Overcoming Phone Fury
Often, problems with phone systems are more technique than technology.
You may need a phone audit. Your system could be hurting you. You may need to have frank talks with the people answering the phone. Your people could be hurting you more.
Let us help you overcome ‘Phone Fury!’ Stop alienating the very people you try to attract!
The most annoying phone manners: Don’t do these!
- Not identifying yourself when you answer or call. First names only are my pet peeve. Rushed, distracted or dull greetings are another. FURY!
- Not returning phone calls. Return the call even if you don’t have an answer. There’s no excuse. You can use e-mail, call after hours, fax a response, or have someone else call for you. If you want your calls returned, make sure you leave a complete message which includes the nature of your call.
- Long holds infuriate people. If you think you deal with an inordinate number of difficult people, look at how YOU handle the hold button. People become enraged when they are left unattended for over a minute EVEN IF THEY KNOW YOU’RE HELPING THEM!
- Excessive automated attendants. We don’t mind pressing 1,2, 3 or 4, but after that, phone fury starts to build. Make your automated attendants short and give people a way out!
- “What is this regarding?” brings out phone fury. That’s a fair question to ask, but there are better ways to ask and be careful HOW you ask. When you’re the caller, initiate your identity and the nature of your call to take people off the spot. That’s just professional. Of course, don’t tell the switchboard that; they have too much to do, but deeper in the organization, do ID yourself.
- Ring! Ring! Ring! “Press 42 for my assistant.” Ring! Ring! Ring! “I’m sorry, I’m not able to take your call.” First, program your phone to pick up immediately when you know you’ll be out of the office. We’re tired of having to wait for the third or fourth ring, then wait through a phone message, then try to reach your assistant to have that person’s voice mail on and have no way out. GRRR! Happens all the time.
- No voice mail available. I like voice mail. It enables me to leave a longer message than I could leave with a person who might shorten or transpose the message anyway. Voice mail cuts down on telephone tag, too. But be sure to keep mailboxes empty. “Voice mail full” is unacceptable. Something is wrong organizationally.
- Lack of interest in the way the phone is answered. Some people consider the phone an imposition. Unbelievable! Make sure there’s energy and a welcome with how the phone is answered.
- Not enough people willing to answer the phone. Sometimes people won’t answer the phone, because that’s “So and So’s job” not their’s. So it rings and rings, then the person “in charge” of the phone answers breathlessly. And you wonder why you can’t keep anyone in that position for long? Wake up. Everyone should pitch in to answer the phone. Also look to see if you have too much activity crowded into one job or location. Unscramble what you can. Have extra people to cover for the surges in activity. And, you can handle the phone and customers in front of you with ease with a few techniques.And the worst…..
- Transfers to nowhere! People who dump callers. We’re bounced from place to place and we have to repeat our inquiry ONE MORE TIME!!!! Transfer smoothly and completely.
This is just for starters. There’s also poor grammar, badly designed phone zones, not having paper
ready, lack of helpfulness, making upset callers more upset and more. We can help you overcome phone fury. For more information, contact ETICON, Inc.
