TCNA Beyond Legendary Soft Skills Enhancement

Beyond Legendary Soft Skills Enhancement

Resources and Next Steps

Beyond Legendary Call Collection

Updated Escalation Process

Difficult Situations

Beyond Legendary Service

Overview

Objectives

Index

Prioritize the customer experience above all. Listen, educate, empathize, and provide solution focused verbiage.

Customer Experience

Empathy is a key component of building rapport. The more we work to build rapport with our customers the more they will trust us and want to work with us.

Deeper Connection

Active listening means that you are engaged in the conversation and listening to truly hear and understand the needs of the customer.

Active Listening

The goal of this course is to equip Response Specialists and Back Office Support Specialists with the skills and mindset needed to enhance empathy in their interactions with customers.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. In this case, the feelings of our customers and their experience prior to, during, and after contacting us.

Empathy

Objectives

Soft Skills allow us to interact effectively with others. In this Skill Enhancement, we will focus on soft skills that create the Beyond Legendary experience for our customers, with an emphasis on adding empathy and actively listening.When thinking about our Core Values on the Toyota Connected Program, each relate back to soft skills and how we use them when interacting with our customers.

Importance of Soft Skills

Soft Skills Overview

Empathy is crucial in all interactions, but especially when providing customer service. Empathy helps build trust and fosters a positive rapport with customers. When Specialists demonstrate empathy, they show genuine understanding and concern for the customer's feelings, frustrations, or needs. This connection can defuse tension, turn negative situations into positive outcomes, and make customers feel heard and valued.

And why is it important?

What is Empathy?

Adding Empathy

How does empathy fit into our core values and beyond legendary service ideals?It is the expectation of Toyota Connected that our customers feel that the Specialist is truly connected to the call and is actively engaged in the successful delivery of the desired services.

"A legend is someone who leaves behind an unforgettable impression on others."

Beyond Legendary Service and Empathy

Core Values

Beyond Legendary Service

Provide personal connections, build rapport, anticipate further needs, be proactive not reactive.

Answer questions, provide education and information, assist with confidence and understanding.

Ask appropriate probing and clarifying questions while validating concerns or frustrations.

Acknowledge why they are calling, provide empathy and congratulations at appropriate times.

Actively listening is essential to successful customer interactions because it allows us to fully understand the customer's issue, demonstrate attentiveness, and make the customer feel heard and valued. When combined with empathy, active listening can be a powerful tool in de-escalating difficult calls.

How it can enhance everyone's experience

Actively Listening

Active Listening

While it is rare on the Toyota Connected program, there are times when a call we receive will require de-escalating an unhappy customer. In difficult situations like these, we can use the L.E.A.D. method in addition to carefully following best practices and procedures laid out by the client. L.E.A.D. stands for Listen, Empathize, Apologize, and Do Something. After reviewing the L.E.A.D. method and listening to examples on the left, go to the next slide to see a visual of what these steps look like when climbing "Anger Mountain."

Beyond Legendary Service and L.E.A.D.

Core Values

De-Escalation Technique: L.E.A.D. Method

Direct/Do Something: After hearing the customer out, empathizing, and apologizing, it is time to take action in helping them to resolve their issue.

Apologize: A simple "I'm so sorry you're experiencing this," can be incredibly impactful to the rest of the interaction.

Empathize: Place yourself in a similar situation. This will help to allow you to feel more understanding to their situation.

Listen: Have the customer explain the problem and really listen.

L.E.A.D. in Difficult Situations

What should I do when a customer enters the call in an escalated state?

How can I add empathy into ACN calls to provide Beyond Legendary Service?

What should I do if a customer asks to speak to a supervisor?

Putting ourselves in their shoes

Knowing how to empathetically and efficiently handle difficult situations with customers is an essential part of providing Beyond Legendary Service. While it doesn't happen often, every once in awhile you may get a customer who is frustrated or upset. Click on the plus signs below to see what processes are in place to set you up for success in handling difficult situations.

Adding empathy in difficult situations

Difficult Situations

Engaging PSAP

Customer Unresponsive

Customer is Hurt

Use these suggested phrases throughout your ACN calls to create that Beyond Legendary Experience. Speaking directly to the VO by using their name helps us establish a human connection.

Customer is Okay

Suggested ACN Empathetic Phrases

Step 1

+1

Supervisor requests are delicate situations that require the utmost patience and empathy because the customer more than likely has already had to explain their issue, and not received the help they needed yet in a timely fashion. We want to do all we can to help, while prioritizing de-escalating the situation. We never want to meet their frustration, talk over them, or lack understanding.

Notify and warm transfer the call to a Resource PRO using Internal Call Transfer. If a Resource is not available quickly, set expectations with the customer and offer a callback.

Step 4

If after offering to resolve the issue the customer still wants to speak with a supervisor, use Slack to notify a Resource.

Step 3

If customer accepts your offer to resolve their issue, ask probing questions and work with them to resolve the issue using the L.E.A.D. Method.

Step 2

If at some point during the call the customer asks to speak to a supervisor, make 1 attempt to de-escalate using the L.E.A.D. Method.

Notify Resource

warm Transfer to Resource or offer callback

Communicate with the customer the steps that are being taken and apologize for any Inconvenience they've encountered.

If accepted, help resolve issue. If not, add empathy and quickly work to connect them to a Resource PRO.

Attempt to De-Escalate using LEAD

Difficult Situations: Escalation Path

These are calls that are Beyond Legendary. As you listen, pay attention to the tone, empathy, and active listening that the Response Specialist implements in the call and how it impacts the customer response and overall feeling after the interaction. If you notice growth areas in these calls where you would have added additional empathy, note it for your future calls.

