As a professional answering service, the folks at A Better Answer know that there is a right and a wrong way for a phone call to go. We get it — talking on the phone can be difficult. But take these important tips from the professionals to make your own phone calls go smoothly. We use them every day in our own work.

Have the Patience to Be Prepared For Anything

Wrong number calls? Confused patients? Tricky speech impediments? A good phone answering service has to be prepared for everything to be made more difficult, especially in fields like medical answering services where phone calls can get unpredictable very quickly.

Short and Sweet Greetings

Tone is very important throughout the call, but that first greeting is extra important for first impressions. Greeting a caller with a light tone can set the mood of the whole call. Some research has even suggested that tone has more of an effect on the listener than the actual words being said. Callers also vastly prefer a short greeting to a long and drawn out greeting. Nobody wants to stay on the phone long — keep things simple and efficient.

Have Some Tools In Mind To Improve Communication

As answering services for your business, we know that a customer getting frustrated on the phone means a customer getting frustrated with you. A 2016 Forbes report claimed that bad customer service is costing businesses around $62 billion per year. Bad customer service often comes from a lack of good communication skills. Using tools like the phonetic alphabet (“a as in alpha, v as in victor”, etc.) can help improve the passing of accurate information over the phone. Taking notes, rephrasing their words for confirmation on their meaning, and not interrupting are all also key skills for a good phone conversationalist.

End on a Clear, Good Note

Always make sure all information is agreed upon before ending the call. Get contact information, confirm a follow-up method, say a proper goodbye. It seems painfully obvious to say, but answering services for your business shouldn’t simply hang up on customers, right? The closing of a call is important to cement the idea that this was a good, productive phone call.

Lastly, remember to actually follow up in a timely manner. Productive phone calls mean absolutely nothing to a client or caller if no progress was made on whatever they were calling about. If you’re using answering services for your business and making follow-up calls yourself, use the information from the call so the client does not have to repeat themselves. The client will be impressed that you are already up to speed!