The Importance of Strong Phone Communication

The importance of strong phone communication in business today cannot be overstated. More often than not, customer service takes place over the phone, and, thanks to innovations such as the internet, we now live in a world that no longer wants to wait to get information or make appointments. Businesses must keep up with this fast pace of service or potentially lose clients to those who do keep up.  Great customer service in person is, of course, essential…however, if customers have a disappointing phone experience with your company, they may look elsewhere.

Professionalism, promptness and consistency are the ingredients that make phone communication great:

Professionalism

Regardless of whether your business is providing medical services or birthday party clowns, you should strike a confident, professional tone over the phone. Be sure that your staff’s speaking voice is clear, friendly and direct. You never know if the person on the other end of the call is hard of hearing, speaks English as a second language or, as plumbers and technicians can attest, having a crisis of some kind. A calm, professional voice can take an upset customer and make them feel at ease and confident in your services.

Promptness
A phone that rings and rings does not exactly instill confidence with your customers. Messages left unanswered can make customers run the other way. Customers are used to quick responses, thanks to the world of faxing, texting and emailing. In order to gain and retain customers, it is essential that your business phone and messages are answered and responded to with promptness.

Consistency

Just as you wouldn’t want to have five different kinds of business cards circulating in your community, you also don’t want to have five different greetings for phone calls. Pick one scripted greeting that everyone in your company uses when answering the phone. It doesn’t need to be a Hollywood screenplay but it should clearly convey your business’s name, purpose and the name of the person with whom the customer is speaking. It never hurts to add in some friendly phrases such as ‘Thank you for calling’ and ‘I’m ready to assist you’.

Remember to keep phone communication friendly, simple and timely. As a phone call is often a customer’s first contact with your business, remember that first impressions do matter. Remote reception services, such as those offered by Answer 365, can both simplify and enhance your phone customer service with reliable, experiences customer service professionals ready to answer the phone on behalf of your business, no matter the time of day.