Telephone Service Procedures

Click here to view a video that explains proper telephone etiquette.

Answering the Call

• Smile
• Answer promptly within three rings
• Greet the caller courteously
• Identify yourself and your organization or department
• Speak clearly and directly to the receiver
• Use the caller’s name
• Ask to be of service
• Take notes
• Turn all your attention to the phone. Suspend all other conversation
• Listen intelligently. Concentrate on the call

Putting the Caller on Hold

• Ask the caller if he or she would like to hold and wait for the caller’s response.
• Use the hold feature on your telephone.
• Return to the caller every thirty seconds if it takes longer.
• Tell the caller if he or she will be put on hold for a long period and explain the delay.
• Thank the caller for waiting when returning to the telephone.

Points to remember while on hold:

• Any information that you need to obtain must be accessed promptly.
• Only attend to the customer’s problem while your customer is on hold.
• You are on the customer’s time, don’t waste it.
• One or two minutes will not seem like a long time to you because you will be busy. It can seem endless to the person waiting.
• During the off-line time, you will search for the correct information and provide the customer with the right number.
• You will also prepare yourself for an explanation if your search is not successful.

Transferring a Call

• Try to handle the situation yourself
• Ask the caller for permission to transfer his or her call
• Let the caller know to whom he or she is being transferred
• Give the caller the number of the person to whom you are transferring the call
• Follow correct operational procedures

Click here to view a video that explains how to transfer the call.

Taking a Message

• Tell the caller that the person requested is not available
• Offer to help or to have someone else help the caller
• Ask if you may take a message
• Give the caller the option of calling back or having his or her call returned
• Ask for the caller’s full name, telephone number and message. Note the time and the date
• Verify information, including correct spelling
• Say, “I’ll ask him or her to call you” not “I’ll have him or her call you”
• Don’t ask, “Who’s calling?”
• If possible, give the caller some indication of when the person will be available
• Never indicate where the person is or what he or she is doing

Click here to view a video that explains the skills for taking a message

During the Call

• Try to avoid getting off-track.
• Take complete and accurate notes of the conversation, even for routine calls
• If the caller does digress, bring him or her back to the main point of the conversation
• Ending the Call
• End the call pleasantly
• Try to use the caller’s name
• Don’t end the conversation too abruptly
• Don’t leave the other person dangling
• Thank the caller
• Hang up gently
• Let the caller hang up first

Click here to view, download, print and complete the telephone communication skills.

Summary

As soon as a customer rings, you have the opportunity to convert it into a visit and a potential sale. The more helpful, approachable and polite you are the more likely will the customer's visit be. However, it is essential that certain points be followed:

• Greet the customer politely and professionally
• Establish the customer's needs
• Take control of the call
• Gain the customer's commitment

Always remember that your telephone technique is a skill, which should be practised and mastered so that it becomes part of your overall customer service, based on professionalism and quality.