First impressions count and you have one chance to get it right! Be professional according to what your clientele expects from you.
Answering your first few customer calls can be a daunting task, especially when are entering a new business. The below script provides a general outline that I use which has been a cornerstone of my business to date
General Guidelines
Your voice should be clear and friendly, always making sure to stay professional and sounding engaging. Always think from a customer perspective, consider how you would feel when your call is answered by an individual sounding unfriendly, agitated or tired. Remember they are calling you for a reason, they want your service and are willing to pay you for it, whether you selling a product or service it’s all about earning money.
At every step of the process, you should be taking notes. Take notes on the conversation writing down everything important, and add it to the call log ensuring you don’t miss out on any important details. This will help you to stay organized and later reference back while making the customer feel that they are important and being listened to.
What kind of information should you collect throughout the call?
– Date & Time of the call
– Name
– E-Mail
– Phone Number
– Nature of their request. Why did they call you?
– Open action items from your side (if they are supposed to provide you with additional information)
– Open action items from their side (response to their request, e.g. details about a certain product or link to a specific product)
Below is a simplified example of the calling script I use for my businesses while answering a customer call
Hi, this is [Your Name] at [Your Company Name], how can I help you today?
At this point, they are likely to introduce themselves with their name and also potentially what they are calling about.
Can I get your name and phone number please in case we get disconnected?
From this point onwards always address them with their name. Respond to their inquiry as best as you can but it’s ok if you don’t immediately know the answer. It’s better to be honest and admit that you may not have all the details on hand instead offering to get back to them once you have fully clarified any questions they may have had.
After finishing with all their queries you can end the call as follows:
Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Always offer to help them with any further questions, that’s how you get conversions
Thank-you very much for your call and I hope we were able to answer all your questions today. Please feel free to drop us an E-Mail at [your email address] or call us back at any time if you have any further inquiries.
Have a great day!
Who should hang up first?
It is recommended to wait a little bit before hanging up since often people may still have further questions that are just coming to mind. If they do then just proceed to help them as needed and proceed the call ending script again
Final Thoughts
The script above is very simple yet effective if used properly. Depending on your customer demographics you may
If you have any improvements or questions, feel free to express these in the comment section below