Have you ever called a company and had the person answer the phone simply say “Hello“? Is that unnerving? Does that put you off balance just a bit? It does for me.
There is a right way and a wrong way to answer a business phone call. Just grabbing the phone and saying Hello in a grumpy voice is NOT the right way.
It is important to identify the name of the company when you answer the phone. Busy people often have multiple phone calls on their to do list, and sometimes their mind wanders as the phone is ringing and they are on to the next item on their list, in their mind. Remind them, without actually reminding them, what company they just called by clearly stating the name of the company.
If you hire a receptionist, or even if you hire Central Comm., it is important for that person to have an up to date list of who to contact. When someone calls asking for the sales manager, you could lose a potential sale by not having that information available. The same could happen when you have put an ad for new hires but the person answering your calls does not have the proper way to get in touch with the HR person at your company.
As an Award Winning Answering Service company, we carefully train our personnel to answer phones and handle calls in a way that will keep your customers pleased. Beyond simply answering the phone, we have operators who will go above and beyond when the situation calls for it. We aren’t afraid to say ” I don’t know” when we don’t, but whenever possible, we also follow through and get the answer.
Four important things to do when answering the phone:
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Put a smile on your face.
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Identify the Company
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Have basic company information available to answer questions
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Read phone numbers and contact information back to the caller to insure accuracy
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Minimize the time you place people on hold. It is better to offer to call back than leave someone on hold for more than a few minutes
If you hire and train your own people,keep in mind the person who answers your phone can be one of the best sales tools you have. The right personality, given the proper knowledge and training, can make your company’s services all the more valuable to your customers.
Central Comm.