Not everyone has a terrific phone manner. In fact, a lot of individuals don’t even pick up the phone when it rings, especially if it is from an unknown number. Make sure the individual who answers the phone presents a professional image in order to make a strong first impression for your company. We’ll share our best tips for phone answering with you so you can perfect the technique. Advice on handling business calls from our skilled virtual receptionists
- Smile. You can hear the happiness spread down the phone line, so we can’t stress this enough.
- Introduce your company when you greet. Callers can be sure they have dialed the right number and not the incorrect one. Use your own name to respond if you are your own brand.
- Be sure to welcome them quickly. Don’t use both if your company name is unusually long or if you like to add a tagline. Hearing the caller’s reason for calling your company can help you understand how you can best assist them. Long welcomes can seem awkward and contrived and take up more room when the caller wants to talk. Be sure to pay attention to the caller.
- Be dependable. Make sure the way your phone is answered is consistent every time and incorporate it into your branding. Make sure that everyone on staff is familiar with the way you prefer to respond to questions.
- Be focused and aware. Give your caller your entire attention while you hear what they have to say. Verify the spelling of names, phone numbers, and email addresses to confirm that you can reach them again.
- Be audible. This is especially crucial if there is distortion on the line. By speaking clearly, you can cut down on repetition and unnecessary phone time while also preventing caller annoyance.
- Respond in three rings or less. This demonstrates your availability and desire for further work because it is a typical expectation in business.
- Constantly have a backup strategy. It’s crucial to have a backup plan in place for answering calls if you can’t respond after three rings. To reach all of your potential clients during meetings, appointments, family time, or even calls in the middle of the night, you need an efficient solution. Your voicemail should be professional (i.e., it shouldn’t be a recording of your favorite song or even your service provider’s default mobile greeting). Your callers need to be assured that they have called the correct person or business and that their message has been received. You can set up a voicemail account on your own and record a crisp greeting, or you can allow medical answering service to do it. Even better, why not hire a virtual receptionist to take calls for you when you’re unavailable? Medical answering service provides live receptionist coverage around-the-clock, every day (and night) of the year, and offers a free seven-day trial of our answering service.
- Follow through on your promises to return calls. If you say you’ll call back, then follow through. Even if you don’t yet have the correct information, call your client and let them know you’re still waiting on a response. This demonstrates to them your respect for them, your importance, and your concern for them. Also keep in mind that some of your callers may wait at home for your call if they haven’t adopted mobile technology. Keep the customs of yesteryear alive.
- Take pleasure in your phone calls! We are fortunate to have a wide range of tools for successful communication, which not only gives us a global audience and keeps us all busy all the time, but also allows us to stay in touch with one another at all times.
Enjoy it if any of your business clients call you on the phone. There is no better marketing weapon than satisfied clients, who will keep you in business and recommend you to their friends.
