At MeloTel, we pride ourselves on our ability to change the way North American companies do business. With the help of our cloud-hosted Commercial Phone Services, clients from all over the continent are enjoying calling capabilities they once thought were impossible. Being able to make unlimited calls to more than 22 countries is only the tip of the iceberg. VoIP telephony has revolutionized the ways in which we communicate.
However, advances in technology still can’t make up for tried-and-true customer service practices. Performing simple acts of being pleasant, friendly and courteous is the job of each and every individual who conducts business over the phone. It cannot be understated that a company’s customer service style can make or break its reputation. That’s why paying attention to particular forms of telephone etiquette is of paramount importance.
When transferring a call…
It’s important to be informative to whoever you have on the other line. Simply stating that you need to transfer the call to another department is not going to cut it. Let your caller know who you’re transferring the call to and why. Give a timeframe for approximately how long you expect your caller to wait until someone else picks up the line.
And, perhaps, more importantly, don’t perform cold transfers – you know, the ones where your callers have to begin their calls all over again because the new representatives have no idea why they’re on the lines. A warm transfer is one where you inform your co-worker of who the caller is and what his/her situation entails. This helps for the calls to go much smoother and for customers to be a lot more satisfied with the service they receive.
When placing a caller on hold…
Always ask for permission. In previous blogs, we’ve highlighted just how important it is to ask your caller if he/she doesn’t mind being placed on hold. As mentioned earlier, provide an approximate time frame for the hold as well. “May I please place you on hold for a minute or two while I locate that information for you?” goes over a lot better than “Hold please”.
When you return from the hold, be sure to thank your caller for his/her patience and offer an apology. Even if you had your caller on hold for a few seconds, it’s a great practice to express your understanding that the hold time may have been an inconvenience. “Thank you so much for holding, I apologize for the wait” is much better received than no acknowledgement at all.
When ending a call…
Never forget to depart with a pleasantry. There are plenty of them out there, so take your pick. “Thanks for your call, have an excellent day” or “If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us again” work excellently. Locate the departing words that best suit your company’s culture and don’t forget to use them. Again, showing your callers that you appreciate their business and that you’re happy to help them goes a long way in securing loyal customers.
We do the best we can to always practice what we preach, here at MeloTel. For a dose of our special brand of customer service over the phone, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-888-MELOTEL and select option 3 or email us at support@melotel.com.
