check - Taking Calls: Answer, Hold, and Transfer
C.
Review and Summary
D.
3. Providing Customer Service
Lesson Introduction
A.
Phone Etiquette
B.
Call Protocol
C.
Video: Chester Hull: Phone Etiquette Training
D.
Review and Summary
E.
3. Review and Conclusion
Module 2 Product and Product Guides
1. Course Introduction
Product Guide Overview
A.
2. Using the Product Guide
How to find the PDF Catalog Guide: Guided Practice
A.
How to Search for Products: Guided Practice
B.
How to find Product Information: Guided Practice
C.
Review and Summary
D.
3. Product Training
Product Categories and Examples
A.
Practice Activity
B.
Fall/Holiday Catalog Products
C.
4. Practice Activity - Product Guide Usage and Ordering Practice - Scavenger Hunt
Product Scavenger Hunt
A.
5. Review and Conclusion

Audience Information
There is a singular audience structure for this training course, telephone operators. There are 25
telephone operators. The demographics of the participants include that 100% women, with ages
range from 18-60. Operator education ranges from high school diplomas to undergraduate degrees.
The majority of employees speak English, but four of them are bilingual and speak Spanish. Previous

experience includes retail sales, customer service, call center, phone and marketing sales, or as an
administrative assistant.

Topics [KT]
Topics covered in this guide:

Course Introduction
Basic Telephone Etiquette
Providing Customer Service
Product and Product Guidelines
Product Training

Preparation Checklist Instructor Information

Preparation Checklist [CB]
Four Weeks before Class
Familiarize yourself with the training room
Begin to read this guide and be familiar with the material
Begin scheduling employees in the training
Meet with supervisors and leads
Check with host to see if any participants with a disability need a special accommodation
Contact product vendors about product demos to use for training
Schedule classes and begin enrolling employees
Three Weeks before Class
Practice the training
o If it is the first time you are presenting, practice aloud in front of a mirror.
o Practice presenting with the slides, and write your personal notes.
Follow up with product vendors on any new product information for training

Check enrollment status of employees

Two Weeks before Class

Practice training again
o Read through practice sections and tips.
o Practice activities and worksheets.
o Re-review the slides and your speaking points.
Organize handouts and material

One week before class#

Print material
o Consider using different colored papers to keep participants organized and literally on
the same page.

o Practice training with supervisors

o Learn the content and activity flow as a group.
o Develop confidence.
o Set personal goals to be a successful facilitator.
Check on enrollment schedule.
o Send welcome letter to participants to introduce yourself, along with important dates
and times of training.
Relax

Day before class(es)

Set up the training room
o Make sure all participants can see the screen, engage with teammates, and hear the
instructor and teammates from their chairs.
Organize the handouts
Finalize enrollment and print rosters
Day of Class
Test your computer, projector, and sound system.
Distribute class material
Have participants make table tents with their name written on both sides.
Train!
o Remember, your energy level is infectious.
o Stay positive

Timeline [CB]
The class is scheduled to be completed in no more than 8 hours for the telephone operator staff. The
timeline below is to be used as a guide for how much time to spend on each lesson for material and/or
an activity. Start times and actual time spent on topics can be altered to fit the training needs of the
learners.
Course Schedule for Telephone Operators

Module 1: Phone Etiquette

Introduction

Length (Mins) and Start: Finish Time

10
_____:_____

Course Overview

_____:____
_

PJ Enterprises

_____:____
_

Telephone Operator Responsibilities.

15

_____:____
_

Answering the Customer Call

20

_____:____
_

When and how to Transfer and Hold Calls

20

_____:____
_

Knowledge Check - Taking Calls: Answer, H0ld

and Transfer

20

_____:____
_

Break

1o

_____:____
_

Phone Etiquette

30

_____:____
_

Call Protocol

20

_____:____
_

Ensuring Customer Happiness: Handling

Customer Complaints

30

_____:____
_

Role Play: Apply Phone Etiquette Skills

20

_____:____
_

Review and Conclusion

15

_____:____
_

Module 2: Product and Product Guide

Training Guide

Length (Mins) and Start: Finish Time

Product Guide Overview

20

_____:_____

How to Find the PDF Catalog Guide

10

_____:_____

How to Search for Products

20

_____:_____

How to Find Product Information

30

_____:_____

Break

15

_____:_____

Product Categories and Examples

20

_____:_____

Product Models

30

_____:_____

Fall/Holiday Catalog Products

20

_____:_____

Practice Activity: Customer Scenario - Looking

for a Tent

40

_____:_____

Review and Conclusion

30

_____:_____

Total Training Time

8 Hours
(approximate)

Unit 1: Class Overview [BT,KT,CB,MS]

Time: _5__ min.
Welcome the trainees and say we are
glad to see everyone here today.

