Phones are a daily part of business. Calls, voicemails, and texts too. Business phones. Personal phones. Cell phones. Land lines (yes, some people still have land lines and the majority of businesses still have them). The challenge is using phones productively.
Phone answering: “Thank you for calling WorldGlobal. My name is Jana. How may I help you?” While this greeting may seem formal, it is the right script for people answering business phones. Callers want to know they’ve reached the right place and it takes two sentences to register that they have. Use the script. Also, people need reminding that they called to get help (seriously they do), so prompt them with “how may I help you?” Using the script consistently will help your company earn customer loyalty.
Phone messaging: When you leave a message for others, be certain to include your name, what you need/want help with AND your telephone number because you won’t know whether your number will attach to your message. When creating a voicemail message, consider these scripts:
- Thank you for calling WorldGlobal. We look forward to returning your call within 24 hours. Please leave a detailed message and your telephone number.
- Thank you for calling. You’ve reached WorldGlobal. Please leave a message and your telephone number so that we can return your call.
- You’ve reached WorldGlobal. Please leave us a message. We’ll call you back within one business day.
Phone menus and branching: The more options you put into a voice-response-menu system the more frustrated customers get. Work with a professional who can help you with the branching options and still keep customers willing to stay on the line to get their problem solved.
To text, or not to text: Not every customer has given you a cell phone number that will receive a text. So, if your business relies on text-messaging, be CERTAIN to have a cell number. I for one missed an appointment because I didn’t get a phone call to my land line – apparently the business texted my land line. Who knew !? – Not me until after the appointment had come and gone.
One more note: work phones are for work; personal phones are for personal activity. Many colleagues do have two cell phones for exactly this reason. Professionalism on your work phone is critical to your success and the success of your business.
Are you using your phone(s) for greatest productivity? Are your team members?
Workplace: covers the issues and activities of managing the moments of our day-to-day business lives. Five of my books speak to daily business skills. Together, let’s explore what affects us every day (or some days) that we go to work. – Jana