Zoom - How We Work

Using the phone to connect with people is still one of the most popular forms of communication, which is why it’s important for all businesses to keep on top of those important phone calls, which can either make or break a business. Here at Zoom, we understand the significance of each phone call, which is why we treat each call with the utmost importance and professionalism. Our team of Zoomettes answer, manage and route your calls in the best manner possible, whenever you need us to. 

Give us a call and we’ll guide you through the steps of how you would like us to answer your telephone calls. Even though we’ll be answering your calls, you’ll be fully in control. You can decide how you would like your calls answered, if you would like your calls to be put through straight to you, or if you would prefer a message to be taken and emailed/texted to your mobile. 

Begin your 7 Day Free Trial and transfer your calls today. At the end of your trial, you will receive a report which states the breakdown of costs and a monthly estimate based on your week’s worth of calls. You can also always call us and let us know your feedback, and if you’re happy to go forward, you can just simply sign up online to our services!

Telephone Vocabulary

There’s a fine line when it comes down to using vocabulary over the phone. You don’t want to come across as too intimidating to the caller, or even too inarticulate. It’s all about finding the right balance, and using appropriate and professional vocabulary when talking to someone and answering the phone.

We’ve all been there. You’re having a conversation with someone and they use a word you’ve never heard before, and you honestly don’t have a clue what it means. You’ll most likely spend the rest of the conversation trying to figure out what it actually means and as soon as the conversation ends, you quickly rush home to look the definition up. It’s not a great experience when this sort of situation occurs. You can end up feeling insecure, foolish and a little bit intimidated. This is exactly what a caller on the other end of the phone can feel if the person they’re talking to is throwing difficult and intricate words their way. It may be tempting to try and come across as the all wise and knowledgeable one, but most people don’t like the feeling of being outsmarted, it can belittle them and make them feel a little apprehensive about the call. 

People tend to use perplexing words in two ways. They either know exactly what they mean, or they’re just trying to sound smart and actually have no idea what they’re saying. If you’re a little self conscious about your vocabulary over the phone, don’t memorise complex words for the sake of it without actually learning the meaning of those words in the first place. Chances are these will be used in completely the wrong context, and although it can seem amusing to the caller, it will only make you seem silly and a little unprofessional.   

Most people who use the telephone are aware of the English phonetic alphabet and it can actually come in use as a pretty handy tool. Don’t get disheartened if it doesn’t come to you straight away, chances are the caller will still be impressed that you know the English phonetic alphabet. Using the phonetic alphabet can actually give you the chance to clarify certain spellings over the phone, and although it may seem like a lot to remember, it’ll most definitely prove to be useful when talking over the phone. 

It’s important to remember that when speaking on the phone you remain professional at all times. Taking on the phone with a prospective client isn’t the same as talking to your friends over the phone. Try and avoid using terms such as “uh’, “yeah” and “maybe”. These aren’t exactly promising or professional terms from the callers point of view. 

If you’re unsure about how to speak in the correct professional manner over the phone, there’s nothing wrong with practising. Whether this is carried out with a friend, or by yourself, it’s true when they say that practise makes perfect. 

Dealing with a disgruntled caller

Talking on the phone and dealing with callers can generally be quite a pleasant experience. Although from time to time, there will be that one caller that can be quite difficult to deal with, and no matter how polite and civil you are, you still can’t appease the person on the other side of the phone. Dealing with this type of situation can be quite difficult, however there are various ways to diffuse the situation and ensure that it doesn’t escalate any further. 

It all starts by listening to the caller, although this may be the last thing you want to do if they start getting abusive towards you. In this type of situation, the first thing to do is to make the caller aware that you won’t tolerate abuse of any kind, you’re there to help them, not be their verbal punching bag. Saying something along the lines of “I understand that you’re frustrated sit/madam, but I won’t tolerate being spoken to in that manner, I want to help you and ensure that this issue gets resolved” will help tame the situation, as well as putting the caller in their place. If you’re struggling to understand or listen to the caller for whatever reason, jot down key points on a piece of paper, looking back on these notes at the end of the call can sometimes make more sense than in the midst of a difficult phone call where tension levels are high. 

Nothing gets a caller more rattled if they feel as if they aren’t being listened to. This is why it’s key to ensure that you’re actually listening to them, and not just agreeing for the sake of it. You could end up missing key points, misunderstanding the situation and repeating yourself, or worse, making the caller repeat themselves. Try not to pass the caller around to different people either, the caller will only get more rattled and end up having to repeat themselves over and over again. Certain words and phrases can diffuse the situation and ensures that the customer feels as if they’re being listened too, such as “I can understand why you’re frustrated” or “I too would be upset”. Clever vocabulary doesn’t have to stop there. Using words such as honestly, sincerely and genuinely reassures the customer that you are indeed being honest and fair with them. 

