With a lot of attention being directed towards text communication, whether it’s social media or email, it still can’t outdo the impact of speaking one on one, the phone call to be exact. So, that’s why phone etiquette still remains a significant topic regarding customer support. In some sectors, customers prioritize phone calls when seeking information quickly and the subsequent conversation that they have with you or your staff will go a long way into shaping their outlook on your business. Want that perception to be positive? Here are 5 helpful tips you need to step up the way you help clients over the phone.
1- Announcements for Working hours and Greeting Message
Among other things, there’s nothing more unpleasant and frustrating than waiting on the phone to find out if the business is still open and in operation or has closed for the day, without getting any assistance. But all is not lost. You can avoid this by setting up an automated out-of-hours message to announce your business hours. You can also add an option for your customers to leave a voicemail or divert the call to the emergency contact number.
During your business hours, setting up a first-class greeting message is a great start. Some businesses set up a standard Welcome Message and others even add a slogan. But bear in mind that your customers want to speak to someone as soon as possible. So the shorter the greeting message, the better.
2- Call Queuing or Virtual Queue
Call queues are vital to the effectiveness of customer support, it simply eradicates that dreaded engaged tone. Yes, you read that right. No more busy lines = no more missing opportunities.
Imagine operating a busy pizzeria where you’re receiving orders over the phone. If you don’t have an effective call queuing system, many calls could be missed and your clients would potentially call your competitor.
You may consider adding a short announcement to the play while on they’re on hold, nurturing your customers with some promotions or business updates. Ideally no more than 9 seconds.
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3- Ring Strategy and Hunt Group
There comes a time when your staff may not be in a position to receive calls straightaway as they may be held in another call or held up in a meeting. If such a case happens and your intention is to ensure that your customers don’t get frustrated, you may consider having in place a ring strategy to reach supervisors or other support staff to assist the customer in their query. This function lets you spread calls for those waiting in line.
4- Call Pop Up
For effective phone etiquette, you may consider having in place call pop-ups. Call pop-ups effectively integrate telephony with CRM and support ticketing systems to provide crucial caller information to business owners and staff so that they can be promptly informed of all caller’s interaction with your business. Call pop-ups notify a user of incoming calls, and when a customer calls, you will be in a position to see his or her name and number on your desktop. The good thing about this feature is when you have to deal with an existing customer. Here, you will have an easy and efficient interaction with customers as you will have vital information such as their location, past conversation history, and CRM information among others.
5- Automated Feedback request
Believe it or not, there’s more to customer feedback than just receiving 5-star ratings. Automation can supercharge your feedback strategy and amount to a bunch of benefits for your business. Customer feedback can help you identify weak links in your business, an aspect that will help you improve on them. After offering support over the phone, you can automatically request your clients by email to provide you with feedback regarding the services they received over the phone. This way, you can take actions to improve your team’s phone etiquette.
Conclusion:
To wrap it up, first impressions are important and this may be determined by just a simple phone call. Regardless of the nature of the business you run, answering calls promptly and in a professional manner is an absolute must if the intention is to make your business flourish. Every telephone call is an opportunity to prove your businesses dedication, professionalism, and skill to the outside world.
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