Live phone answering can be a lucrative service offering for workspace operators, but proper execution is extremely important to ensure members not only opt for the service, but retain it. Workspace providers can always outsource to experts like CloudAnswering, but should they choose to keep the service in-house, here is a short video that identifies 10 best practices when it comes to live answering.
#1) Dedicate staff strictly for phone answering
Do not multi-task. Dedicate front desk staff to customer service issues only, and not answering services. It is not good practice to keep people on hold or waiting while you answer member calls.
#2) Flexible staffing
Have two to three part-time staff with availability to cover different work shifts. This gives you a larger pool of available team members to provide coverage as needed.
#3) Phone answering technology
Use customized phone answering technology to efficiently task the call at hand. Screen pops with company details are essential for each call.
#4) Don’t forget the details
You must know as many details about each member for which you answer calls. When on-boarding a new member, be sure to use thorough processes for gathering member answering instructions.
#5) Market your answering services as unlimited calls
The data suggests we should not be afraid of the occasional abuser as light users will more than pay for the heavy users. If you don’t feel comfortable with this, be sure to include a heavy user exemption fee.
#6) Greeting
Proactively direct members to a greeting 14 words or less, maximizing attendant productivity.
#7) Experiment with new technology
It’s a great time to experiment with advanced products and features such as off-net phones, voicemail transcriptions, and soft-phone applications.
#8) Quality over quantity
As Steve Job said, “Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is better than two doubles.” Don’t rush through each call trying to hurry off the phone. Remember to be patient and gather the information needed to successfully complete a call transfer.
#9) Let your smile be heard
Discovery Magazine tells us that a smile can be heard through vocal intonation. Smiling affects how we speak to the point that listeners can actually identify the type of smile based on sounds alone.
#10) Outsource
If phone answering involves a small portion of your business, outsource it, but don’t deprive yourself from the additional customer service and revenue opportunity.
This message has been brought to you by your team at CloudAnswering. For more Live Answering tips, visit our Workspace Providers Resource Center, and for a wealth of knowledge specific to workspace operators, check out our LinkedIn Workplace-as-a-Service™ discussion group and join the conversation.