Toyota Connected Resource Padlet

Beyond Legendary Call Collection Examples

Beyond Legendary Call Examples

We have many new AI learning opportunities in Bright! To check them out and practice tone and adding empathy in difficult situations, follow the steps to the right.

What opportunities are available?

Bright

Use your resources to continue to develop your soft skills moving forward.

Repetition is Key

Practice using an empathetic tone by completing the call simulations in Bright.

Locate the Call Simulations

Navigate to the Bright TCNA Learning Paths by clicking "My Path" and scrolling to TCNA Paths.

Navigate to TCNA Paths in Bright

Navigate to OneLogin and click on the Bright tile. Login with your wsagents email and reset your password if you do not remember it.

One Login

Practicing Using an Empathetic Tone in Bright

On the Toyota Connected program, we strive to be continuous learners. Utilize the resources found here, QA feedback, call listening, and coaching to strengthen your soft skills and provide that Beyond Legendary customer experience.

Development

The WSU CLIMB tab includes the Beyond Legendary Soft Skills Enhancement, review modules from Prep, and a list of Bright Development opportunities to practice tone, pacing, and active listening through different processes and procedures.

WSU

The Padlet has multiple resources covering soft skills, empathetic phrases, and Beyond Legendary call examples for your review.

Padlet

Great job! You have now completed the Beyond Legendary Soft Skills Continuing Education course. Moving forward, keep the resources below in your toolbelt to ensure you are actively listening and always adding empathy when interacting with customers.

The Salesforce Knowledge Base includes KBs that touch on Soft Skills and how to handle Supervisor Requests.

Salesforce KB

Resources and Next Steps

If you have any questions please reach out to zswanson@workingsol.com.

Questions

Strive to be a continuous learner. Don't forget about Development opportunities in WSU and Bright!

Development

Pass WSU Module Quiz with an 85% or Above

Review Salesforce KBs that are mentioned in this module.

Review KBs

Complete Genially Course

Completing the Beyond Legendary Soft Skills Module

Stay Beyond Legendary!

Don't forget to submit your answers to the WSU Knowledge Check and receive a passing score of 85% or above to be marked as complete for this skill enhancement.

Thankyou!

Reassure: "I have called emergency services and help is on the way. You are not alone. I am going to stay with you until help arrives."Reassure some more: "You are doing great. Help is going to be there soon. I am right here with you."

Customer is Hurt/Injured

Empathetic Phrases

De-Escalation Path

L.E.A.D. Method

Listen: Allow them to vent. Do not interrupt.Empathize: Put yourself in their shoes.Apologize for the inconvenience.Direct them on next steps.

• L.E.A.D. should be used in all interactions with customers, but especially in difficult situations.
• If a customer isn't responsive to the L.E.A.D. Method, escalate to a Resource PRO.

• Customer Requests Escalation: the customer explicitly requests to speak to a supervisor or manager.
• Customer is upset and de-escalation fails.
• First Call Resolution (FCR) is not Possible.

Escalation Criteria

If de-escalation fails, escalate the call to a Resource PRO based on the following criteria:

Empathize: "I am so sorry that this has happened, but I am so glad that you are okay." Explain: "I am going to stay on the line with you until emergency services have arrived."Offer: "I would be happy to notify a loved one for you. Is there an emergency contact I can call for you?"Check In every 5 Minutes: "Hello , this is Tiffany from Toyota Safety Connect Repsonse Center, I am still here with you. Emergency Services should be arriving shortly. Are you doing okay still?"Verify Emergency Services have Arrived: "Can you please confirm that police/fire/ambulance are on scene?"

Customer is Okay

Empathetic Phrases

1. Transform the Customer Experience2. Love What You Do3. Own It: Step up and give your best!4. Kaikaku: Push the boundaries of what's possible. Never be satisfied with the status quo.

Toyota Connected North America-Mission

Toyota Connected Core Values

Engaging PSAP

You are in control. Prepare the customer for the interaction with PSAP. Provide necessary information to PSAP before they ask for it.

• Explain to the Customer: "I will bring 911 onto the line with us. I will provide them with your vehicle information and location and then they may have more questions for you."
• Explain to PSAP: "My name is ___ from Toyota Safety Connect. I have a customer on the line with us who has been involved in an accident and requires emergency assistance. They are driving a White 2023 Toyota Camry and are located at 333 Main Street in Orlando, FL.

1. Transform the Customer Experience2. Love What You Do3. Own It: Step up and give your best!4. Kaikaku: Push the boundaries of what's possible. Never be satisfied with the status quo.

Toyota Connected North America-Mission

Toyota Connected Core Values

Customer is Unreponsive

After Contacting PSAP:Empathize: "I am so sorry that this has happened, but I am here for you. Help is on the way."Explain: "I'm not sure if you can hear me, but I am going to stay on the line with you until emergency services have arrived. I already called them for you."Check In every 5 Minutes: "Hello this is Ellie from Toyota Safety Connect Response Center, I am still here with you. Emergency Services should be arriving shortly. Are you okay?"Verify Emergency Services have Arrived: "Can you please confirm that police/fire/ambulance are on scene?"

Questioning while Actively Listening to Ensure Understanding

Clarifying and Confirming

Clarifying Questions:

• "Would you mind telling me more about_____?"
• "Could you please, tell me exactly_____?"
• "Can you describe what's happening when_____?"

• "Let me make sure I understand you correctly. You want to____?"
• "It sounds like you need X, Y, and Z. Am I getting that right?"
• "I think I understand the issue you're describing, just to confirm____is what you're experiencing and you'd like to ____ by the end of the call?"