Is your business phone service able to help you sell more and increase your business performance?

The answer to this question is not always yes. Often, with the daily routine, some companies end up not giving the attention that phone calls deserve, and this feature is underused.

Gone are the days when trained secretaries and telephone operators only provided telephone service.

Today, the phone is answered by everyone within a company, and is no longer a secretarial task, as many companies have given up their desks. So if your business wants to make a difference (for good) using the phone, we have some helpful tips:

1. Make sure your Phone can always be Answered

Your whole company is working, but when the phone rings, it’s good that you answer it. It can often be annoying to have to stop everything we are doing and answer a call, but not answering will be much worse for your reputation.

If you or someone else is in the middle of something that can’t be interrupted (such as a meeting), make sure someone else is responsible for answering calls and taking notes.

2. Have a Script

When someone calls your business, do you know how to use key questions to identify what they need?

Create a short roadmap of basic questions and guidelines so that your caller is answered in the best way possible. Even if the person requests to speak with a specific contact, probe and find out what it is about. Often, the person, the caller wants to talk to is not even the person best suited for the call.

When you start asking questions to your callers, you will get much more out of your phone calls.

3. Always Write Down and Pass Along

After the call is answered, the caller ID question script is applied, if the person who could answer the call is currently unavailable or absent, takes notes immediately. Use the caller’s name, explain the subject, and identify the contacts through which the call can be returned, even better, if you did this by emailing them as well. Many errands end up getting lost in the middle of other everyday tasks, and this can end up hurting your business. Therefore, the best way to send messages is to make sure they are sent as soon as the call is ended, and in that case, the best tool might be the email.

4. Extend your Service Hours

In many business hours of business, it is impossible to make contact after 5:30 pm or 6 pm. This makes contact between companies impossible after business hours and can frustrate the caller. What if your company could offer 24/7 customer service?

A virtual secretary service can help your business get a grade 10 on all of this. With it, when you are not working or cannot answer, your calls are retrieved, and you do not lose any contact. The service works very simply and is accessible to any business. You hire the virtual secretarial service, and you get an easy-to-remember number to share with all your promotional materials. When someone calls the number, you can schedule it to be redirected to a landline or even a cell phone of your choice.

If you cannot answer, virtual desks answer on behalf of your company. Secretaries can access your calendar, system, or even advance sales orders. At the end of the call, you still receive a summary of the call by email or SMS and can follow up on the call. And all you have to do, for starters, is choose the plan that best fits your business.

Turn your company into a service champion

Now that you know the step-by-step to ensure excellent telephone answering service how about implementing these tips and measuring differences? Surely your company will improve the level of service, as well as be a reference in telephone service for your customers. This way, your company is ready to make the phone a great ally, improving communication with customers, suppliers, and other strategic business partners.