The Telephone
Answering Machine - What Does Yours
Say About Your Business?
The other day I tried to decipher a message on my answering machine and had to replay it three times before I was able to record the caller's name and return phone number, they were speaking so fast, the words all blurred together. I didn't have time to write down the number before they rattled on about something else.
- Speak slower than you normally would when leaving messages.
- Identify yourself
- State the reason for your call
- Leave your phone number in a manner that will allow the recipient time to write it down.
- Avoid playing 'telephone tag.' State a time when a return call is convenient.
- Restate your name and phone number at the very end of the call.
When you are the caller:
Identify yourself right away, "Hello, may I speak with Mr. Davis please? It's Jane Doe calling."
Be prepared with a few standard greetings. Write them on index cards to keep near the phone until you've got them memorized.
"Good Morning, Acme Home Business. Or, Good Afternoon, Acme Home Business, it's Jane Doe speaking, how can I help you?
Have you ever had to call someone and been kept on hold so long you weren't sure if you were still connected? I just hate it when I phone a business and get put on hold before I get a chance to speak. If you are too busy to speak to a caller, it's better to use your answering machine. Try to avoid ever putting your callers on hold.
If you do have to put someone on hold, to get something or until the person they are calling picks up, never leave them holding, go back every minute or so and ask if they want to continue to hold. If you need to do this more than once - give them options: "Mr. Davis is on another line, but I can have him call you when he is free." or "I'm sorry Mr. Davis is still tied up with a client do you want to continue to hold or would you like to call back in about ten minutes?"
Always have a pen and paper handy to jot down numbers or messages. If taking a message for someone else, write it down and then read it back to the person who called to be sure you got it right. Some numbers sound very similar so enunciate the numbers slowly and clearly.
You may be talking to your callers from a very small room in your own home but you can still sound like a Fortune 500 company if you consistently use good telephone techniqe and keep smiling. proper telephone etiquette.
Contact Judy now to add a freelance copywriter to your team, and to set up your free consultation.
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