We will take a few minutes to go over

some housekeeping details
Sign in
Building Orientation
Breaks
Course Length

Welcome
Welcome to Operator Phone Etiquette and
Product Guide Training.
Administrative Details
1. Please sign into roster to confirm your
attendance.
2. Building Orientation (bathrooms, snacks,
and beverages).
3. Breaks
4. Course length-Two 4 hour sessions

Go over purpose of training and

benefits

Purpose of Training
This training was prepared from survey
results to improve processes and procedures
with the phone, and products.

Let them know there are no

prerequisites for training and this
training is designed for current
employees

Pre-requisites of Training
This is designed for current employees.

Go over objectives and Inform them

that by the end of the course they will
be able to perform these functions

Explain structure of the course and

how it's broken down into modules
and lessons.

Course Objectives
Learn new ways to improve customer call
experiences.
Enhance current phone etiquette and
customer service skills.
Learn about the new product guide and
search features.
Discover ways to improve product
knowledge.
Increase quality time spent with customers
on calls and reduce customer issues and
complaints.
Practice and application of all skills
learned.

Organization of Training
1. Presentations.
2. Practice.

Inform them of the length of training.

Duration of Training
2-4 hour modules
Module 1 will address phone etiquette

Module 2 will address products

As the instructor, you will introduce

yourself and how you would like to be
addressed. Then give your role and
something interesting about yourself.
Then have your learners repeat the
same to you and the rest of the class.

Introductions
Facilitator will give the following
information to the class first:
Name and title
How long you have been with the
company.
Role(s) within the company.
Something fun about yourself, or you are
looking. forward to doing in the
upcoming weeks.
Have the learners repeat.

Ask participants if they have any

questions

Questions

Module 1: Phone Etiquette

Lesson 1: Course Introduction
Time: _25__ min.
Introduction
Now that you have
overviewed what's
happening today, let's
get started.

Introduction
Proper phone etiquette
Course overview
Roles and responsibilities

Let operators know

how this course will
help them.

Importance
The importance of learning proper phone etiquette is to
ensure that the customer needs are being met and to reduce
the number of customer complaints.

Go over what they will

learn and what they
will practice

Overview
In this section, participants will learn what proper phone
etiquette is, examples of phone etiquette, and have the ability
to practice phone etiquette techniques

Go over objectives

Objectives
In this course youll:
Utilize proper phone etiquette procedures
Demonstrate phone etiquette and operator expectations
Properly address customer concerns and questions
Complete the order process for customers through payment

Explain list of topics

Topics
This lesson includes the following topics:
Topic Page
1
2
3
4

Training Introduction
Course Overview
PJ Enterprises
Operator Roles and Responsibilities

Training Introduction
Introduction to the
Course

Course Overview

Course Overview and

Purpose

!
PJ Enterprises
Administrative Details

!
Telephone Operator Responsibilities
Review with operators
what their
responsibilities are.

Telephone Operator Rules & Responsibilities

Review how you will go

over customer service

Customer Service

Lesson 2: Basic Telephone Etiquette

Time: _60_min.
Introduction
Talk with operators about
basic telephone etiquette
and how vital it is to the
company

Explain the importance of

appropriately answering
customer calls and how to
appropriately hold and
transfer calls

Provide a brief overview of

the lesson

Introduction
Answering phones
Importance of the proper greetings
Holding and transferring calls
How basic phone etiquette benefits the company
Answer Importance
How customers feel when you answer calls
appropriately
Importance of connecting the call and having a
respectful greeting
Importance of using guidelines to hold and
transfer calls
Overview
In this lesson you will learn how to properly
answer a call using guidelines for greetings, call
protocol and holding and transferring calls

Go over objectives

Objectives
In this lesson, youll:
Learn how to properly answer all incoming calls.
Learn how and when to hold, and transfer calls.
Demonstrate knowledge of answering, holding and
transferring calls.