When people are angry, all they want to do is vent out their frustrations. It’s important that you let the caller do this, as interrupting mid sentence will only make them more irritable, as you’re stopping them from getting their point across. Sometimes the caller can make you angry as well, but it’s paramount that you remain calm, and most importantly don’t turn the call into a raging argument by passing judgement. This will only reflect badly on you.

It may seem obvious, but don’t shout back, don’t tell them they’re stupid and don’t say they’re wrong. Sometimes it’s about being the bigger person. You know that they’re wrong, other people around you know that they’re wrong, and at the end of the day the caller probably knows that they’re wrong too. Diffusing a difficult situation is much more rewarding than proving someone wrong and letting your pride get in the way.   

Sometimes resolving the situations straight away isn’t always possible, and making false promises may seem like a great solution in the short while, but can be detrimental in the long run for you and the customer. Ensure that the call ends on a high note if possible, it’s always a good sign if someone calls up angry and they go away satisfied.

How a Call Handling Service Can Help SMEs to Grow

For small and medium enterprises (SMEs), competition can be tough. Start-ups and established businesses alike can struggle to grow when resources and staff are stretched to their limit. The elements that usually distinguish growing companies from others are: the ability to work around the clock and offering exceptional customer service. With the prevalence of online business and marketing, there's no such thing as 9 to 5 working hours any more, and if you are unable to provide customers with 24/7 availability then you may find it difficult to keep up with your competitors and larger companies. But there's a simple solution that any SME can afford and easily integrate into their existing operations: outsourced business call answering. 

Call handling services provide a high standard of customer service round the clock, enabling your company to offer a dedicated point of contact and ensuring that clients and customers always reach a professional representative when they call. Missed calls are missed opportunities and, as a small business, every opportunity is valuable. A staggering 94% of new customers whose calls are unanswered will seek their business elsewhere so every single call counts!

Most SMEs can afford a receptionist to divert calls to the appropriate person, or implement an automated answering service to cope with calls when they're out of the office, but neither of these solutions covers every base. Receptionists cannot catch every call, day and night, while automated services are often irritating and off-putting for a customer in urgent need to speak to an advisor. By providing your customers with a quick and professional customer service, you will acquire new clients, retain existing clients and boost your company reputation, allowing your business to grow. 

Call handling services are cost-effective and efficient, offering a wide variety of options that can be tailored to your business requirements, including:

• phone answering
• virtual receptionists
• call centre services
• call diversion
• appointment making
• message taking
• customer service
• technical support
• brochure/information sending
• franchise call management
• holiday/illness cover
• telemarketing
• recruitment drives
• non-geographical numbers (0800, 0870, 0845)

Professional business call answering ensures that each and every caller receives the best customer service possible and gives the impression of a larger company. With the rise of social media and smart phones, customers expect businesses to be accessible and quick to respond - don't be left behind, make the most of your SME's resources and outsource your call management to Zoom UK. Try our 7-day free trial and see how much we can help your company!

Learn to Handle Business Calls More Effectively

Not only can Zoom provide you with an expert team of call handlers to help your company run smoothly, we can also train you and your staff in what makes our techniques so successful.

Zoom business call training will provide you with a range of skills to improve your business calls and customer service, and increase customer acquisition and retention. We can coach individuals or groups in the following areas:

• Best practice for telephone operators
• Competency when dealing with enquiries and sales
• Positive attitude and polite manner
• Putting forward a good first Impression 
• Tools and techniques to handle a variety of callers
• Dealing with complaints and negativity
• How to meet customer expectations
• Adapting behaviour to win more business
• Tune-in to clients' needs, values and preferences

By carrying out simple behavioural tests, we can help your staff to see how to identify and understand customer expectations, requirements and values. With this knowledge and these skills, your staff will be able to more competently handle enquiries, drive sales and resolve complaints - working in harmony with your Zoom team of call management specialists!

For more information on our business call training please get in touch with us at www.zoomuk.co.uk or by calling 0800 583 5020. And you can even check your call handling skills with our online test!

Some Basic Tips For Answering Telephone Calls Professionally

The telephone is still the preferred communication tool of choice for many when it comes to business, even when web enquiries, emails, social media and live chat facilities are available. So here are our top tips on telephone answering.. 

