Top Tips For A Successful Phone Call

Here are our top tips for successful Phone Calls

1. Make sure you’re in sync with the business language the person is talking. If it’s a sector you’re unfamiliar with, then do some research and use similar phrases to make sure the person on the end of the line builds trust and confidence in you.
2. Acknowledge if the customer is in a hurry, telling them you appreciate this so they know you’ll be doing your best to deal with their enquiry as swiftly as possible. If you have to call them back, tell them how long or when it will be so they have a timeframe to work with.
3. Don’t answer before the phone has rung twice - most people aren’t actually ready and you’ll catch them unprepared! But make sure you answer before the phone has rung six times as you risk the person hanging up, presuming there’s no one to answer.
4. Don’t hang up before the caller does - you risk missing that crucial “Oh...by the way!” This could actually lose you business, so make sure the customer hangs up first!
5. When speaking to the person, pay attention to the tone of your voice - make sure it’s not monotonous as you’ll come across bored and uninterested. Inject a bit of liveliness into the way you speak - remember that the way the person perceives you is also the way they perceive the company.
6. Don’t ever have an empty pause of ten seconds or more, as this will come across badly. Make sure you’ve got open questions prepared in case the conversation dries up.
7. Don’t ever presume that someone shares your opinion on anything! Whether it’s sport, religion or politics, it’s never a good idea to voice how you feel on something as this could cause real issues if the caller doesn’t share your view. Stick to neutral comments that can’t be interpreted to mean too much!
8. Don’t make your choice of words too complex. Using long, sophisticated words may make you sound intelligent but it may also inhibit the caller from understanding what you mean if they don’t have the same vocabulary - stick to simple, easily-understood words to make sure your message is passed on clearly.
9. “I don’t know” is never acceptable. If you’re stuck and don’t know the answer to something, say “I’ll find out and get back to you”. The caller will feel much more valued and will have a much higher opinion of a company that clearly wants to help its customers.
10. Don’t leave the caller to ramble on without any acknowledgement from you. It’s so important to actively listen when someone is speaking to you, so interject with “Yes”, “I understand” and “OK” to make sure the caller knows you haven’t dozed off while they were talking!