How To Answer Customer Service Calls Correctly?
Why is it critical to know how to answer customer service calls correctly?
Well, consider this; when someone reaches out to your company over the telephone, it’s usually because they need something quickly and are hopeful that you can provide the solution. This could be a prospective client calling to assess your company’s services or an existing customer who needs help with a particular problem. It might be a supplier, stakeholder or anyone else who doesn’t have the time to look online – they need an answer now!
Knowing how to answer customer service calls in the right way can create a lasting impression on the caller. A great experience will reflect positively on your brand and show customers that you genuinely care about them, so they’ll be more likely to use your services again in the future.
Here are some tips on how to answer customer service calls to create a great first impression.
-
Don’t leave them hanging
Few things are more frustrating for customers than being ignored. When your office telephone begins to ring, we recommend that it should be answered within 10 seconds as best practice.
If you’re going to include your office phone number on any external communications, from your website to a marketing brochure, or even your business card, make sure you have the necessary resources in place to respond if someone tries to contact you. Treat every call as a priority and an opportunity.
-
Right place, right time
The very first reassurance you should provide when answering customer service calls is that the caller has reached their intended destination. Answer the phone with a simple, timely greeting and add the name of your company to create a professional impression.
It can also be a nice touch to include your name at the end of the greeting. This will put the caller at ease immediately, knowing they have reached a friendly human being, rather than a generic, automated message.
For example, “Good morning, ABC Business, Jen speaking, how can I help you today?”.
-
Stop and listen
It sounds simple but one of the best tips for answering customer service calls is to stop what you are doing and listen intently to the person at the other end of the phone.
Before you suggest a solution, make sure you’ve understood the customer’s question correctly. It can help to repeat what you’ve heard back to the client. For example, “so, you’re seeking legal advice about a potential redundancy to your position at work, is that correct?” Then ask for a bit more information to ensure you have all the facts.
Once you’re clear on what the customer needs and have offered any advice or suggestions on next steps, provide an opportunity for them to ask any final questions before you end the call.
-
Ask an expert
If you don’t have the time or resources in place to answer customer service calls, consider outsourcing them to a telephone answering service instead.
The main benefit of outsourcing is that you’ll never miss a customer service call and you can be safe in the knowledge that every customer will receive an exceptional level of care. An outsourced answering service can be particularly useful for small to medium businesses such as law firms who receive not only a high amount of calls, but varied volumes dependant on times of the year, making staffing levels difficult to predict.
Using an outsourced telephone answering service means you can create a great impression on every call, without needing to hire an in-house receptionist. To find out more about Office Front or how to answer customer service calls, get in touch on 020 7127 0660 or email our team at sales@officefront.co.uk
To test our call answering service for yourself call 020 8906 6668 and see what you think.
