How to Answer Your Phone Professionally

First impressions are crucial in business, and nothing kills a first impression like an unprofessional pickup on your telephone calls. Luckily, it doesn’t take tons of training or special skills to answer your phone like a professional. Here’s how to answer your phone professionally for a better impression every time.

Don’t leave them hanging

Try to answer your calls on the first or second ring rather than letting it ring several times. At best, your caller may start the call feeling annoyed that they had to wait for you to answer. At worst, they’ll simply hang up and call your competitor!

Tell them who they’ve reached

While giving your own name is important (it helps to personalize the call), it’s also very important to mention the name of the business first thing. This helps put customers at ease knowing that they’ve reached the correct business and sets a professional tone for the entire call. It’s such a simple, small step, but it really is very important in establishing a professional tone to your call.

Keep a positive attitude

Keeping a cheerful, ‰Û÷can do’ attitude on the telephone is important. It shows your customers that you are happy to help them and you are willing to make the effort needed to address the reason for their call. If you answer the phone a great number of times throughout the day, it can be difficult to keep a cheerful disposition. One great tip is to put a smile on your face before you answer every call. This ‰Û÷tricks’ your brain into delivering a positive greeting to your customers.

Speak clearly and slowly

Just because you’re familiar with what you’re talking about, it doesn’t mean that your customers will be. Speak slowly and enunciate carefully to avoid any confusion or breakdown in communication. You don’t have to have a huge, complicated vocabulary in order to sound professional. Just make sure you’re communicating clearly and confidently to your customers and they’ll be suitably impressed.

Be proactive

Don’t know the answer to your caller’s question? Let them know that you’ll research the answer and call them back. Make sure you give them a time that you’ll call them and follow through. Nothing is more unprofessional that a failure to keep your promise!

For more great tips on communicating with your customers, visit Answer 365 today.