How Does Your Company Answer the Phone?

Note:  
Tim Miles will be speaking and teaching us his secrets in Coralville (4/18 9am-12n) and in Cedar Rapids (4/19 9am-12n).  Want to attend?  E-mail Julie.  This is a guest post from Tim.  You can always find him at The Daily Blur -- you should subscribe to his blog.  We think he's awesome.

Guest post by Tim Miles
“Thanks for calling Picklepepper Heating & Air. How can I help you?”
How does your company answer the phone? You have a set policy, right?
Have you given much thought to it? Do you have a system/policy in place that helps convey an initial thought or feeling to customers and potential customers?
One of my first mentors in this business, Pat Benton, taught me my favorite:
“Thanks for calling Picklepepper Heating & Air. This is Pat – I can help.”
It’s grateful. It gives a person a name to put with the voice, and it’s reassuring.
Reassuring, I guess, as long as the person you have answering the phones can actually help.
Katie Wilson, one of our awesome receptionists at Call Ruby, wrote last month for Ruby’s blog:

Treat each caller like an influencer. Every caller’s experience has the potential to go viral. Whenever possible, keep screening questions simple, and use a familiar style and friendly tone to put callers at ease and show them you care about their call.

In fact, Call Ruby has an entire category on their blog, The Watercooler, dedicated to Receptionist Tips.
I suggest you give your receptionist an assignment today:
Have him or her or them read through all the posts then prepare a presentation for the rest of your company on what he or she or they learned.
Then, treat him or her or them to dinner after they successfully present.
You want to keep the talent happy, after all.
Trust me on this.
I can help.