Is the Person Answering Your Phone Scaring Away Potential Customers?
In today's digital world, customers have many ways to engage with a business. But one method that still plays an integral role in customer experience is the classic telephone call. The person answering the phone often acts as the initial point of contact and leaves an impact on those calling you back. Here are some tips on why having someone answer your phone matters so much for your business and how you can ensure they don't deter potential clients.
Why Is It Important Who Answers Your Phone?
The person answering the phone is not only responsible for answering questions but also for setting the atmosphere for the entire customer experience. This is a customer's first impression of the business, and if it's not a positive one, it could lead to disgruntled customers or missed sales opportunities.
Customers tend to trust companies with friendly and professional customer service representatives more. On the contrary, if they encounter an unhelpful, unprofessional, or rude representative, it could quickly turn them off and cause them to consider taking their business elsewhere.
Tips on How to Hire the Ideal Fit
Hiring for a phone-answering position is an essential decision that can have an enormous impact on the success of the business. Here are some factors to take into account when filling this role:
- Communication Skills: Effective communication is essential for anyone answering the phone, especially if the company provides products or services that could be perceived as complex or technical.
- Politeness: Hire someone whose tone of voice is naturally kind, friendly, and enthusiastic. Lacking professionalism or showing rudeness could quickly turn away potential customers.
- Organizational Skills: Multitasking and managing a high volume of calls are essential qualities for any phone-answering position. Candidates who possess organizational skills as well as the capacity to manage their time efficiently are desirable.
- Listening and Problem-solving Abilities: Phone-answering staff should exercise good listening and problem-solving skills when providing solutions to customers.
- Knowledge of Your Business: Make sure your phone answering staff has an in-depth understanding of your company, products, and services. This will enable them to provide customers with accurate information with confidence.
Advice on Training Someone Who May Not Be the Ideal Fit
When phone answering staff aren't the most suitable fit for their role, training can provide them with the guidance and encouragement to improve. Here are some strategies for training phone-answering staff so they don't scare away potential customers:
- Create a Training Program: Provide your representatives with an extensive training program that addresses everything from communication skills to company guidelines so they are fully aware of what is expected of them.
- Practice and Roleplay: Provide your employees with opportunities to practice and role-play scenarios that are common within the business. Doing this will boost their confidence level and enable them to better handle similar situations if they occur again in the future.
- Provide Constructive Feedback: Offer constructive criticism to help them identify areas for improvement and strengths. Make sure the feedback is delivered in an encouraging and supportive tone with the goal of helping them become better representatives.
- Encourage Interaction: Encourage interaction among colleagues to help them better comprehend the company culture, goals, and objectives. Doing so gives them a better insight into both the business and its customers, enabling you to more effectively address queries or issues that arise.
- Consider Retraining: If phone-answering staff are struggling to meet their role expectations or show significant improvements, consider identifying the areas of need and offering a retraining program.
The staff is the representative of the company brand, and therefore, taking the time and resources to ensure that those who answer the phone have the necessary training and support is critical to the overall success of any business. All the marketing efforts in the world will not supersede a poorly handled phone call. Do not neglect your business’s best asset or its greatest downfall: the person answering your phones.
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