Topics
This lesson includes the following topics:
Topic Page
Answering the Customer Call When and How to
Transfer and Hold Calls
Knowledge Check - Taking Calls: Answer, Hold, and
Transfer Calls
Review and Summary
Answering the Customer Call

Explain how to answer all

incoming calls.
Demonstrate how to
properly answer incoming
calls.
Utilize the practice phones
in the room. Pick a learner
to make the call to you.
Emphasize the teaching
points.

The instructor will demonstrate how to properly

answer the incoming calls.
Demonstrate using the guidelines as below
1. Have one of the learners call you from the phone at
their desk.
2. Answer using the standard greeting: Thank you for
calling PJ Enterprises.
Emphasize the following teaching points.
Answer within 3 rings.
Always say a greeting, your name, the company name,
and ask how you can help.
Speak clearly and slowly.
Volume: Too Soft, Just Right or Too Loud.
Pleasant tone.
Put a smile in your voice.
Express energy!

When and How to Transfer and Hold Calls

Explain when it's necessary

to hold and transfer calls
and how to do both.
Demonstrate how to
properly put a call on hold
and transfer a call.
Teach the bullet points to
emphasize the guidelines.

The instructor will demonstrate how to properly place

a call on hold and transfer a call
Examples of Guidelines used:
-Be polite: Say, "One moment please, and I'll
check to see if someone is available to assist
you."
-Check on your customer: After having the
caller on hold, be sure to thank them for
holding before you continue with the next step
of the process.
-Warm Transfer: Say, "Hello Mrs. Smith,
thank you for holding. I am going to transfer
your call to Mr. Jones, one moment please." If
the caller thanks you, be sure to tell them,
"You're welcome.

Knowledge Check - Taking Calls: Answer, Hold, and Transfer

Explain the quiz and what it

covers. Reference the
previously taught bullet
points.

Multiple Select Quiz

Assessment Description:
1.. How quickly should you pick up a ringing
phone? Select all that apply.
b. As soon as it rings
c. Within 3 rings
d. After 5 rings
e. By the 4th ring
2. What is most important about your voice when
answering the phone? Select all that apply.
a. Volume
b. Speed
c. Tone
d. Inflection
3. What should you say when answering? Select all
that apply.
a. Your name.
b. Hello.
c. The company name.
d. Your department
4. When transferring a call you should give the
customer whats a called a warm transfer, which
explains what you are about to do. Select all the
choices from the list below that are examples of a
warm transfer.
a. "Miss Truman, I'll have to transfer you to Judy
Laughlin in customer service who can track that order
for you. Her direct number is .."
b. Hold on while I transfer you.
c. Mr. Jackson can I place you on hold while I get
your question answered?
d. Im transferring you. Please hold!
5. What should you say to someone before placing

Review and Summary

Go over what they have
learned in this lesson and
ask any questions.

Review and summarize lessons and objectives

Lesson 3: Providing Customer Service

Time: 100 min.
Introduction
Talk with operators
about call protocol,
phone etiquette and
how to ensure
customer happiness
and how these skill
will benefit them in
their current role.

Explain the
importance of these
skills and guidelines
and how vital is is.

Go over objectives

Importance
The first few words that a customer hears helps build
rapport and makes them feel welcome
Creates a lasting impression of the company

Overview
Guidelines and protocol for operators
Customer happiness and how to handle complaints
How to apply these skills

Provide brief
overview of lesson

Introduction
Greeting customers is your first interaction with the
customer
Making a good first impression is vital to a good
customer experiences and how you interact with the
customer for the rest of the call

Objectives
In this lesson, youll:
Learn how to greet customers with the PJ Enterprises
guidelines and protocols
Learn how to apply Customer Skills to resolve Issues and
Complaints
Practice and apply Phone Etiquette Principles

Topics
This lesson includes the following topics:
Topic Page
1 Lesson Introduction
2 Phone Etiquette
3 Call Protocol
4 Ensuring customer Happiness: Handling Customer
complaints
5 Review and Summary
Phone Etiquette
Play the video to give
a demonstration of a
good customer service
call vs. a bad call.

Video of Trainertainment: Good Call vs. Bad Call" https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4w46RPukbc
Guidelines:

Emphasize some of
the previously
mentioned points and
have learners
reference what went
wrong and right in
video.

Have the learners name things that you saw in the video.
Examples of both include:
Attitude
Interest in the callers request
Speed to delivery of the request
Greeting
Ability to help and provide answers.

!
Call Protocol

Explain PJ
Enterprises call
protocol and go over
role play activity.

