Giving Good Phone

The Importance of Proper Telephone Skills and Etiquette by Scott Greggory

If you’re involved with your company’s marketing, you know how much effort is spent on enticing your target audience to make some type of contact with your company, whether it’s through your Web site, a retail or wholesale store, or via the telephone.

For now, let’s concentrate on that last avenue – the phone. Given the time and money your company spends on urging people to call, isn’t it in your best interest to make sure those calls are handled with care? If they’re not, after all, much of your work as a marketer could be wasted. Fabulous new prospects may never stay on the phone long enough to talk with one of your salespeople just because they were given a lousy impression of your company by an operator or receptionist.

So, ask yourself a few questions. Do the people who answer your company's telephones treat callers politely and with respect? Do they provide efficient and focused customer service? Are they warm and friendly? And do they give callers the impression that their calls and their patronage are of the utmost importance?

Before you answer "Of course they do," try to remember how many times over the last few months you've received that type of treatment when calling another company; the type of treatment that made you feel terrific; the type of treatment that made you want to continue doing business with the company.

It's pretty rare, isn't it?

Now, answer honestly: is your company providing exceptional treatment to callers? If not, it may be time to emphasize to your staff, especially front line employees, the effect their phone skills and etiquette have on your company’s image...and its bottom line.

When so much of your company's resources are spent encouraging your target audience to call, why would you risk alienating those who do call? People who take time out of their busy lives to call your company - whether it's to buy your product or merely ask a question or two - should be treated on the phone as if they are your best customer...because one day they might be. If you treat them as if they're just another caller or, worse yet, an interruption to your workday, you may never know just how valuable they could have been to your company.

There are three main entry points to most companies: a physical building; a Web site; and the telephone. Each entry point provides the opportunity to leave a positive imprint on the minds of customers. Treating callers with indifference is the equivalent of dirty, greasy, broken glass in the front door of your store, or an illogical, poorly designed home page: it's unprofessional and leaves a lasting impression of carelessness that can easily turn off prospects.

A few suggestions:
• Take the time to analyze how your employees are talking with callers. Listen with a critical ear, note the weak spots, then develop a written guide as to how calls are to be answered.
• For a truly impartial analysis of your employees' phone skills and etiquette, employ a "mystery shopper" service.
• Many people are unaware of the how they sound on the phone, or the effect a less-than-enthusiastic phone personality can have on a caller. If possible, record your employees on the phone, then play the tape for them. By allowing staff members to hear themselves, you'll be providing them with a unique perspective, and a chance for them to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses.
• If you decide that your employees still need to improve their phone skills for the betterment of your company, consider providing professional training.

People often do business with other people they feel good about. Help your customers feel good about themselves and your company, and you'll be on your way to creating a customer for life. This truth needs to be instilled company-wide, and applied daily, not just by operators and receptionists, but by any employee who has phone contact with the public. The competition is fierce. Consumers have more options than ever, and your every encounter with potential customers is a chance to prove your company worthy of both their trust and their business, so take advantage of it. Don't make the mistake of disregarding proper telephone etiquette and technique as anything but vitally important to your company's success. Instead, view developing your employees’ telephone skills as another aspect of your company’s ongoing marketing plan. It’s an investment that can bring substantial dividends.***

About the Author:
Scott Greggory is the Creative Director at BusinessVoice, an award-winning Point-Of-Entry Marketing agency that can reach your clients and prospects on hold, online and on-site.

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