Top Tips for Using the Telephone
22nd October 2008
So much of business is still conducted over the telephone. It is therefore important to follow a few basic guidelines to help project your professional image, and to make sure that your organisation is one that your prospects and customers want to do business with.
There are many skills you can learn to help your company maintain its image with the outside world, whether you work in accounts, customer services, sales, technical services, or any other department.
You, Your Attitude and Your Voice
- Enjoy dealing with people over the phone
- Enjoy using the phone
- Maintain a pleasant, friendly voice
- Explain things clearly
- Be a good listener
- Maintain a sense of humour
Many of these attributes depend on having a positive attitude towards dealing with people on the phone.
As an example, your sales people are constantly faced with rejection, they deal with a ‘no sale' result many more times than they win a sale. However, it's not like prospecting for gold, because eventually they will find someone who wants your products, whereas they may never discover gold. In other words they learn to handle rejection and disappointment in order to maintain a positive attitude.
The same is true of your customer services. They spend all day solving problems for unhappy people and often with little thanks, they to need to maintain a positive attitude. Every problem solved is a job well done.
When you transmit a positive attitude, people are naturally more responsive. Here are some suggestions on how to maintain a positive attitude.
- Look the part. The caller can't see you, but if you are dressed professionally you will feel good about yourself and project a strong and confident self-image.
- SMILE. It's impossible to feel negative if you are smiling, and your positive feeling will be transmitted down the line.
- Stand up and move around when you're talking on the phone. You breathe better, and your voice will be stronger and more interesting.
Use your voice as a tool. Don't have a voice - use your voice. Put a smile in your voice so you project a friendly image, your vocal tone can count for 84% of your message.
- Record yourself on the phone and work on improving your voice
- Listen to others who sound interesting; understand how they use their voices
- Ask a friend to work with you to assess and improve your voice
- Read books on the subject
The Do's and Don'ts when working with the Phone
- Do answer the telephone on the 2nd or 3rd ring, never let it ring more than 4 times
- Do smile
- Do start with "Good Morning/Afternoon Thank you for calling Company Name, how may I help you?" (or an appropriate adaptation for your department)
- Don't reverse the statement, "Company Name Good Morning" as the very first part of the call is often missed or inaudible
- Don't abbreviate our company name or product names
- Do ask who is calling before saying whether the person they are asking for is available
- Do take messages, and always e-mail details of the caller to the person being asked for
- Don't apologise for a person not being in the office, it's not their fault
- Don't make statements that convey a negative such as:
"she's sick"
"he's ill"
"they're on the toilet or having a cigarette"
"I saw him a minute ago"
"she's just popped out"
"I don't know where he is, he never tells us anything"
"he can't speak to you he's dealing with a tricky customer"
"he hasn't come back yet"
"I'm sorry"
or statements that portray our office geography (remember our sales department is on ‘another floor of the building' not ‘upstairs')
"they're not at their desk"
"I can't see him at the moment"
"I think she's in accounts"
"he's downstairs"
"hold on, he's just walked in"
- Do speak directly into the mouthpiece so the caller can hear you clearly
- Don't say, "hold on" or "bear with me", say "please hold the line"
- Don't eat or drink while making or taking a call
- Don't take customer into your confidence, "just between you and me"
- Don't allow external influences to affect your telephone manner. Forget anything that may be making you feel unhappy or upset, it will reflect in your voice, and convey a negative attitude to the caller
- Do everything you can to make it easy for customers to do business with you
Positive Language and Questioning
How we speak to customers is often as important as what we actually say. When using the telephone, you only have your voice to rely on for communication with the other person.
Putting a smile in your voice will help project a friendly and helpful image - smile before you speak on the telephone to ‘warm up' for the call.
- Avoid speaking in monotone, make it interesting
- Never speak to loudly or softly
- Match the speed of the caller's speech
There are different types of questions you can use, and each has a different purpose but all will help control the conversation.
If you wish a customer to give you general information, it will be necessary to ask an open-ended question. You may wish to establish their needs or problem at the beginning of a call, or find out more about them and their business. The question must be asked in such a way that a straight ‘yes' or ‘no' answer is not possible.
"What type of problem are you having?"
"How are you currently handling your this issue?"
"What are you planning do about it in the future?"
"What sequence of events precedes this product issue?"
"What is your purchasing process?"
"How do you propose settling you account with us?"
If you want a specific answer, you should ask a closed-question. This is useful to direct the conversation or clarify information.
"Is your computer switched on?"
"When will you be making your purchase?"
"Can you make the decision yourself?"
"Who else will be involved?"
"When will you be sending the cheque?"
Statements, Objections, and Questions
It is important you can distinguish the difference between statements, questions and objections. If you can, you will be able to deal with each situation in an appropriate way.
Statements
If the customer makes a statement, simply acknowledge it in an appropriate way, and move on with the call.
A statement can sometimes be misinterpreted as an objection or a question, which can lead to unnecessary and destructive discussion.
Statement
"The product doesn't work in the way I thought it would"
Response
"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time. May I have your account number?"
Objections
When a caller makes an objection, acknowledge it and deal with it immediately. It can be tempting to ignore an objection, hoping it might go away.
Objection
"The product doesn't work"
Response
"Well let's see if we can find out what the problem is"
Some open-ended questioning would probably follow this response.
Questions
Answer questions immediately. If you don't they may assume you haven't listened to what they are saying, you don't know the answer, or you don't wish to acknowledge and answer the question for some reason.
Question
"Can I change the temperature output on the product?"
Response
"Yes, you have complete control over the temperature functions."
Statements, objections, and questions offer an opportunity to turn around a customer's negative attitude. They should be welcomed as a way of finding out our customer's views on your products and services.
Tricky Customers
There are many reasons for customers being difficult. They may have a genuine complaint against you and feel they have to be difficult to get it fixed. They may have been treated badly by another company. They may simply be having a bad day.
If difficult customers are handled correctly, they can often become your biggest advocates.
- Avoid letting customers upset you - stay calm
- Be courteous and patient
- Avoid arguing and don't use words that antagonise them
- Offer sympathy and understanding
- Reassure them and let them know that you will do your up most to resolve the problem
- Advise the customer of what action you are going to take to resolve their problem
- Do your up most to resolve the problem
Comments
This is great stuff.
Now I WANT to make some phone calls!!
Thank You.
By Michael on 29th November, 2008
This is great stuff. Now I WANT to make some phone calls!! Thank You.
By Michael on 29th November, 2008
Quite inspiring, Keep up the good work, Thanks for bringing this up
By Website Development in London on 18th December, 2009
The business terms push and pull originated in the marketing and advertising world, but are also applicable in the world of electronic content and supply chain management. The push/pull relationship is that between a product or piece of information and who is moving it. A customer pulls things towards themselves, while a producer pushes things toward customers.
By robert on 23rd December, 2009
First you must know as much as you can about people's needs, human culture, Internet culture. You must know what they want and what they want to hear. But do not do the same mistake that most people do. Some have the charisma but are not honest. Others are honest but do not have the charisma. So you must inspire confidence.
By daneil on 23rd December, 2009
Where else "Push Marketing" uses method to motivate their sales team or channel to deliver the result - e.g. trade promotion, sales incentive and many other aggressive performance driven marketing activities.
By Online Tax Preparation on 02nd January, 2010