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! 

Unsure of the answer?

Dealing with numerous callers each and every day requires a large array of skills. Patience, politeness and having a vast amount of knowledge are just to name a few. You learn how to direct calls to the appropriate place, solve various issues and answer many many questions. However, there will be instances when you just don’t know what to do with the caller on the other side of the phone, how to solve the problem at hand or answer their questions. When this sort of situation occurs, it’s easy to become panicked, but there are ways to deal with these issues when situations like this occur.  

No matter what issue you face, hanging up the phone in a panic is never going to be the solution, this would only annoy the customer and put you in a very bad light! There are many techniques to ensure that the customer on the other end of the phone has no idea that you’re struggling. If you don’t quite understand what the caller is after, there’s a certain limit to asking the caller to repeat themselves. Before you do this, try and read whether the caller is getting impatient. If so, then it might be worth trying to find someone who can help, or pass the caller onto someone else who you know is available and can help, this doesn’t mean you’ve failed the call, people interpret things differently. If you find that the caller is quite patient, it might be worth asking them to clarify what they’re after.  There’s nothing wrong with simply asking them to clarify, just as long as it’s done with a polite and professional manner.  If you have a vague idea of what the caller is after, try and quote that instead. For instance “So you’re interested in purchasing our new product?”. It’s best that you don’t actually say you that you don’t understand, this leaves the caller in an awkward position, and reflects badly on you and the company you’re representing. 

If you find that you’re becoming a little bit panicky because you’re just not understanding, then it’s worth jotting down key phrases the caller is telling you. You can look back on these notes at the end of the call and have more time and less pressure to understand. If you find that you simply can’t help the caller, then there will be times when someone else will have to contact them. Yet again try not to make any false promises with regards to who will call them back, people’s schedules can change on a day to day basis. 

At the end of the day, the key point is to not panic. Becoming increasingly worried and nervous about a situation will only put stress on yourself, and will most likely make the caller a lot more stressed too. Not all calls will be smooth sailing, but at least you know you’ve done everything possible and properly in order to correct the situation. 

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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.

Be Phone Professional

Call answering to someone involves a lot more than just being polite and friendly, although these key aspects do help; it involves a whole manner of tactics and techniques. We’ve outlined a few to help ensure you’ll stay professional as possible whilst on the phone. 

First of all, start off by trying to answer the phone within a few rings, but only a few. You don’t want to startle the caller by answering it straight away. Recent studies have shown that the caller at the other end of the line usually isn’t ready for the call to be answered straight away and it can seriously off put potential clients. However, you also don’t want them to be continuously hanging on the line waiting for their call to be received, this could lead them to becoming disgruntled even before the call has actually started.

When you do take the call, make sure that your own greeting is professional and polite. Identifying yourself is a great way to start. The caller feels as if they’re being tended to on a more personal level, rather than dealing with an automatic machine. Try and thank the caller for calling in the first place within your greeting. Asking how you can help the caller is practically inviting them to get to the main point of the call, and helps you deal with the enquiry for efficiently. It might be worth playing around and constructing a few phrases together to see what greeting suits you best. Once you have your greeting sorted, try practising it out loud. Ensure that your tone doesn’t come across as monotone and mundane, people don’t want to feel as if they’re burdening you with their call, it can also put you and the company in a bad light. Try not to be too enthusiastic either, people can find this off putting and a little bit fake. It’s all about finding the right balance between the two.

With the greeting out of the way, it’s now about dealing and directing the call in an appropriate manner. Sometimes it’s not all about the caller on the other side of the phone, it can also be about the person they wish to be directed to and being professional towards them. If the caller wishes to speak to someone else, don’t just instantly put them through, try and take control and find out the nature of the call, this will seem more professional to the person you’ve just put the call through. It might be tempting to just put the call though straight away from the callers point of view with no questions asked, but not asking any questions can also come across as quite unprofessional. Try and establish who exactly is calling, what the purpose of their call is and whether the other person taking the call is expecting their call. 

It might be tempting to try and get the call over and done with as soon as possible, but listening is a key factor in maintaining professionalism throughout. If you hang up too quickly or don’t even wait or a response, you can miss vital key points which will only end up reflecting badly on you. The customer also won’t be too impressed. It may be easier to pass judgement on some callers you’ll deal with, however this is the definition of unprofessionalism! If you find that you’re getting a little frustrated with the caller, try to take notes and stay calm throughout the call. Shouting at the customer will most likely start a full blown argument over the phone. 

