How to Answer a Business Call Professionally

Are you answering your business calls professionally? The way we deal with customer calls makes a big difference to company reputation, customer retention and generally efficiency within your business. Have a look at the following checklist of how to answer a business call professionally to see if you make the grade. If not, you  might want to consider employing a professional call answering service to deal with your calls on your behalf! Our Zoomettes are friendly, responsive and highly trained, and will always answer your calls in a way that ensures your customer service experience is positive.

10 ways to keep your business calls professional:

1. Be polite! Even when faced with difficult customers or an awkward situation, remain unfailingly polite at all times and sometimes the most hostile of callers will come around in the end.
2. Think before you speak. Make sure your responses are accurate and work towards a positive customer experience. If you're unsure about an answer, find out before you give information to a customer.
3. Communicate clearly. Be honest and straightforward and ensure that both you and your customer understand what's going on, whether you're dealing with an enquiry, a transaction, or a complaint.
4. If you've made a mistake, apologise. Even if it isn't your fault, as a call handler, you are representative of your company and you need to make sure that wrongs are righted and your customers feel valued and responded to.
5. Use a good vocabulary. Using appropriate vocabulary not only appears more professional, but it helps you to communicate more effectively.
6. Say "please" and "thank you"! Good manners go a long way... Ask questions politely and thank your customers for their call, their enquiry or their purchase.
7. Repetition aids understanding. Sometimes repeating information back to a customer can help keep things clear, such as phone numbers, quantities, details of products or requests for information.
8. Be friendly and make each call personal. If you have details of an existing customer, let them know your company values their business and make them feel as if you have a personal business relationship.
9. Know what you're talking about! If you don't, it's better to be honest and admit you need to find out more to be able to answer a query properly. Don't be tempted to wing it and make something up or assume...
10. And finally: Make follow up checks at the end of the call. Is there anything else your customer would like to know? Is everything clear and understood? Is there anything else you can do for the customer? Are they satisfied with everything? The little details count and going that extra mile rather than a quick, "thanks, goodbye" can make all the difference.

Oh, and one final thing - our Zoomettes answer each and every call with a SMILE. For more information on professional call handling, call centre services and virtual reception services, get in touch with us at Zoom Answer Call UK.

Keep Your Company Reputation Positive with a Phone Answering Service

Get the edge on your competitors by improving your company reputation. Using a call answering service can dramatically help your business' efficiency and increase your customer retention.

Good customer service is a major factor in repeat business, and is important in both retaining existing customers and acquiring new ones. Maintaining your customer base can be a difficult job when you are unable to provide the time or staff needed to man your customer service department, but that's where a phone answering service or call centre service can make a big difference.

Professional call handling creates a trustworthy and reliable reputation for your business, and enables your customers to find help, support and problem resolution when they need it. No one wants to wait on hold or get through to an automated phone service - what your customers appreciate is a friendly, knowledgeable, personal answer when they call your customer service line, and providing this can really improve your reputation and give you the edge over your competitors.

In the age of social media, customers are not shy about spreading the word about their customer service experiences, whether positive or negative, but they are much more likely to rant online about a bad one. This type of information is then publicly searchable when a new customer is looking into your business, and may sway their decision over whether to use your company or not.

For many customers, decent customer service is more important than low prices, and if you can guarantee your consumers will receive a better customer experience, they may be prepared to spend more with you than at a cheaper competitor. According to one report, companies with a strong customer service base can charge up to 9% more than their competitors, and grow their business twice as fast as the average.

Another pitfall of the digital age is the faceless interaction of e-commerce sites. You must excel in your customer service in order to make your online customers to feel valued, and to build personal relationships within your niche. That means providing efficient and competent call handlers when customers need to get in touch by phone, and a call answering service can ensure this no matter how busy or short-staffed you are.

At Zoom Answer Call, we believe that any and all businesses can be improved with a dedicated customer service department, and a large part of that is providing reliable phone answering services. Let us help your business to thrive and grow, and your reputation to improve, with professional call answering.

Improve Your Customer Services With Call Answering Services

Using a call answering service can improve your customer service, customer retention, customer loyalty and give you the edge on your competitors. Customer service is the greatest asset to your business in terms of creating a solid customer base that will assist your company's growth and success. But many businesses simply don't have the the time or staff to devote the effort required to present their customers with reliable and efficient customer service. So what's the answer?

One option is to employ a phone answering service to ensure you never miss another call. Professional call answering from Zoom Answer Call allows you to relax, knowing that your calls are answered by friendly, knowledgeable call handlers, who can act as your customer service department around the clock.

