Phone Etiquette: There’s a Right Way
Good phone etiquette is an essential component of your business’s success. The way customers are handled on the phone is a marker of your business’s overall quality and may even determine if you retain your customers. As such, it’s important to understand the basics.
Be Polite and Respectful
Answer the phone with a polite greeting such as, “Good morning! This is XYZ company. How can we assist you today?” Starting the call with an upbeat greeting that immediately puts the customer’s request first makes them feel welcome and sets the proper tone for good customer relations.
If you have to put someone on hold ask, “Can you hold, please? Thank you very much.” Never forget the “please” and “thank you.” Showing respect to your customers is a good way to keep a customer happy. While being put on hold can be irritating, being asked if it is all right and doing it in a courteous manner can go a long way to gaining customer satisfaction.
If a caller is spending too much time on hold, check in with them to see if they would rather leave a message than continue to hold. By checking in, you show the customer how valued they are.
Smile
It may sound odd, but it’s true – answer the phone with a smile. When a person smiles, it can be detected over the phone and can immediately set the tone of pleasant customer service. This can put the customer at ease and makes them feel welcome right from the start.
Transfer Calls Correctly
Before you start answering phones, be sure you know who in the company gets what type of phone call. No one likes to be shuttled around from person to person, repeatedly explaining their problem. Understand your company’s departments ahead of time, so that calls can be transferred to the right person without delay.
How your customers are treated over the phone tells them a lot about how valued their business is to your company. By creating a pleasant customer service experience right from the start and being sure you understand your customer’s needs, you can lay the groundwork for maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty for years to come. One way to create a positive customer experience is by trusting the call center professionals at Contact One. They can provide you with a live answering service that can guarantee customer satisfaction.
