"How
to be more professional with your company's
telephone calls"
Do
not keep an incoming call waiting
Try and have a system in place that trains
all staff to answer incoming calls promptly
ideally by the third ring. Beware remote
call centers, answer machines, voice machines,
menu attendants or no pickup responses all
to varying degrees give a poorer service
level than calls being directly picked up
by the actual company. The customer partly
judges your service standard by your telephone
response, so it is very important. Remember
your business is there to help the customer
and put them first.
Re-route
incoming calls to the right person promptly
Reroute your customer to the required person
without delay, do not just let it go to voice
mail if there is no pick up. Explain what
you are going to do, ask for their permission
to place them on hold shortly. Then ask if
they wish if unable to speak to the first
person, to be redirected to another member
of staff or to the first person's email or
leave a message with them directly. The important
point is to make sure that all callers are
made to feel that they are really being looked
after in a professional pleasant manner.
When
the phone is answered, ensure all staff members
are trained to be dealing with calls in a
consistent and professional manner
Greet the caller politely, introduce the company
name and ask how they may be able to help
the customer. After the customer has given
their instructions thank them and reassure
them that you will deal with their request
immediately. If the customer has to go on
hold only do so after you have asked their
permission and explained what you are going
to do.
Voice
messages must be to the point and professional
If you use voice messages give exact and simple
straight forward instructions. Do not be long
winded or too informal. If you have to use
a voice attendant and menu system then do
not have too many options or filter levels
and give an option of how to get out of the
menu and speak directly to an assistant. For
the menu instructions ensure there is a familiar
local voice and music must be appropriate
without distortion or poor line quality.
Investigation
and monitoring statistics analysis
If your telecom supplier can give
statistics on calls they should be analysed
to see what is happening, for example call
drop out rate, and call waiting times. This
information can help you improve the system
in order to look after your precious customers.
A lot of business is done over the phone so
take action to ensure an excellent service.
We
can help you develop a professional service
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