How can you educate a team so that all members consistently answer the phone in a courteous and professional manner?
If you are interested in establishing the appropriate protocol for answering calls within your team, here is a guide on how to professionally respond to phone calls in order to make a good impression on your customers from the very beginning.
Recommendation #1: Aim to answer calls before the third ring
Each ring of the telephone represents a progressively increasing level of frustration to the customer. The longer it takes for someone to answer the call, the more irritated the customer becomes. This frustration can escalate rapidly.
Therefore, make it a goal to answer incoming calls before the third ring. The reason is simple: customers are becoming increasingly less patient. According to a report, 39% of customers now have less patience compared to pre-COVID-19 times. Furthermore, 14% even claim to have zero tolerance for being put on hold.
How can you accomplish this? Assign a shared phone number to your team. By having multiple colleagues’ phones ring simultaneously, you ensure that someone from your team picks up the call promptly. This way, potential customers won’t just move on to another business after their call goes unanswered.
Recommendation #2: Deliver the greeting with a smile (as it is reflected in your voice)
Smile. Now say something. Although it may not be very apparent to you, your body language has a significant impact on the tone of your voice.
According to Kaan Turnali’s article in Forbes, “A smile is more than an expression.” Smiling is not merely an action performed by your face; it conveys your state of mind. In the retail industry, smiling can influence people’s perception of a brand and contribute to customer satisfaction.
Creating a great first impression relies on two elements: verbal and nonverbal cues. It can be easy to neglect the nonverbal aspects when using a cell phone. However, something as simple as a smile can greatly affect how your customer feels.
Smiling has a greater effect than you might imagine. In a study, participants were asked to listen to vocal cues only. They were not only able to discern whether the speakers were smiling or not, but they could even differentiate between different types of smiles.
Recommendation #3: Maintain a positive and lively tone — even when you lack the answers
If you are responsible for answering calls at a help desk, creating a good first impression is straightforward: provide the caller with the answers they seek. But what if you don’t possess that information?
Learning how to professionally handle phone calls means conveying a friendly and positive tone of voice, even when you are unable to provide the desired solutions. A simple “good morning” can have a significant impact on the customer’s day.
Tip: The call recording feature of Telefeo enables you to review, evaluate, and enhance the level of professionalism within your team.
Telefeo allows you to create a collection of recorded conversations progressively. If there was an issue with a particular conversation, you can easily go back and identify areas where the initial impact was not successful. On the other hand, if something goes well, you can replay it and replicate effective strategies. This method serves as an effective tool to instruct everyone on how to handle phone calls in a professional manner.
