Learning outcome
The course aims to give students in-depth knowledge of central aspects of sales and service marketing within contact – and service centres. The course includes the subject areas service understanding, service management, persuasion in conversation, direct sales and sales management and ethics. Lectures, student guidance and assignments shall as far as possible incorporate the particular characteristics of the call center industry and the contact – and service centre industry in particular.

The target of the course is to raise the knowledge of the students to a level where they are able to deliver the best results in a contact – and service centre and contribute to the development of their own contact – and service centre.

Acquired knowledge
After having successfully completed the course, students must have knowledge and skills that enable them to function within the service person role as well as in the sales person role. This means having understood the processes of service and sales management, be an active participant in strategic and operational sales - and service planning and the daily running of a phone based contact – and service centre.
Students should have a profound understanding of the ethic sides of delivering services over the phone.

Acquired skills
Students must be able to participate actively in sales – and service processes in a phone based organization.
Be able to develop a personal sales plan that can fulfill activity targets and be able to deliver activities as outbound campaigns and inbound service calls.
An important part of the quality assurance of conversations is the development of conversation guides is part of the skills offered to students.
Students are trained in decent and ethical behavior in their ongoing conversation with customers and prospects.

Reflection
During the course the student must have developed a both professional and a critical-constructive attitude to the term “telephone sales”, service management, persuasion and ethics. It is important to have a good understanding of the important role the employers have in the development of a strong and positive corporate culture within the contact – and service centre. This is positive for the development of the individual, the team and the professional pride.
The student should have developed a sound understanding of the ethical aspects of selling and delivering services over the phone.

Prerequisites
None

Compulsory reading
Books:
Andreassen, Tor Wallin. 2006. Serviceledelse : planlegging og styring av sannhetens øyeblikk. 5. utg. Gyldendal akademiske. 200 sider
Berg, Morten Emil. 2006. Coaching : å hjelpe ledere og medarbeidere til å lykkes. 2. utg. Universitetsforl. 370 sider
Petersen, Eirik. 2009. Nå dine salgsmål! : grunnleggende salgsteknikk for alle som jobber med kunder. Universitetsforlaget.. 210 sider

Recommended reading
Books:
Christoffersen, Svein Aage, red. 2011. Profesjonsetikk: om etiske perspektiver i arbeid med mennesker. Universitetsforlaget. 140 sider.
Cialdini, Robert B. 2011. Påvirkning: teori og praksis. 2.utg. Abstrakt Forlag (norsk utgave). 337 sider.
Johnston, Mark W., Greg W. Marshall. 2011. Churchill/Ford/Walkers Sales Force Management. 10th ed. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Zeithaml, Valerie A., Mary Jo Bitner, Dwayne D. Gremler. 2009. Service Marketing: integrating customer focus across the firm.. 5th ed. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Course outline
Sales and service in customer centres
1. An industry in development: From TeleMarketing to contact – and service centres
· The history, terms, ethics, NORDMA, the market situation, trends and development
· Telemarketing and the phone as service – and sales chanel
· the development of technology and technology presentation
2. Service management
· Understanding the service concept a precondition for success in phone based sales and service delivery

- The demand of the sales and service person’s competences and personal qualities

· The quality assurance of conversations

3. Persuasion and communication
· Psycological pursiasion factors
· Contents, voice, body language (on the phone) conversation techniques

4. Personal sales and sales planning
· Sales techniques

· Selling in outbound and selling extra in inbound and in outbound

5. Coaching, self management and ethics
· Coaching
· Use of persuasive means
· Super management and self management
· Prof. Ethics in contact – and service centres
· Ethical challenges in day-to-day business
6. CRM , brand building and the integration with other marketing channels and social media
· Phone technology (telephone, data, software)

Computer-based tools
itslearning

Learning process and workload
The course runs over one semester in 3 moduls each of 2 days. As part of the teaching, students will be allotted to minor groups for solving specific tasks. The task and the solutions are discussed. It is emphazied that students are prepared before the teaching.