Just because the person on the other side of the line can’t see you slumped over your desk, doesn’t mean that they can’t tell you’re fed up. A caller will definitely be able to tell if you’re bored over the phone, making them feel as if they’re burdening you. The same goes for eating, chewing and drinking at your desk. Just because the caller can’t see you, doesn’t mean that they can’t hear you munching over the phone. 

This may seem like a lot to remember, but at the end of the day (and the phone call), it’s all about maintaining a good standard of customer service over the phone. 

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

Improving Your Customer Service - Part 1

As a professional call answering company, we know the importance of good customer service - it's built into everything we do, every call we take, every customer we speak to. Whatever your industry, customer service is a necessary and integral part of your day to day business. Whether you work B2B or B2C, your customer services sets you apart from competitors, strengthens your reputation, and assists with new customer acquisition as news of your good deeds spreads via word of mouth. So long as your reputation is positive, of course...

If you need to improve your company's customer services, the following tips might help. In the first of a 3 part series, we're looking at some simple ways to revamp your approach to customer services:

1. Dedicate time and effort to your customer service department, no matter how small. Relegating customer services as a secondary responsibility means you will never stay on top of your enquiries or complaints. If you genuinely don't have the time or manpower to prioritise customer services, think about employing a call answering service to do it for you! Having a service like Zoom Answer Call means you never have to worry about a missed call or a forgotten enquiry. We have services to suit every style and size of business, and we offer a great range of additional benefits to help the day to day running of your company.
2. Know what your customers want. Invest in market research and tailor your products and services to really suit your customers' needs. The better you adapt your company to the specifics of your target audience, the better service you will provide. In turn, it will be easier for your customer services to respond to customers' requirements.
3. The customer is always right, and customer services are always polite. Remember that mantra, especially when dealing with a difficult customer! Even the most negative complaint or problem can be rectified with swift and reasonable customer services. The most important thing is to stay polite, stay calm and stay objective - if a customer is angry or irritated, don't take it personally. Try to see it from their point of view and imagine what you'd like to hear as a response. At Zoom Answer Call, our Zoomettes are professionally trained to handle all sorts of difficult calls and enquiries, and can help you to smooth problems and resolve issues in your customer service department.
4. Make yourself available 24/7. High on the list of customer service bugbears is not being able to get through to a representative, or getting stuck in a never ending labyrinth of automated responses. If you can't provide comprehensive customer services for your company, a call answering service can allow you to offer round-the-clock customer service to your clients and give you assurance that your business will always accessible.
5. Listen to your customers! Whenever you receive a customer call or enquiry, make sure you clearly understand what they are telling you. Identify their tone of voice and respond appropriately. Make a note of any information you are given so that you can easily refer to it later if necessary. Try not to make assumptions about what they want - instead, repeat back the core of what they've said to you to ensure you've got the message right. Good listening is the first step to genuine and effective customer service. After all, if customers don't feel like you've listened and understood them, they're going to end up frustrated and irritated.

For more tips on improving your customer services, stay tuned to our blog and we'll post part 2 and part 3 in this handy series soon.

Call Answering Tips

There are a variety of skills involved in telephone answering, and delivering good customer services. Our Zoomettes have years of training and experience in this, so are well placed to offer you some tips. It doesn't all come as naturally as you might think!

Active listening - imagine you are listening to someone explain something to you in person. What do you do? Do you stand there giving them no response whatsoever? Probably not! Even if you don't vocalise anything, chances are your head is nodding, or tilting, your eye brows raising, and you may even be mouthing words without sound. Much of that will not transmit over the phone, so you need to translate it into audio. A simple 'mmhmm', 'oh', 'yes' or 'right' lets the customer on the end of the phone know you are still there and you are still paying attention. Total silence over the phone worries people as they can't be sure you haven't put them on hold, or even just ignoring them!

Fill the silence - similarly, if you need to do anything that leads to prolonged silence, you should have a few uncontentious questions to ask ("did you have a good weekend") so that there isn't a silence lasting longer than about 10 seconds. You do need to be careful that you don't end up babbling or sounding nervous - you want to portray the image of a friendly, confident company!