In our last blog, we discussed some very important traits that your business should possess in order to present itself as a star to its fans. After all, as we mentioned, your business is like a celebrity. It has to uphold its public image in order to maintain high levels of support. One of the points that we outlined was the importance of having professional phone etiquette as a top characteristic of your brand.
As Canada’s Hosted Company, MeloTel knows a thing or two about telephone services. Being a top provider of VoIP telephone technology and equipment, our brand has also learned how to conduct business over the phone in ways that have helped to elevate our reach. So how can your business strengthen its sense of phone etiquette? In today’s blog, we’ll go over five tips that will help your star shine that much brighter!
1. Have an awesome greeting. One of our clients insists that his phone representatives answer the phone by saying “It’s a great day, here at (business name), how is your day going today?” He reports that his first-time callers really get a kick out of it and that his staff members can’t help but have positive interactions following such greetinga. Get your calls off on the right foot by beginning with a unique pleasantry of your own.
2. Be mindful of your tone. It can be argued that tone is everything. As is often said, it’s not what you say but how you say it. The way you portray your voice over the phone, with certain inflections, will greatly affect the mood of the person calling you. You don’t have to overly boisterous or anything. But avoiding sounding bored, annoyed or indifferent will go a long way in making your customer happy that he or she called.
3. Be sure to listen. For many customers, there’s nothing worse than having to repeat themselves. Listen to be sure that you have received the correct details. Write them down if you have to. Repeat them back to the customer to confirm that you know their concerns accurately. Then, you’ll be able to answer questions and solve problems quickly and effectively. As they say, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
4. Establish a polite holding process. Another one of our clients informed us of a very specific way that his company places people on hold. Firstly, they always ask for permission: “May I place you on hold for approximately two minutes?” Secondly, you may have noticed that he insists upon including an approximate hold time. Thirdly, they thank the customer for holding when the call resumes: “Thank you for holding, I apologize for the delay.”
5. Make effective outgoing calls. Many customers get annoyed by what they consider “telemarketing spam”. When you make outgoing calls, it’s important to establish that you are not your run-of-the-mill telemarketer. It’s really necessary to construct a professional, succinct and friendly script so that you grab the attention of the person you’re calling instead of putting him or her off. Be sure to outline the benefits of working with your company.
As mentioned, MeloTel is a leader in providing VoIP technology, making your business equipped with the most advanced phone calling systems available today. Give us a call at 1-888-MELOTEL to learn more about our Telephone Features and to get on board with a method of communication that will not only open you up to a host of new options, but save you money as well. Once your new phone system is all set up, practice professional phone etiquette and your brand will become an even bigger star!