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Don’t Lose Sales Over Bad Phone Etiquette

Heather Legg

February 03, 2014

Customer service is no less important today than it was decades ago, despite the ease in which we can skip over actual human interaction via technology.

Every so often, your customers will want to speak to you or your sales professionals. Maybe they are looking to hire you and your company and need information. Maybe you already have done business with them and a problem has arisen; you need to help to solve it.

Sometimes a simple phone call can make and break your business.

You and your sales people need to know how to make sure it's a deal maker - not a breaker, and phone etiquette is a big part.

Many people today dread calling customer service, whether it's for fear of being put on hold and passed around from recording to automated response to "please press 2" or for fear of dealing with a person who has no business dealing with customers.

Let your company stand out with good phone etiquette so your customers will look forward to doing business with you.

1.    Use a professional, friendly greeting when answering the phone

State the name of the business and your own name, for instance, "Beth's Cupcakes, this is Beth Smith. How can I help you?" Your customers will know they've reached the correct number immediately. The friendlier your voice is, the better the entire tone of the call will be.

2.    Listen to the caller's purpose

Before you say too much, listen to the reason the customer is giving you for the call. If you can't help them, direct them to someone who can. Unless it's something that your business simply doesn't do, try to work it out. If you take someone's name and number to get back to them, make sure you do so in a timely manner. If you don't, you've probably lost their business.

3.    Try to do as much as you can to solve the problem before passing them onto someone else

If you can help, do so. If you aren't sure what you can do, then it's all right to check on it, but if at all possible, take care of the call and the issue in one discussion.

4.    Know when and how to end the call

There are those long winded talkers out there, and sometimes you need to end the call. If you are sure the business part of the call is over and you've chatted long enough, gently explain you've got to get back to work but have enjoyed the chat. Maintain professionalism and that friendly tone.

5.   End with a pleasant good-bye and closure

Once the problem has been solved or the business attended to, end the call. It's a good idea to ask if you can do anything else for them before you hang up, and of course, wish them a good day or evening. If you know you'll be calling back, try to give them an estimate of when that will happen.

The important part is to stay professional and helpful. If the situation gets angry or out of hand, you will need to cut it off in a professional manner as well.

The bottom line is that you want to keep your customers happy and coming back.

Phone communication is a big part of doing so.

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