Effective Communication Skills

PSO Advertiser Soft Skills Training

Hi! Hola!

Your presenter team

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Confidentiality Statement
The following content is confidential information of Meta. Employee
and Contingent Workers assigned to provide services to Facebook
should not share or distribute this information without the written
consent of Facebook.

We also ask learners to refrain from the following during this session:

● Taking photos of content displayed, drawn, or discussed

● Recording video of live lectures or video presentations
● Voice-recording lectures or videos presentations
01 Greeting

02 Being Concise yet Thorough

03 Demonstrating Confidence &

Ownership
04 Displaying Ownership in Difficult
Situations
 01
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
What do we want to be known for?
Exceptional Communication Skills
Meta Customer Support is known for...

● We greet the advertiser in a friendly, upbeat manner, using his/her name and treat them like
a VIP
● We use a professional tone that exudes confidence -- we are not robotic in our
communication -- and avoid banned phrases and slang
● We understand and act upon the needs, wants, savviness, and emotions of our advertisers
● We endeavour to reduce effort for the advertiser by asking for information that was only
Communication ●
strictly necessary in order to address the issue.
We demonstrate genuine empathy when our advertisers face challenging situations
Skills ● We structure our written correspondence effectively to ensure ease of understanding: using
proper spelling, grammar, and syntax [Email/Chat]; correct usage of spoken language
[Phone]
● We exude ownership in communicating to the client about the issue
● We instill confidence by reassuring the advertiser of the steps being taken to investigate
their issues thoroughly
What are our advertisers looking for?
➔ Premium treatment and a natural, human interaction
◆ Offer an upbeat greeting, personalized and friendly service
◆ Display professionalism, without sounding robotic in tone

➔ Clear engagement throughout the interaction

◆ Express a willingness to help
◆ Remain engaged, attentive, and eager to help until the close of the interaction
◆ Only ask for relevant information from the advertiser
◆ Always use proper spelling, grammar, and sentence structure

➔ Ownership of advertiser issues

◆ Take ownership in resolving an issue
◆ Instill confidence by reassuring the client of the steps being taken to investigate their issues thoroughly

➔ Genuine empathy
◆ Demonstrate empathy through actions as well as words
◆ Steer clear of empathy statements that sound canned or scripted
◆ In situations where it’s difficult to fully understand or empathize with the advertiser’s unique situation, show that you are
listening and making a genuine attempt to understand
BEING
CONCISE, YET
THOROUGH
Structure is key, regardless of support channel

To consistently provide a clear and simple solution, top performers often have a
simple pattern of how they communicate their solutions to their advertisers:

1. Present Findings:​“What I have found is…”(what is going on)

2. Educate:​“What that means is…”(how does that impact the advertiser). If
relevant provide further information from Help Centre articles.
3. Next Steps:​“So what needs to happen now is…”(here is how we can fix the
problem)
Recommendations for writing concise emails

➔ Use the minimum amount of words and sentences

◆ Consider the advertiser’s savviness and only include what will be of value

➔ Get to the point as early as possible in the email

◆ State the answer or resolution before going through your troubleshooting steps or
background information
◆ Clearly state any action required from the advertiser’s end early in the email

➔ Use “if...then” statements

◆ This reduces back and forth if you’re waiting for information from the advertiser
Writing concise emails when handling multiple/complex issues

➔ Include the answer to the most urgent issue first

◆ Which issue is the most troublesome/time sensitive from the advertiser’s perspective?
◆ Example: If you’re following up on an urgent Payments issue as well as providing supplementary information
about a new product feature, address the Payments issue earlier in the email

➔ Set an agenda using the BLUF format

◆ A BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) is a paragraph where the conclusions and recommendations are placed at the
beginning of the text, rather than the end, in order to facilitate rapid decision making.
◆ If your email needs to be lengthy, include a brief sentence at the beginning to explain how your email is
structured including the summary conclusions and recommendations
◆ Example: “I’ve included important information regarding your Payments concern directly below, followed by
the answer to your questions about location extensions and remarketing.”

➔ Use headers and bullets

◆ Insert a header for each major issue you’re addressing
◆ Use bullet points to clearly document implementation steps
 Writing concise emails: a note on Wordiness
Sometimes the problem isn’t choosing exactly the right word to express an idea—it’s being “wordy,” or using words
that your reader may regard as “extra” or inefficient.

