Often when we are dealing with customers we may not see what mistakes we are making when doing simple tasks such as answering the phone. The customer may get a negative or a positive impression of the company just from one phone call. We should ask ourselves: How would I like to be treated when I call up with a query? This article summarises the most important points when dealing with customers.
Answering The Phone
1. Remember customers on the telephone may be a potential customer making an enquiry, a customer phoning to say, ‘thank you’ or a dissatisfied customer. Therefore, do not assume what the call is about and follow these tips when answering.
2. Put a smile in your voice, it cost you nothing and will set you in the right frame of mind.
3. Answer promptly – no one likes to be kept waiting and if another customer sees you taking your time to answer because you are gossiping, you will appear arrogant and not very customer centred.
4. Speak clearly into the receiver i.e., don’t mumble or hold the phone so awkwardly that the person at the other end cannot hear properly.
5. Give a greeting, the company name and your name so that the customer feels you are willing to accept responsibility and will not try to be evasive.
6. Remain polite and helpful. If they will have to be put on hold for some time ask if they would like to hold or have you call them as soon as you have the answer to their query e.g., time needed to find an invoice or ask another member of staff something. If it is taking sometime, ask the caller if he/she wishes to hold or offer to telephone the caller later when you have the necessary information.
7. Never talk about the customer without using the hold button. You may say nice things but the customer may hear one of your colleagues say something bad. Also remember you may actually meet the customer face-to-face in the near future.
8. Make a note of important points when receiving calls or telephoning a customer as this will ensure major aspects are documented and help to shorten the time spent on the telephone.
9. Thank them for their call and ask if there is anything else you can help them with before ending the call.
A Reminder
Often we need a little checklist to refer to in order to occasionally remind ourselves of what we must do when meeting and dealing with customers.
Smile and make yourself approachable through your body language and willingness to deal with the customer.
Be courteous and polite. Listen carefully to what the customer says and be aware of his/her body language and any other aspect relating to the customer i.e., children may be with the customer indicating what they want or causing her/him to be distracted. This will help the customer feel that you value his/her opinions, and
situation, putting the customer – not your performance – central to your service.
Be flexible, it will help in handling easy, awkward or complex situations, such as a family all with different ideas on what should be purchased.
Absorb tension and anger. If you become angry it will not help the situation.
Offer advice and help but do not take the decision for the customer. Otherwise if you make the wrong decision they may claim they only acted on your advice and expect you to take the product back.
Be responsible and reliable – particularly when you make promises.
Try to imagine how the customer feels by treating his or her problems as if they were your own.
When answering the telephone do not ignore any customer who may have taken the trouble to actually attend your place of sale – they come first. When answering the telephone try and make the customer feels as if you are actually there, broadly behaving as outlined above. When writing to customers, again be polite, friendly and helpful but take extra care not to write anything that you shouldn’t as you have committed yourself to paper.
Dealing with people can be very rewarding or disheartening; which it will be greatly depends on YOU.
This article has been put together by the distance learning organisation Start Learning who are experts in home study.
If you want to find out more about Customer Care or many other distance learning courses please browse their website: http://www.start-learning.co.uk
Kerrana McAvoy
Academic Director – Start Learning
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