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Telephone Management
Keep Daily Call Records, Set Call Answering Standards, Mystery Shop Your Company, Action Phone Messages, Ring Your Competitors, Make Calls a Top Priority, Raise Phone Awareness, Seek Out Phone Innovations.

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See Also: > Skills & Motivation

Keep Daily Call Records

1. Record all incoming customer calls including time of day, length of call, and the call category; eg. Administration, sales, service, etc.
2. Note each customer's name so that you can add it to their customer record along with the reason for the call.
3. Analyse your call data each month. This will show trends in your business and alert you to possible problems.

Set Call Answering Standards

1. Write down the standards you expect. These should include number of rings permissable before answering and maximum call hold times.
2. Circulate them to all your staff to make sure they know what you expect and your reasons.
3. Make the standards part of staff accountability.
4. Enforce the standards as part of your standard business practice.
5. Reason: Every phone call means your staff are talking to your customers, existing and potential.

Mystery Shop Your Company

1. Ask a friend to phone your business and note the number of rings before the call was answered.
2. Also the tone and manner of the person who answered the call.
3. If transferred, how long before the transferred call was answered?

Action Phone Messages

1. Ensure phone messages are noted down with the time and date of the call.
2. Use carbon paper, so you have a record.
3. Make random checks of messages to see that they have been successfully actioned.

Ring Your Competitors

1. Ring your competitors and asses them in the same way as you have your own organization.
2. Compare the results.
3. Feed back the findings to your staff.

Make Calls a Top Priority

1. Consider using two part-time receptionists working morning and afternoon with a cross-over at lunchtime.
2. Alternatively, nominate a back-up person, who covers breaks and lunch.
3. Make a commitment to training your staff in phone answering techniques.

Raise Phone Consciousness

1. Involve staff in the importance of your investment in telecommunications.
2. Estimate the percentage of business which comes in over the phone on a daily basis.
3. Seek involvement of staff in suggesting ways to improve telephone handling.

Seek Out Phone Innovations

1. Ring your telephone service provider and ask to speak with your sales consultant.
2. Ask about call discount plans which may be available to you.
3. Discuss new innovations and suggest a regular update meeting.