A Complete Guide on Answering Business Phone Calls
When it comes to the professional sphere of work, etiquette defines your credit. Managing a business has never been so difficult than in the present, where visible surplus of too many firms all offering same services, with varying rates struggle to stay on top. The table of profits is now at the center of commerce and not ancient values like quality. However, the absence of this may cost companies to an extent, it may not too!
A strong strategy, a dedicated team to bring that strategy to action – these are what the business needs the most. What it also needs is a professional customer service, which adopts an approach which is both personal to the client, yet professional for the company. A bit of excess in both ways could be dangerous. To ensure you don’t do any, here is a guide to answering business phone calls, smart and efficiently.
Firstly, it is important to know when to call or allow queries over call. Any and all issues related to the purchase of products, interaction with an executive or meeting related information may not be covered perfectly well by a call, and will require the client’s physical presence, if the venture and clientele are located within an accessible distance to each other. Based on whether you’re willing to allow a representative from office to visit the client or the client to visit you, plan and offer an appointment accordingly.
photo/ geralt
Gerd Altmann
However, if you are dealing with a feedback or complaint, you must be careful to not harass the customer any further, because they are already under enough duress. Here, the representative handling the vexed customer should carefully take down relevant details and promise to act. That’s what the client wants to hear anyway. Other cases, such as booking an appointment, getting updates about an inquired service, getting a status refresh about an ongoing deal between client and firm are easily solved over a call. When answering a call, here’s what should be kept in mind.
- Begin Nicely
While starting off with a simple ‘hello’ or a ‘hi’ may suffice for an informal introduction, it may not always be the best way to start off in the case of a business service. The ideal way to begin is with a formal greeting, such as ‘good day’ or more time-specific ones, such as ‘good morning’ or ‘good evening’. These introduce the first impressions and will tell the client about the professionalism of the company. What should follow immediately after is a confirmation of the representative that they do in fact speak for the firm. If the client has made the call, they expect to be connected to the right place, but re-introductions always matter, as a source of confirmation.
- Sound Positive and Full of Energy
Speaking over the phone, the representative responsible for making the call should be enthusiastic to speak to the client or partner. This is also something the client will expect. While being professional is key, one must remember to back up protocol with a very personal touch that the client will remember. Sounding positive won’t earn verbal feedback from the client, but it will certainly enhance their experience. It sends a message of the company’s commitment to honoring the quality of work provided to the customer. Other factors could be clubbed into this point, such as the use of correct and grammatically accurate language, trying not to fumble and sounding confident. If the caller makes a request, it should be met with affirmation, or the representative should show that they are trying to help out. ‘Let me see what I can do for you’ – is a phrase which seems to be universally reassuring.
- Be Patient. Very Patient
Patience might not be the easiest thing to have on call, because we all want to get our point across. Surely enough, if you need to know how to answer your business phone, you need to learn to be very patient. The representative should be aware that the person on the other side of the call may be an angry customer or a disappointed person who has availed of the services and not been satisfied by what was offered to him or her. Thus, the very first thing to do is hear them out. The customer should never be interrupted when he/she is speaking and if the customer manages to interrupt when the representative is making a point, the latter should remain quiet and patient for them to finish. It is also important to understand that the customer’s personal experiences could also hamper their sense of etiquette. For example, someone who’s just had a really bad day and is worked up does not wish to be spoken to rudely.
- Pay Very Close Attention
Details are something that will be provided abundantly from time to time. From our understanding of the everyday customer, he will probably make a list of things he wishes to tell the company about. Some people also note it down somewhere before making a call. What is important to the company is specific detail. If it is a complaint, the responsibility is to ensure that all details about the service, the representative dealt with, the dates, warranty details and other relevant information is received. If the caller is simply here to ask about a possible purchase, they expect all details that will help them tally your service to that offered by other firms. If you wish to play it smart (which you should), do not announce your pricing details over call. Take down notes of all relevant details.
- Be Polite, Courteous. Your Manners Will Represent You
Courtesy is very important in all business-related communications. You should be well versed with work etiquettes when you do attend to a call. No matter how the person on the other side seems to behave, it is necessary to not lose your cool at any cost. This makes the approach professional. If you are nice and polite, the customer on the other side may finally manage to cool down. Emotions do not matter in the perimeter of business exchanges and it is important to respect that. Most customers will build an impression about the company based on how its representatives speak to them.
When engaging in trade, skill alone is not enough. One must be aware of the different values expected of them. This will help in creating a healthy and respectful relationship between the firm and its clientele and other business associates. Taking calls may define or blacklist your reputation, so it is necessary to have only the best people do this job. If you can have that taken care of, you would already be a step ahead of many of your adversaries.
Author: Himanshu Agarwal