When a customer calls, learners will greet customers and

follow the PJ enterprise guidelines and protocol.
Role Play
Pair off with another operator and practice the PJ
Enterprises greeting.
Greetings: Practice using a greeting, making sure to answer
after three rings.
"Good Morning."
"___(name of office)___, my name is ____"
"How may I help you."

Ensuring Customer Happiness: Handling Customer Complaints

Discuss ways to
handle customer
complaints and
resolve issues.
Demonstrate these
methods in the role
play activity that
follows.

Topics:
1. Acknowledge their anger and apologize.
2. Reassure the customer.
3. Act on the issue
4. Empathize with the customer.
5. Be proactive.
Role Play

Demonstrate task
with a role play
applying principles
and guidelines/rules.
Use the scenarios
included in the role
play.

Role Play
Pair off with another operator. One person will call with a
complaint and the other person acts as the operator who will
offer a solution. Then switch roles for the second scenario.
Scenario 1. Customer received the wrong size clothing item.
The customer is not pleased with this as he knew he
specifically requested the correct size.
Scenario 2. A customers order has not arrived as promised
and they paid extra money to ship it faster.
As the telephone operator it is your responsibility to see to it
that the customer's concerns are addressed. Use the
customer service methods discussed in class to approach
each situation and resolve the customer's complaint.

Lesson 4: Review and Conclusion

Time: _15_ min.
Review and Conclusion
Go over what they have learned and
review lesson objectives

Objective: Review and conclude the

lessons on Phone Etiquette.
Questions:

Ask if they have any questions and

address some questions.

What were your challenges?

What did you like about this lesson?
Dou you have any questions?

Module 2: Product and Product Training Guide

Lesson 1: Product Guide Overview
Time: _20_ min.
Introduction
Talk with your operators
about the new product
guide and how they will
locate the product guide
in the company intranet.

Introduction
Introduce the product guide
Where it is located in the computer and how to
access it

Explain the importance

of how the product guide
will help make searching
for produce and
information easier.

Importance
Searching for products is easier that flipping
through a paper guide
Less time will be spent searching for information
This will reduce customer and operator frustration
Access to more product information

Overview
Locating the guide

Go over lesson

Review objectives

Objectives
In this lesson, youll:
Receive an overview of the Product guide and the course.

Topics
This lesson includes the following topics:
Product Guide Overview
Product Guide Overview
Discuss with the class all
that is included in the
product guide

The instructor will discuss what the product guide

includes and what has changed.
New PDF format
Benefits of a guide available online
Search feature overview.

Lesson 2: How to Search for Products

Time: _50_ min.
Introduction

Go over lesson

Review objectives

Overview
How to search for information
Locating the guides
Practice activities
Objectives
In this lesson, youll:

Locate the Product Guide in the company intranet.

Search the PDF for products.
Locate Product Information in the guide.

Topics
This lesson includes the following topics:
Topic Page
1 How to Find the PDF Catalog Guide
2 How to Search for Products
3 How to Find Product Information

Explain the importance of

the search features and
how the different ways
they can search for items
will benefit them.

Importance
Various ways of searching for product
information
Cutting time when using the new product guide
Access to more information
Reducing frustration

How to Find the PDF Catalog Guide: Guided Practice

Demonstrate to the
operators how to locate
the PDF file on the
company intranet

The instructor will walk the operators through the

process of locating the new product guide PDF file.
1. Log in to your employee account.
2. Click on Employee Tools>Documents
3. Click on the PJ Enterprises Product Guide link to
open the document

How to Search for Products: Guided Practice

Guide operators through

the search features of the
new product guide PDF
and different ways they
can use search terms.

The instructor will guide the operators through the

use of Ctrl+F and Shift+Ctrl+F to search for products
in the product guide.
Activity 1
Using Ctrl+F, search for every instance of the
following words and identify the amount of results
Sofa ___
Knife ___
Juicer ___
Mixer ___
Flat Screen ___
Activity 2
Using
Shift+Ctrl+F, search for every instance of the
following words and identify the amount of results:
42" Flat Screen TV___
Outdoor Sofa Set___
Ottoman __
Entertainment Center ___
Activity 3
Answer the following questions:
Which search option offered more results?
Which search option found your items the fastest?
When do you think you would use Ctrl+F vs. Shift
+Ctrl+F

How to Find Product Information: Guided Practice

Previously, operators were

taught how to find
products. Now, explain to
them how they will locate
the product information
in the guide once they find
the product.