Positive customer service reviews are a huge part of customer retention and acquisition, and have a heavy influence on your company's reputation, especially online. Developing a solid customer service base helps your customers to feel secure in their dealings with you, creating long-term relationships that go beyond a single sale or interaction. Well-trained, polite and knowledgeable customer service agents like our Zoomettes help to retain those customers and resolve issues or answer questions. Better customer satisfaction means positive word of mouth - the most effective form of marketing there is.

Building customer loyalty goes beyond simply creating repeat customers - loyalty from your consumers means positive growth in your company reputation, and a steady stream of revenue from a reliable customer base. Quality customer service must be consistent and needs to fulfil customer expectations and requirements to build trustworthy relationships between your business and your customers. A truly loyal customer is far more likely to sing your praises than a customer who has had a single good experience working with you.

Around 70% of customers say they would look to a company's competitor if they had a bad experience, and consumers are far more likely to speak out about a negative customer service experience than a positive one. According to one study, an unhappy customer will tell 8-25 people about their negative experiences, and this means face to face as well as via social media. Conversely, a good experience is only usually passed on to one or two other people. That might not seem like much, but considering the majority of our online purchasing is based on personal recommendation, it could be more powerful than you think. And remember, just one negative review can seriously affect your business' reputation and customer retention.

Ensure your company maintains its good reputation, or builds an even better one, by using Zoom Answer Call's professional phone answering service to keep your customers happy!

Are You Damaging Your Company by Using an Automated Telephone Service?

Does your business need a professional call answering service? Your company's phone line is the first port of call for the majority of your customers when looking for information, support or customer service. But is the way your business responds to these calls damaging your reputation and sales volume? As consumers become more accustomed to the instant gratification of the digital age, your efficiency in telephone answering and responding to queries is put under increased pressure.

One of the biggest customer service bugbears for consumers is calling a customer service line, only to be answered by an automated response. The maze of automated menus and diversion systems drives people mad, and usually generate one of three responses:

1) A frustrated customer who is angry and short-tempered by the time they get through to a real person.

2) A frustrated customer who tries to bypass the menu by pressing the zero or star key in order to get through to a real person, meaning they may not be through to the right person, meaning they are sent back into the maze...

3) A frustrated customer who gives up completely and hangs up the phone before they even get through to a real person.

Are you seeing the common theme? The customer is irritated, their query does not get answered and your company's reputation is damaged by word of mouth as the customer complains to their friends, family and co-workers about you. Even worse, the customer goes onto social media and publicly moans about your customer service, making this information available to anyone looking into your company's details.

Another potential reputation-killer is being on hold for too long. Customers don't want to wait - so don't make them. Being on hold for more than a minute or two creates - guess what? - a frustrated customer, and we know what kind of reactions to expect from them. Once again, consumers will often turn to social media to express their displeasure about their customer service - something that can be very damaging to your company reputation.

So what can you do to avoid these common phone answering pitfalls? Can you guarantee your customers will get through to a real person when they call your phone line? And can you guarantee your customers won't have to wait on hold to speak to someone? If the answer to either of these questions is 'no', then you seriously need to consider employing a call answering service to provide your business with a professional phone response team. 

At Zoom Answer Call, our Zoomettes answer every call quickly and expertly - with a smile. Our highly trained staff are able to manage, direct or route your calls, providing reliable customer services whenever you need it. Get in touch to find out more, or to try our 7 day trial, and never miss a call - or lose a treasured customer - again...

Why Does my Business Need a Phone Answering Service?

If you're wondering whether your business needs a phone answering service, try answering the following questions...

• Are you able to answer every call that comes into your office, and dedicate time and a polite, friendly response to each one?
• Are you able to quickly and efficiently act on each call you receive, whether that means booking an appointment, providing information, or sending out brochures or products?
• Does the person answering your phone have specific training in how to deal with each type of caller?
• Do you have address finder software so that you can look up your caller's address using just their postcode? 
• Do you smile every time you answer the phone? (It really does make a difference!)

If you can't answer yes to all these questions, then you may be in need of a call answering service. At Zoom Answer Call, nothing is too much trouble. We can adapt our service to suit your requirements, whether it's simple call management, brochure sending, appointment booking, customer service, providing information, or covering holidays or staff absences. Our highly trained personnel are flexible and articulate, and answer each call with a smile to ensure a friendly, polite response.

We also offer call centre services, virtual reception services, call handling for franchises, and help with downsizing or outsourcing. Get in touch to find out more, or try our 7 day FREE trial!