Keep an eye out for wordy constructions in your writing and see if you can replace them with more concise words or phrases:

Wordy Concise
I came to the realization that I realized that
She is of the opinion that She thinks that
Concerning the matter of About
During the course of During
In the event that If
In the process of During, while
Regardless of the fact that Although
Due to the fact that Because
In all cases Always
At that point in time Then
Prior to Before
Writing concise emails that don’t sound rude
➔ Use exclamation points (within reason)
◆ But not too many; consider the advertiser’s mood and the overall situation before using exclamation points. If the mood is grim, using
exclamation points can make you seem unempathetic.
◆ If the mood is positive, using an exclamation point at the beginning during your greeting, or at the end during your send-off, can help
ensure that a direct, straightforward email doesn’t sound curt

➔ Say something nice

◆ “I hope your week is off to a good start!”
◆ “By the way, happy Friday! I hope you have a great weekend.”
◆ “Thank you so much for sending that screenshot! It was super helpful in terms of
diagnosing the problem.”
◆ “I took a look at the changes you made and they look great. In terms of
next steps, I’d suggest…”

➔ Add a personal touch

◆ “It was great touching base with you yesterday”
◆ “I was working through your request earlier and wanted to send a quick update
given the urgency of this issue”
Written communication: Express vs Impress

➔ Proofread and Check: Have you written to express, rather than impress?

Inform/Impress
Express
● You’ll need to...
● Are you able to ...
● You’ll have to...
● I’d suggest...
● You must...
● I’d recommend...
● You should…
● Could you please…
● Send me...
● It’s necessary to…

● Please share
Written communication: Avoid Cliches
➔ Check if you have used cliches?

● Clichés are catchy little phrases so frequently used that

they have become trite, corny, or annoying.

● They are problematic because their overuse has Cliches Alternatives

diminished their impact and because they require several Agree to disagree Disagree
words where just one would do.
Dead as a doornail Dead

● The main way to avoid clichés is first to recognize them Last but not least Last
and then to create shorter, fresher equivalents. Pushing the envelope Approaching the limit
Up in the air Unknown/undecided
● Ask yourself if there is one word that means the same
thing as the cliché.

● If there isn’t, can you use two or three words to state the
idea your own way?
Words and phrases that sound natural and friendly
This section applies to...
phone, chat, & email

● Hi/Hello/Hey- A friendly greeting (Note: Hey can be used in follow up emails only
if the client’s tone is friendly)

● Morning/Afternoon/Evening, (client’s name) - Be aware of your client’s location

and timezone, as it will help you personalize your greeting

● It sounds/looks/seems like

● Sure thing! - Assured/a certainty

● Sounds good to me - I’m in line with you

● Good/Great news! - Can be used while conveying

positive news
Words and phrases that sound natural and friendly

● Connect the dots - To understand the relationship between different ideas

● No worries - Not a problem

● Brainstorm - To think about or produce ideas

● At first glance - When first looked at

● It’s on my radar - Something you have on your task list and you’re keeping a
watch on.

● Spot on! - You’re accurate/right

Suggested terminology
DEMONSTRATING
CONFIDENCE &
OWNERSHIP
Demonstrating confidence and ownership: general best
practices This section applies to...
phone, chat, & email

● “I’d be happy to help you with this. Let’s see what we can do to get
Display a can-do this sorted out for you.”
attitude ● “Happy to work with you to get this resolved.”

● “I've seen this issue before; what’s happening is..."

Allude to your own ● “This is a bit different than how I’ve seen this issue play out in the
experience past. Let’s do this…”
● “Here’s how I typically like to go about investigating this…”

● “I took a thorough look into your account and also checked a few of
Show your work our internal tools…”
● After exploring all of the options for this with our Payments team…”
How to gain a advertiser’s confidence

➔ Use wording choices that put the advertiser at ease and illustrate urgency
◆ “I’ll be happy to take it from here”
◆ “Thanks for the clarification; I’ll start work on this immediately.”
◆ “I’ve diagnosed the issue. Here’s what I found and how to fix it:...”

➔ Explain the steps you took (or are still taking) to reach a resolution
◆ Tell the advertiser how you diagnosed the issue
● Where did you go in the account?
● Which externally-safe tools did you use?
● Did you discuss the issue with a specialist?