ANSWER THE CALL QUICKLY - There is nothing more unprofessional than leaving a caller waiting. Research shows that if most of us wait longer that 24 seconds on the phone, we'll hang up. 

ANSWER WITH A SMILE -  You can always tell if someone is smiling or not over the phone. Smiling when delivering customer service when answering the phone is just as important as smiling face to face. If you are happy, the customers happy!

SPEAK CLEARLY & PROFESSIONALLY  – Words like ‘cheers’, ‘uh-huh’, ‘mate ‘,’yeah’ etc. are not professional ways to speak to customers over the phone, keep it friendly but remember they are a customer and not a pal and remember to enunciate every word.

LEARN THE PHONETIC ALPHABET- and use it when you are confirming spellings back, Sounds a lot more professional than saying the first thing that comes to your head! 

REMAIN POSITIVE AND PROFESSIONAL - Even if you have no idea what they are talking about. By using ‘let me find that out for you and come back to you’ rather than ‘I don’t know’ as it shows interest and a willingness to help.

KEEP THE CUSTOMER HAPPY- make sure you go back to update them every few seconds if you have to put people on hold, and remember to keep offering to have them called back

Improve Your Business Call Answering Service

Have you taken our telephone tips quiz yet? See how effective your business call answering skills are and find out how to improve them. At Zoom Answer Call we are dedicated to excellent customer service in whatever we do, from virtual reception services to brochure sending, diary management to temporary holiday cover. By outsourcing your phone answering to a professional service you know that every call your business receives will be dealt with in the most effective and polite manner possible. That's why we smile when we answer every single call!

Some of the most important elements of good customer service and phone answering are plain common sense, and come down to responding to each customer in a genuine and helpful way. For example:

• We listen careful to customer enquiries, complaints and orders so that we can pass on the correct information to the appropriate member of staff, and can respond in the most effective manner.
• We are always polite, professional and pleased to receive a call, and you'd be surprised what a difference a pleasant response makes to customers. Compare this calm and collected method to a busy day at your office when no one really has the time or patience to deal with yet another enquiry. We make every single call count.
• We make sure you never miss a call, ensuring that you are able to convert as many sales as possible. And just as importantly, we make sure you are able to deal with negative calls swiftly and appropriately so your reputation remains positive. 
• We are here for you all year round, so there's no need to find extra cover or lose sales during busy periods, or if your employees go on sick leave, maternity leave or holiday. 

If you need a little extra help to get your business running smoothly and efficiently, outsourcing your phone answering is a quick, easy and affordable step to help you on your way. We tailor our call handling packages to suit your company so get in touch to find out how we can help you! You can even try our services for seven days absolutely FREE!

Call us on 0800 583 5020 to speak to a Zoomette today.

What Makes a Great Call Answering Service?

When you call a business looking for information, to make an order or to submit a complaint, what do you look for from the person who answers your call? Most people would include politeness, competence and speed in their list of positive business call attributes. If you think your call handling isn't as good as it could be, take the time to sit down and make a list of everything you want out of a call answering service and see how your own company fairs.

Recognising what your customers want and need is an essential part of providing the best customer service possible. We can help you to identify the most efficient ways to organise your phone answering service or call centre operations, and our professionally trained call handlers are able to adapt to a variety of different situations and requirements, including:

• Call answering
• Appointment making
• Virtual reception services
• Call centre services
• Call diverting
• Brochure sending
• Customer services
• Franchise call answering
• Diary management
• Holiday/sickness/temporary cover

One of the most effective methods of creating a positive call experience is to really listen to your customers' needs and individual requirements and tailoring your response accordingly. Reading from a script does not cater to every situation and can make you appear robotic or dismissive. Personalising your calls is a great way to make each and every customer feel like their call is valued and their query is being taken seriously. Keep good records of names, times, details and previous interactions so that you can refer to them during future calls. Following up calls with a quick check up can be a fantastic way of going the extra mile, too, and having a dedicated customer support team to respond to complaints and issues as quickly as possible is a definite essential if you want your business reputation to stay golden.

At the core of great call answering, however, is the professionalism of your call handlers. At Zoom Answer Call, our expert call handlers are trained to understand customer emotions and handle them appropriately. We tailor our services to the exact requirements of your company so that we become a seamless addition to your business. Our phone answering services ensure that you never miss a call, never leave a query unanswered and never fail to respond to a complaint. Better customer service means a better reputation, which leads to boosted sales and a higher rate of returning customers!

Get in touch with us at Zoom Answer Call for a FREE 7-day trial of our business call handling services and see for yourself!