by Nancy Friedman
If you have never called in to your own company to ask for yourself, a product, or a service, I highly recommend that you do just that to hear how customers and potential customers are being handled. We cannot fix what we do not know.
We must call in and find out what is going on in our business. This isn’t rocket science. It’s plain old common sense.
There are folks who tell me, “Well, Nancy, they’ll recognize my voice.” Maybe they will if you call in and ask for someone else. However, you can call in and ask for yourself. I do it all the time. I call my office and say, “Is Nancy there?” and, trust me, no one has ever said, “Is that you screwing around, Nancy?” They may think it, know it, or suspect it. However, they will never take the chance by asking.
If you do happen to have a recognizable voice, ask a team member to make the call for you. Listen on the speakerphone. Get on an extension. Record the conversation so you can hear it later. And if you need or want to, let the person who answered listen to the recording. Then TRAIN! Don’t complain.
Avoid making your call-in questions too convoluted. A simple question to the person who answers will tell you a whole lot, and you’ll know what you need to do to fix it.
Does your first responder need to transfer the call to get an answer? If yes, why do they ask, “How can I help you?” in the greeting. It’s useless if the person answering cannot help the caller, isn’t it?
If the person answering the call cannot answer the question promptly and correctly every time, then we strongly suggest not using “How can I help you?” in the initial greeting. The person who answers is there to help. That’s why they answered the phone.
Are you wondering what questions you should ask when calling in to your own company?
Here are a few sample questions:
- “Where are you guys located?” The response will tell you a lot. I had one lady yell out to a coworker, “Hey Bob, where are we located?” Yes, it happened to me.
- “Hi, how much is (a product or service)?” The response to this question is critical. Those companies (or locations) that answer with a price right off are in big trouble. Chances are good the potential customer will say, “OK, thanks very much.” The employee will then respond with “You’re welcome.” Hundreds of thousands of your marketing dollars are lost via this simple exchange.
With a little soft-skills training, such problems can be fixed.
Nancy Friedman, Founder/Chairman, Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, bringing you Zoom programs, and our www.serviceskils.com, a popular boutique, unique online eLearning platform. Nancy is a featured speaker on customer service, communications, and sales. www.nancyfriedman.com or call 314-276-1012.
Submitted 2 years 58 days ago