➔ Alert the advertiser of other urgent account issues if you spot them
◆ Urgent Payments issues
◆ Potential policy issues/disapproved ads
Demonstrating confidence when you aren’t sure
Bad (minimize this) – demonstrating behaviors that diminish the advertiser’s trust in
you
● Using a lot of broken sentences or stammering
● Using words like "should," "probably," or "maybe" when more definite language is possible
● Stating “I don’t know” without further qualification, or without presenting a clear plan for moving
forward
● Providing a partial resolution, hoping it will suffice/the advertiser won’t notice

Good – coming across as knowledgeable and competent

● Despite uncertainty, tone remains strong and clear
● Acknowledging that you’re not sure, but still showing a willingness to reach a resolution

Great (required) – coming across as an expert, dedicated to resolving the issue

● Despite uncertainty, tone remains strong, clear, representing Meta’s brand
● Acknowledging that you’re not sure, but showing a clear plan of action
● Making the advertiser feel at ease by alluding to your past experience
● Resolution is 100% complete and aligned with advertiser’s needs
Defining Empathy

Phrases that exhibit empathy: Actions that exhibit empathy:

● Always providing an alternative solution

● “I can see how inconvenient this would be
for you…” ● Going the extra mile to troubleshoot or
confirm an undesired outcome
● “I know this might not be the answer you
were hoping to hear…” ● Checking in regularly and following up on
all promises
● “Your objective here makes perfect sense.
In this case though...”
DISPLAYING
OWNERSHIP IN
DIFFICULT
SITUATIONS
Large Group Discussion

How might objection handling or delivering bad news

look different with our advertisers? How can we still
show ownership in these scenarios?
Displaying ownership while handling objections

Acknowledge and/or Empathize

Question: ask questions & uncover any additional

Objection concerns
handling
framework
Position your Response to the objection

Check & Confirm objection answered

Examples of objections or pushback from our
advertisers
Suggested messaging:

“I completely understand. I’ll send an email to your CSM / CP now to let

Requests to work only with CSM / CP them know that you’ve contacted us and you’re looking to speak to
“Thank you for your help but I’d really rather work with my CSM / CP to them. However I’d be more than happy to take a look in the meantime
resolve this.” to get this resolved as quickly as possible for you?”

“Yes I do know what you mean. Unfortunately because we’re a reactive

Requests to work only with one Meta Support Pro team it isn’t possible to speak to the same person each time,
“It’s much easier to work with a dedicated Meta Support Pro rather nonetheless everyone on our team is equally as trained and qualified to
than reaching a different agent each time I contact you.” deal with your issue and we’re always happy to help!”

“I’ll definitely reiterate to the team responsible for this how important it
Pushback on bugs is to get this resolved as quickly as possible. In the meantime, let’s
“Isn’t there anything else you can do to get this resolved more quickly? take a look to see if there’s any kind of workaround available while this
Typically these issues are solved for us immediately.” is being worked on.”
Delivering bad news (handling service “no’s”)

Acknowledge and/or Empathize

Framework for Align yourself

delivering bad
news
Explain why

Provide a workaround or suggestion

The power of a cushion statement
This section applies to...
phone & chat

One quick way to satisfy a advertiser’s logical and emotional needs is using a
Cushion Statement following this structure:

1. Summarize​: Acknowledge the advertiser's feelings, position, and/or opinion

without agreeing or disagreeing. (I hear you)
2. Empathize​: Let the client know you are on their side and their frustration,
confusion, etc. is understandable. (I empathize with you)
3. Transition​: Redirect and discuss what needs to happen next to move forward.
(Let’s work together)
 Write a cushion statement addressing the
following advertiser issue:

Advertiser’s account is disabled and he already raised a Appeal

request.
 How would you customize your
communication to effectively deal with
one of the following scenarios?
Scenario 1: Advertiser is extremely flustered when joining chat. They
missed lunch because they were waiting 20 minutes in the queue.

Scenario 2: The first line of the advertiser email is “I need this to be

resolved by the end of the day today.”

Scenario 3: Client states that they have been doing FB Ads for 10 years
and they have never had trouble with reports until we switched to this
new UI.
Thank You
Questions?