The instructor will guide the operators through the

process of locating a list of products and identifying
their information in the product guide. The instructor
will ask random learners about the product
information they found to repeat back to the class.
The instructor will give a list of products to the
operators.
The operators will use the search tools (Ctrl+F or Shift
+Ctrl+F) to find the products and the product
information in the guide.
The instructor will then ask specific questions about
the products on the list.
An operator will respond to the instructors question
about the product using the information provided in
the guide.
Example Questions
What color options are available for the Topeka
outdoor lounge chairs?
What are the dimensions of the Topeka outdoor table?
How many people does it sit?
Is the 55 Sony Vizio D55-2D model a SmartTV? Is it
1080P HD or Ultra 4K resolution

Lesson 3: Product Training

Time: _70_ min.
Introduction

Talk to operators
about how they
will find out about
new products
coming out for the
fall and holiday
season

Introduction
New product information
Demonstrations and access to popular products

!
Explain the
importance of
having this
information and it
will help them be
able to talk to
customers about
how these
products are used
and what the most
popular products
are.

Review lesson

Go over objectives

Importance
Operators will be able to talk to customers about the
products
Answer questions about products having access to them
Reduces customer frustration when operators have more
information

Overview
Matching products and categories
Learning about products
Activities
Objectives
In this lesson, youll:

Identify about new products/categories for the Fall/Holiday

catalog.
Try popular product samples.
Match products to their corresponding categories.

Topics
This lesson includes the following topics:
Topic Page
Product Categories and Examples
Practice activity
Fall/Holiday Catalog Products
Product Categories and Examples
Explain matching
activity and that
operators will
match products
and their
descriptions to
their
corresponding
category.

Matching Activity product characteristic to Categories:

A. Sports
B. Kitchen and home
C. Outdoor
D. Tools
E. Furniture
1. A tool that can remove striped screws on one end and can
install screws in on the other.
2. A decorative garden gnome designed to art to your yard and
character to your flower bed.
3.Whether its for a kids room or college dorm, this futon serves
multiple functions as an extra bed or small sofa.
4.It comes with 5 steak knives, filet knife, a large serrated knife,
a sharpener, a cutting board, and a butcher block

Answers
A. 5
B. 4.
C. 2
D. 1
E. 3
Practice Activity

Explain activity
and how
operators will
search for
products, locate
the products and
complete the
customers
request.

Complete the following activity

Read the scenario to the learners.
The operators will spend time on their own and search for the
the requested products in the scenario.
When the product is located, operators must find the product
information.
Once the product and information are both located, the
operator must complete the questions about what they found.
(See appendix for the questions)
Scenario
A customer calls in search of a family size camping tent with two
doors and multiple rooms. He is taking his family on a camping
trip in the mountains and is looking for a tent that will
accommodate the five of them (customer, his wife, and their
three kids). You need to locate some tent options for him and
describe some of the features that match his preferences. The
catalog has a sporting goods section in the table of contents that
has tents in it
Fall/Holiday Catalog Products

Present the most

popular products
and samples and
the new specific
products in the
fall/Holiday
catalog and go
over the activities.

Activity 1
Learners will explore and try the product samples being used in
the catalog
Activity 2
As they look at the products, they will work through a checklist
identifying products, categories, and key features and write
them into the document provided.
(See Appendix)

Lesson 4: Review and Conclusion

Time: _20_ min.
Review and Conclusion
Tell them what they learned in the lesson
and review the objectives.
Ask if they have any questions and
address some questions.

Objective: Review and conclude the

lessons on Product training.
Questions:
What were your challenges ?
What did you like about this lesson?

Do you have any questions?

Product

Category

Key Feature

Tyson Deluxe Grill

Mega Health: Your
Juicer, Smoothie,
and Nutrient
Extractor
Road Home Dog
Tracer
DeLonghi Espresso
Maker
La Vida Steel
Hanging Chair
Hipstreet W10
Windows Tablet
Northwest Territory
10 Person Tent with
Porch

As an operator it is important to be able to know as much about products as possible so when

customers call, you can go show your expertise about what PJ Enterprises offers. Complete the list
above by visiting our vendors and complete the following:
1. Observe and try all of the products available for demonstrations.
2. Write in the product name in column one.
2. Write in the product category in column two.
3. Write in some of the key features of the product you observed.