Phone Etiquette and How It Affects Customer Experience

If you want to present your business in the best possible light, impeccable customer service is all important. Of course, when it comes to delivering great customer service, one of the key components is the right phone etiquette—how you treat them on the phone.

In this article, we’re going to discuss the importance of phone etiquette in delivering a fantastic customer experience and also share some examples of what qualifies as great phone etiquette.

What Is Phone Etiquette?

Phone etiquette simply describes the way your call centre staff deal with customers on the phone and how they present your business. It covers everything from greeting the caller and their choice of words to steering the conversation, actively listening, and how they end the call. Good phone etiquette can make all the difference between a successful and unsuccessful call, at least from your client’s perspective.

Why Is Phone Etiquette So Important for Good Customer Service?

Put simply, good phone etiquette is good customer service. Since most customer interactions take place over the phone, how your call agents handle the conversation will help to create a positive impression of your company.

By being professional and friendly with a pleasant phone manner, their conduct will play a huge role in how your clients perceive your business moving forward.

By combining good phone etiquette with a thorough knowledge of your product or service, your contact centre staff will also increase your customers’ trust in the company, making them more likely to recommend you to friends and family.

Finally, by resolving your customers’ queries in a polite and timely manner, your call centre staff will increase customer satisfaction levels, which leads to higher customer retention rates and more business in the future.

Phone Etiquette Tips

Now that we’ve established how important phone etiquette is, how do we recognise it? These quick and easy tips are just a sample of the high-quality phone etiquette you should expect from professional contact centre staff:

Answer the phone promptly

The best way to start a phone conversation on the right foot is to answer the call in a timely manner, ideally within three rings. Nobody wants to be left hanging, waiting for a company to pick up.

Start with an introduction

Customers like to know who they are talking to. A polite introduction by the agent helps to establish an immediate rapport.

Speak clearly and professionally

The worst thing you can be as a call centre operative is unclear in your speech and diction. Talking too quickly, too quietly, or mumbling means that a customer is forced to ask you to repeat yourself, perhaps several times. This is not conducive to a good customer experience.

Listen to the caller

While it should go without saying, learning to listen is one of the key skills of a call centre operative. You’re not just hearing what is being said but also how it is being said, picking up on important non-verbal cues (such as the customer’s tone) to resolve the call.

Don’t interrupt

While call centre staff are trained to take control of a conversation, if a customer has something they need to get off their chest, it can often be worthwhile to let them. Once they have finished, the agent can then go through their points and resolve them one by one.

Be honest

If a call centre agent doesn’t know the answer to a question, they should say so. Trying to bluff the customer and take a guess at the answer rarely goes well. The client will appreciate the honesty more than an answer that ends up being wrong.

Get in touch

For a call centre solution that delivers on both phone etiquette and exceptional customer service, contact Motor Marketing UK today. Call us on 0800 043 8113 or send an email to sales@motormarketinguk.com to arrange a free consultation and demonstration.

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