Even a short phone conversation is full of opportunities to make a great impression. Help set your business apart from the competition by paying attention to these eight telephone touchpoints—and don’t forget to check out our first eight tips from last week!
1. Your go-to “yes.” When you have the opportunity to tell customers what they want to hear, show your enthusiasm! Instead of “yeah” or “okay,” try these on for size:
Certainly!
Absolutely!
I’ll be happy to!
My pleasure!
2. Your go-to “no.” Even when the answer is “no,” your words and tone can show you’re happy a caller took the time to engage with your business. If another solution might work, try suggesting it:
We don’t currently offer custom t-shirts, but we can customize a variety of mugs and glassware with your logo.
If you have a referral, all the better:
Our firm doesn’t handle bankruptcies, but I know a great attorney who does! Let me get you her number.
It pays to be courteous when you can’t give callers exactly what you want. If you can meet their needs in the future, you want your business to come to mind!
3. Your go-to “I don’t know.” Great customer care isn’t contingent on having all the answers. Keeping some phrases like this in your pocket will help you respond confidently when you need to do a bit of research, or need to connect your caller to someone with more expertise on a particular subject:
That’s a great question. Let me look into that for you!
(Name) would be a great person to ask about that. I’ll be happy to try his line for you!
Good question! How about I look into that and call you back to let you know what I find out?
4. Your call screening routine. If you’re routing calls, try to avoid the temptation to ask for lots of information up front, unless you truly need it. Over-questioning can make first-time callers suspicious, and routine callers annoyed. Do you really need every caller to spell their last name before you connect them to the right party? If not, don’t ask. When you do need to collect information, a custom spelling alphabet can help you confirm information while creating connections.
5. Your message taking routine. When it comes to taking messages, repeating contact information like phone numbers and email addresses puts customers at ease, and ensures you have the information you need to reach out later.
6. Your hold experience. Always lay the politeness on thick before placing callers on hold. “Hold, please,” can come off as gruff. Instead, this friendly question works nicely:
May I place you on hold for a moment?
Aim to keep hold times short—callers may hang up if left waiting for too long. If customizing your hold audio is an option, engage callers while they wait with music or messaging that matches your brand. Ruby offers a variety of free hold music choices, and our clients are welcome to provide their own audio as well.
7. Your voicemail greeting. Make a good impression when you can’t chat in person. A well-crafted voicemail greeting helps ensure callers leave the information you need, and feel taken care of.
8. Your follow-up. A follow-up routine ensures your clients always know what to expect, and helps you stay on track. For Ruby’s Client Happiness team, that means sending an email after every call. For you, that might mean setting a reminder to check in at a designated time. The key is to create a routine you can stick to. If you say you’ll get back with an answer by the end of the day, be sure to reach out—even if you don’t have an answer yet. A friendly “I’m still researching” makes a much better impression than radio silence. Answer or no answer, your customers will appreciate the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of a follow-up!
Need a little help making the most of your telephone experience? The customer service experts at Ruby® Receptionists are ready to WOW your callers! Give us a ring at 866-611-RUBY.
