Digital communication

Digital communication channels like SMS, emailing, and networking sites have recently superseded traditional forms of communication for many people.

Despite this, many organizations like healthcare facilities, businesses, educational institutions, and more still depend on the telephone and adopt a virtual receptionist, such as the one from Vonage, as their primary means of communication. It’s imperative to understand how to correctly answer the phone if your job demands you to communicate via phone calls.

Interaction Between Customers & Your Business

Receptionists typically provide customers with their first impression of a business, and if that’s your line of work, you must always conduct yourself professionally. While receptionists perform a variety of duties throughout the course of the day, their main duty is to answer calls.

Callers may be more inclined to give you their business if you respond to the phone politely and professionally. Additionally, they might feel free to seek out information, ask questions, and stay committed to your business.

A pleasant, helpful phone style shows that you’re interested and invested in what they have to say. However, doing so comes naturally to some people, whereas others have to put in some effort. As a result, an organization must provide comprehensive training to all of its employees on appropriate phone etiquette and professional procedures.

Challenges at the Front Desk

Interruption: A busy receptionist’s workday is generally ruined by interruptions regularly. One of the qualities of a skilled receptionist is the ability to maintain composure in the face of constant interruptions.

Missed phone calls: Managing a busy reception area often results in missed phone calls. In actuality, 62% of business calls go unanswered and missed calls could cost you. 85% of these callers do not return calls which results in potential business loss.

Long wait times can also negatively impact customer experience and can push your customers away from using a competitor’s services.

Understaffing: When the front desk is understaffed, or you’re continuously putting out fires, the customer experience suffers. Companies need to maintain a professional image while catering to balance their human resource.

Management frequently undervalues and overlooks your role until there is an issue. This is particularly problematic for businesses that interact with customers, such as car dealerships, clinics, restaurants, salons, and other neighborhood stores.

Here’s how you can keep everything under control while managing these challenges.

7 Must-Have Receptionist Skills

Confidence:

Knowing what you’re going to say and delivering it with authority are essential while speaking on the phone. Avoid stuttering, speaking too hastily, or sounding fading. Correct pronunciation, a relaxed cadence, and a positive attitude when assisting callers are all important.

If you often fill in your sentences with words like “uh huh,” “um,” or expressions such as “you know,” or “like,” avoid doing so as it can come across as sloppy and unconfident.

Written & Verbal Communication

You might occasionally accept messages from coworkers or superiors if your company doesn’t have voicemail. When you do, accurately convey all of the information from the calls in your messages.

This will enable your coworkers to continue a conversation with a caller where you left off without having to repeat anything. The operations of your company’s customers or clients can generally be improved by taking down accurate information.

Stay Organized

Make a thorough note and keep track of the caller ID and the time the call came in. Keep a business directory close at hand for speedy transfers. keeping track of other crucial information in a spreadsheet, such as maintenance, office supplies, emergency contacts, vendors, etc.

Be Polite

When taking calls, be sure to introduce yourself politely and state your company’s name right away. Say, for example, “Good morning. ABC Technologies, this is XYZ speaking. How may I be of service to you?” Say more than “Hello” when greeting someone. Nobody should ever have to inquire as to whether they have arrived at a particular company.

Be friendly, upbeat, and professional when you answer the phone. Sometimes a caller’s first impression of your business will be their voice on the phone.

Avoid Dead Ends

Take complete and accurate phone messages when you answer the phone. When a caller says anything you don’t understand or can’t spell, such as a person’s last name, ask them to repeat it or spell it for you. Take a moment to reiterate the name or number back to them to confirm the information. Make that the message is then delivered to the correct person.

Use active listening techniques. Pay attention to what the caller is saying and decide where to send them as soon as possible to meet their needs best. Before sending the message to the intended receiver, it is crucial to verify the call’s most vital data.

Time Management

It’s polite to answer the phone right away to prevent keeping callers waiting. Try to respond to any calls by the third ring or, if you can’t, put them to voicemail out of consideration for the caller’s time. If you don’t, potential business can be lost. You can promptly assist clients and customers in this way. Make sure there is always someone available to take phone calls.

Snappy Greetings & Smile

As odd as it may sound, smiling while speaking causes a noticeable change in tone. As a front desk agent or customer service provider, you may find it difficult to keep your tone in check throughout a call, especially if you perform several tasks. Try smiling when you answer the phone. By employing this tactic, you can keep your demeanor polite, professional, and upbeat as you answer calls.

Manage your reception with the best Reception Management Tools

One simply cannot respond to each and every call when managing a reception. Choose an affordable option in the market to ease employee workload and provide outstanding customer service.

Choose software that makes it easy and fast for everyday business, one that recovers missed calls with a quick instant message. It should provide simplicity, flexibility and convenience to handle customer connections efficiently.

Bottomline

In this day and age of texting and email, a lot of businesses still use the phone as their main method of communication with clients, and the way your firm answers the phone will determine how your clients will perceive you. If the employee who answers the phone is unprofessional, that may be the customer’s last impression!

Tags: Digital communication