-A Customer judges your organization by the way you answer his call-
11 tips
on how to put your best voice forward and shine every time you answer the phone
that work:
1
|
Remember you are the voice of your
organization. The way you answer sets the tone for the caller’s impression
(Learn more about: The importance of
first impressions in business) of the whole organization.If
the caller is a potential customer for ecobaskets, he is deciding if he wants
to do business with eHomemakers, and so your interaction with him forms part of
his decision. “Is this organization professional enough to give me high quality
ecobaskets?” This is what he thinks when he assesses you on the phone.
2
|
Be
efficient. You should answer the call promptly, generally before the third
ring. If there is a need to write down any messages, prepare a notes and write
down the important things.
After the call, make sure there is follow-up. If a colleague is not in the
office, gives the message to the person when he/she is back.
3
|
Be focus
when you are answering a phone call. The Do’s and Don’ts
when answering the phone will teach you to be a better
receptionist.
Stop what you are doing and be prepared.
Maintain your professionalism even if the caller is upset and argumentative.
Listen to angry callers, and repeat a summary of their concerns to show that
you truly heard what they said, then empathize with their concerns and let them
know you will do your best to assist them. Your caller can hear your tone to
determine if you are listening to him/her or ignoring his/her calls by doing
something else.
4
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Ensure your voice is upbeat and
friendly. Try to maintain a cheerful tone of voice even if you aren’t particularly
positive. Be aware of the speed of your speech, the
listener wouldn’t understand if you speak too fast. Speak slowly and clearly to
make sure the listener could catch every word. Read more about: Proper telephone
etiquette
5
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Mind your words. Use a more polite
language to answer your caller. For example, instead of replying “yeah”, you
should use “yes, I understand your problem” to show your professionalism. This
also helps to build up eHomemakers’ image. If you utter a lot of ‘yeah’, ‘eh’,
‘you know’, ‘ok-lah’, improve yourself by reading The speech problem
of using fillers and how to solve the problem
6
|
Be
responsive in a pleasant way but briefly. Try to answer all the questions and
problems by mentioning the main points and not adding any other unrelated stuff
( especially things you don’t know or don’t understand). It is improper to prolong the conversation and
tie up the phone.
7
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Use hold and mute appropriately. If
you need to make a comment to a passing colleague, cover the phone properly so
the caller doesn’t hear you. If you need to check something which takes more
than a few seconds, ask the caller if you may place him on hold. He will not
want to hear you typing while he is waiting. How to
professionally put a caller on hold gives you guidance
to do proper office calls.
8
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Listen carefully and don’t make the
caller repeat his story. When a caller tells you the reason for calling, you
should determine who the best resource is and tell the customer that the person’s
name and extension. When you get the right person on the phone, recap the
issues to the recipient so the caller will not have to repeat himself.
9
|
Stay on the line when transferring a
call. This is to make sure the customer gets connected and not being dumped
into the voicemail. If the call is answered by voicemail, ask the customer if
he wants to leave a message or wants to search for any assistance. Ways to transfer a
call professionally provides more guidance on this call
etiquette.
10
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Repeat the caller’s name while taking
a message. If necessary, ask him to spell it and gets his contact number.
Include any important information, such as his account number, available times for
a call back or details of the message. Don’t promise the caller to call back
today as you don’t know what the person’s schedule is but do call back as soon
as possible.
11End the call professionally. Assure that you
review the actions that you have taken and will take. Ask if there is anything
else you can assist the callers with. If no, end the call by thanking them for
their time. For example: “Thank you for calling eHomemakers. Have a nice day.” Tips to end a phone
call professionally
