Outsourcing your telephone answering to Kendlebell ensures that your “first impressions” are great, professional and consistent.
Why making a great first impression over the phone is vital in business?
The significance of first impressions is as important over the phone as it is in person – in fact because ending a conversation is so effortless over the phone it could be argued they’re even more important than face to face first impressions.With the latter, you have a whole range of ways in which you can conduct and present yourself including body language, eye contact when you talk and listen, friendly rituals (e.g., handshakes), the way you’re dressed, plus many more.
Over the phone you aren’t so lucky. You have your voice to portray the way you wish to come across and that’s it. Therefore, the way you answer a call is crucial because it can set the tone for a whole phone call and determine how customers perceive your business.
For most businesses it is their shop window, so getting it right is important.
Answer by the third ring:
Answering calls promptly conveys the correct image to the caller, i.e., one of competence and efficiency. Many callers will hang up if there isn’t a quick response and very few leave a message on the answer machine.
Be polite: answer each call with “Good morning/Good afternoon” as it gives a warm first impression:
It sounds obvious, but you’ve got to remember to be polite. You might be having one of those days where everything seems to be going wrong, and the last thing you need is your phone ringing. Then, before you know it, off it goes. Consistency is key.
Speak with a “smile”:
Answer the calls in a friendly manner and immediately give the impression that you are there to help the caller.
Get your pronunciation right: it is key to ensure you have the correct pronunciation of the company name and that you’re able to pronounce it clearly:
Making sure you are pronouncing names – whether it be a business name or a person’s name – or any other important detail is crucial for communicating effectively. Speaking using a wrong pronunciation is likely to result in misspellings, which in turn can have serious repercussions if invoices, bills or other important documentation is sent to the wrong person or address. Besides this, mispronunciations simply cause other complications and don’t reflect an image of professionalism.
Perfect your tone: tone of voice is one of the most important things when answering a call:
It may be a cliché, but “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it” has a lot of truth to it. If you or an employee answers a customer’s call hurried or rushed, this will come across in your tone and make the customer feel uneasy and like their call is inconveniencing you.
Having an accent is not the issue. However, you can still sound focused and engaged on the matter in hand, which is providing a friendly and helpful service; after all a call could be a new business opportunity.
Speak at the right pace: never mumble, speak clearly in a pace that is neither too fast nor too slow:
By mumbling it’s likely that important information or details could be misheard or lost in translation during a phone call. It’s also important to speak at a pace that is neither too fast to the point that it is going to cause a customer to feel overwhelmed and confused, while also avoiding speaking too slow. Talking too slow doesn’t paint yourself or the organisation you’re representing in the most professional manner and may even insult a customer who could think they’re being patronised.
Ask before you put somebody on hold:
Many call centres are busy, and this requires the agents to put calls on hold from time to time. It is important that you inform the callers that they are being put on hold in advance and ask that they are ok with this.
Take messages accurately:
When taking messages from callers it is very important that the messages are accurate, i.e., names and addresses are spelled accurately, email addresses and phone numbers are set out clearly. it often helps if the information you are recording is spelt back to the caller to ensure their accuracy.
Know how to transfer and who to transfer to:
Many callers will ask to be transferred to an extension or a specific person. It is key that this can be done smoothly by the agent with the minimum of fuss.
Close on a positive note:
It is important that the caller leaves the call with a positive impression of the company. Closing the call by thanking the caller for their time and confirming that they are happy with the outcome of the call is essential.
In conclusion:
The telephone is often the first time a caller will come across a firm. First impressions are key and will leave lasting memories with the callers. By observing the advice above, all calls should leave the caller with great first impression.
Outsourcing your telephone answering and message taking to Kendlebell will ensure that there is a fast, consistent, professional and friendly first impression conveyed of your business. You can calculate the cost of this service based on the estimated number of calls you receive monthly – just click here for an instant quote using Kendlebell’s Price calculator.
The fill description of Inbound Call Services from Kendlebell are available here.
Kendlebell Overview
Kendlebell was set up In Ireland in 2006 and now have 4 offices providing a diverse range of services to the SME market. We provide a range of Outsource Solutions to the Business Community. Kendlebell were awarded the Business All – Star Accreditation for the second time in a row recently.
Among our services are:
Business Telephone Answering / Message Taking.
We provide a personal telephone answering service for your business calls. All your calls are answered by your own PA, giving you peace of mind that you will never miss another new enquiry again. A call answering script is agreed in advance. All your business calls are answered in a professional and friendly manner as if we were part of your team. Our Business phone answering service is delivered at a fraction of the cost of employing staff, involves no administration and gives an excellent first impression. Messages are passed to you instantly by either text-to-mobile, email or you can phone in and speak to your Kendlebell PA at any time.
Virtual Reception services
The Kendlebell team will act exactly as you would expect any receptionist to operate. They will take all incoming calls and transfer them through to the direct dial or mobile of the member of staff sought. If these individuals are not available, they can give callers the option to leave a voicemail or simply take a message which the PA will send on immediately. They will do so immediately by text or email with an end of day report summarising all your calls being sent as well. All of this is done seamlessly and without the company’s customers being aware that you are suing a virtual receptionist from Kendlebell.
Customer Helpdesk / Order Taking
Services include capturing caller’s details and asking qualifying questions to get further information you may require. With each client, we agree call handling instructions to ensure our services benefit your company, freeing up your time to concentrate on running your business. We can link to your CRM /Sales Systems remotely and securely. We also provide cold call screening as part of our phone answering services. Messages will be forwarded on to you immediately by email or text, alternatively we can save and forward these messages at an agreed time. You will also receive a daily email summary of messages.
