Training Your Employees on Phone Etiquette

Businesses benefit from good customer service because it helps them build better relationships with their customers and improve customer satisfaction and retention. Building trust with your clients is essential to understanding their needs better and addressing any issues they may be having.

Phone etiquette is one of the simplest and most effective ways to strengthen client relationships and interactions. Your phone etiquette refers to how you interact with customers over the phone. Here are a few considerations while attempting to improve phone etiquette.

Identify Problematic Areas

In a recent survey, 82 percent of participants said that an immediate response is “critical” or “extremely critical” when considering purchasing from a business, talking to a salesperson, or inquiring about a product or service. In other words, it is essential to answer questions or requests in 30 minutes or less.

However, If your employee isn’t sufficiently trained in good phone etiquette, the customer’s reaction could become negative. Factors contributing to this include using the incorrect tone or a lack of understanding of your goods and services. Around 96 percent of clients will take their business elsewhere if you don’t provide them with good customer service.

It is critical to identify the problematic areas in your customer service. After that, provide appropriate solutions and training to help people develop and improve in these areas.

Basic Phone Etiquette

The phone is frequently where your client gets their first impression of you. Because of this, phone etiquette is so important in your business. Training in call etiquette teaches employees how to conduct themselves professionally on the phone and how to handle irritated customers. Here are a few basics of effective phone etiquette:

• Great Introduction- A constant and competent introduction helps keep a company’s name and image in good standing. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce yourself and your company to establish credibility. It would be best to stick to the script provided to you during telephone etiquette training sessions. Make an excellent first impression by answering the phone in a cheerful, enthusiastic, and friendly manner.
• Clear Vocals- Keep your voice as clear as possible when talking on the phone. Make sure to pronounce everything properly and use basic words and phrases. Don’t use terminology that is too complicated. When you speak clearly and softly, you convey to the other person that you are fully engaged in their conversation.

It’s critical for your consumers to understand you and not feel rushed while dealing with you. You should avoid chewing gum or eating during a conversation because it can result in garbled speech.

• Attentiveness- It’s a good idea to jot down notes when on the phone. Take note of the person’s name, phone number, and business making the request, and make sure you understand their request. Take a note of your conversation by listening attentively to what they are saying. Active listening means hearing what people have to say and responding appropriately.
• Be Honest- Rather than creating excuses or offering bogus answers, it is preferable to admit when you do not know something. In most cases, customers don’t expect you to have all the answers, but they expect you to be open and honest.

Respond honestly to the individual you’re speaking with once you’ve established a connection. You may have to put a customer on hold to have enough time to answer their questions or transfer their call to another more knowledgeable person regarding the subject.

• Use Proper Language- Avoid using slang or filler phrases such as “uh” or “yeah,” as these will detract from the quality of the connection between you and the caller. When you talk on the phone, provide a friendly greeting to the person on the other end of the line. Use appropriate language since you never know who can be offended by your words. Be aware and considerate at all times when talking on the phone.
• Ask Before Putting Someone on Hold or Transferring a Call- Always get the customer’s consent before putting them on hold or transferring their call. Assure them that you or a member of your staff will do everything in your power to remedy their issue as promptly as possible. A shared lines feature can offer an added advantage in quickly transferring calls between phone devices to enable multiple agents to respond to an incoming call. Phone numbers and caller ID information are shared among agents on shared lines.

Gain Repeat Customers

Phone etiquette entails all you do when communicating via a phone call, including how you greet a customer, your tone of voice, body language, word choice, and how you conclude a call. Using correct phone etiquette helps you maintain a strong relationship with your customers. Excellent phone etiquette can make you stand out from the competition and persuade clients and customers to call back.