Communicating your working knowledge to your callers using telephone manners should establish you as professionals worthy of repeat business dealings. If your business has face-to-face interactions with prospects who were initially just callers, the trust between you and your potential customer may grow, leading to them purchasing your goods or services more frequently.
Answering an office phone properly requires a positive and cheerful disposition. Allow the positivity to resonate in your voice, offer a salutation, thank the customer for calling, introduce yourself and your business by name and then extend your help. This gives the customer a sense that you are warm, alert and pleased to help them with their inquiries. People often mimic positivity and will probably respond to your voice with the same enthusiasm you project.
Body language plays a major role in communication, both in-person and on the telephone. When you speak on the phone, your body language still communicates how you are feeling. For example, when you smile and sit up straight, your voice is likely lighter and easily translated by the client as cheerfulness. Body language, facial expressions and gestures should remain professional while speaking on the telephone. Adopt a confident tone of voice to limit interruptions and maintain a professional engagement.
You want the caller to know you are taking the time to understand their questions, while also delivering prompt service.
The tone of your voice is an important factor in proper phone call manners since a caller may form an opinion of your business based on your attitude over the phone. Unfortunately, there will be times when you must deliver potentially upsetting information to a customer over the phone. Remaining calm, while considering your word choice is the key to delivering messages tactfully to your caller. Your aim should be to communicate sensitive information truthfully, without offending your customer.
To achieve excellent phone etiquette, it is necessary to develop active listening skills. Give the customer your undivided attention by minimizing distractions. Taking notes and repeating requests back to the caller lets them know that you care and are listening to only their needs at that moment. Remember that closing a call can be just as important as the way you begin one. Before saying goodbye to your customer, thank them again and ask if you can assist them with anything else.
Closing the call this way assures your caller that your business provides thorough customer service. Develop the habit of allowing the customer to hang up first to minimize accidental hang-ups. When customers feel valued, they could be more likely to use your business.
If you cannot answer the phone because you have clients in front of you, check the voicemail box and call back as soon as you are able. Identifying yourself and your business at the beginning of a call lets the customer know that they called the correct place.
Offering a positive tone of voice builds rapport, as the receiver becomes more open to sharing details about how you can best assist them with their needs. Your greeting Always record your own personal greeting — do not ask another person to record your greeting.
When a phone call goes to voicemail, the caller may feel they have hit a barrier as direct contact hasn't been made. By having someone else record your greeting, you're adding another layer of depersonalisation and it appears inauthentic.
Imagine if a female voice greeting says "John Smith is not available", the caller is likely to question if you listen to your messages.
In your greeting include your name, department and company, so anyone reaching your voicemail will instantly know they have reached the correct person. It's optional to record your usual work hours. If you're on leave, going on a holiday or temporarily working different hours, it makes sense to record a different greeting.
Callers will then know not to expect a call back while you're absent. You may provide the name and number of an alternative contact person — always seek their permission in the first instance.
Where appropriate, forward calls to your voicemail or divert to your mobile when you leave for the day or if you will be away from your desk for an extended period.
Returning calls Get into the habit of checking your voicemails regularly and returning messages in a timely manner — within 24 hours of receiving the call. When leaving a message remember to slow down and speak clearly keep messages short and to the point — avoid waffling provide your name and phone number with every message you leave.
Taking phone messages ensure the caller's name, company and telephone number is correct without sounding overly inquisitive, find out what the nature of the call is — "will they know what you're calling about"? PR Networking Sales. Join for free Join Business Australia as a free member to access advice, tools and documents that can help you with running your business.
Find out more. How to achieve 3 of the most urgent business priorities now. Digital options for your small business. Promoting your business How to grow your customer base. Found this useful? Thank you for signing up to our newsletter. In this era of social media, it can be easy to assume that business contacts have checked you out on LinkedIn and already have some idea of who you are.
But the rules are different over the phone. If this is a relationship you want to build, you can always follow up the call with an email including your digital contact details. Every single call should have a goal, and in order to meet that goal, both parties need to be on the same page from the start.
Be clear and concise, but friendly. Professionals are more time-poor now than ever before. While this can take a little bit of effort, mumbling will betray a lack of knowledge or confidence. Remember, no one can lip read on a voice call. Make an effort to practice speaking on the phone to ensure you come across the way you intend to.
You know that tone-of-voice branding your marketing team has been pushing on you? The most successful brands these days have a cohesive tone of voice across all platforms — including on external calls. If someone calls up a brand that presents itself as friendly and caring only to be met with a cold response, it will be jarring. Similarly, if the caller expects a professional, corporate tone, and discovers an overly casual voice on the other end of the phone, the brand will feel less authentic.
This could be the language you use, the content of the call, or simply how formal or informal you are. Most likely, it will be a mix of all three.
0コメント