How are your phone agents handling their current increase in call volume? As we pointed out in our last blog, it’s vitally important to ensure that appropriate telephone etiquette is being practiced by your phone agents to wow everyone who calls into your business. That way, you can ensure that customers aren’t just satisfied for now, but impressed enough to remain your customers well into the future.
Don’t blind transfer.
One of the biggest pet peeves had by customers – especially during the holiday season – is being the victim of a blind transfer. This is when a representative informs the caller that he/she must be transferred to another department and then is connected to another line without being connected to an actual representative.
When the new rep picks up the line, the caller has to start his/her inquiry all over again. Do your callers the courtesy of connecting them to real people who have already been informed of their questions or concerns.
“If you must transfer a call, ask the caller if it is OK before doing so,” advises Mike Weil of The NEWS, “Be sure to explain why you need to do the transfer, and give the caller the name of the person you are transferring them to. Before transferring the call, make sure the person you are transferring it to is available.”
Give callers your undivided attention.
Have you ever been on the phone with a company representative and heard that person speak to someone else? Have you been put on hold several times during one call? Have you heard background noise that appears to distract your phone rep? If you’ve answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you’ve dealt with a customer service agent who isn’t giving you his/her full and undivided attention. Do not make this a practice at your place of business.
“When speaking to someone on the telephone you should always give your full and undivided attention,” insists Felissa Benjamin Allard of Reader’s Digest, “This includes fidgeting with papers (which is often very noisy on the other end of the line), eating, drinking, talking with people in the office.”
End each call gracefully.
The last thing you want to do is hang up on a customer. In fact, many companies have it as their policies to allow the callers to hang up first so as to not prematurely disconnect their calls. Have a set call-ending script in place. For example, “Thank you so much for calling today, we truly appreciate your business. Have an excellent day!” You may also want to ensure that you ask “Is there anything else I can help you with today?” before offering that end speech.
“Believe it or not, you can do everything right, but if you don’t end the call correctly, you can still lose the customer,” says Weil, “This is all about being as polite and warm as possible to the person on the other end of the phone.”
For dose of MeloTel’s brand of holiday customer service, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the Live Chat feature on our website! And don’t forget to ask us about our VoIP-based Commercial Phone Services!
