How the telephone can convey a positive first impression of your business.
Salespeople who call upon businesses have a saying: The owner is the one outside picking up the cigarette butts. Why? Because the owner knows that a clean, attractive entrance is crucial to getting the prospect inside the store.
Today, for most businesses, the first contact comes over the telephone. The telephone is your “electronic lobby”-the vital first impression that many prospects receive (and, in some cases, the only impression). Yet, ironically, the same business owner who is out “picking up the butts” may not even interview applicants for the position of telephone receptionist.
FIRST-LINE OFFENSE
The telephone receptionist — not the producer — is your front-line offense. Restaurants pay particular attention to hiring their hosts/hostesses. A host’s smile, personality, friendliness, and ability to function under stress are important assets that predispose the customer toward a satisfactory experience. Within the insurance industry, the telephone receptionist is the host, the greeter. A well-trained, personable receptionist can make or break the sale before the customer ever gets to a producer.
Over the years, I’ve heard many good telephone receptionists, a lot more incompetent ones, and only a handful of what I would classify as exceptional. The exceptional ones made me feel immediately welcome with their words and personality. In a nutshell, they cared about the caller! You know the ones I’m talking about — you enjoy talking with them. They keep you posted on the status of your call; you’re not left on hold for two minutes wondering whether you’re going to talk to anyone. And they take good messages, if need be.
TIME FOR A TEST
Try this little test: Inconspicuously watch your telephone receptionist. Do you sense a rush to process the calls — or does each caller receive a good level of attention and concern? Is the receptionist smiling? A physical smile comes through as warmth in the voice. Are other workers hanging around and talking with the receptionist? If so, discourage the practice. Your customer’s call might come second to the interoffice conversation. Is the receptionist juggling a personal call with the incoming calls? Same problem: The customer comes in second.
START WITH TRAINING
The insurance industry is revered for its dedication to education and training. Yet, how many of us train our telephone receptionists? Unfortunately, too few. The first level of training must be within the agency, company, or brokerage. The telephone receptionist should be given a solid understanding of the nature of the business, the types of calls you receive, and routing of callers to the correct department or personnel. Invite the receptionist to attend occasional meetings and training classes related to the industry. This provides an opportunity to allow clients to meet the person who answers the phones, and vice versa. As with every facet of our industry, it’s a relationship-builder. Plus, the receptionist then feels like a part of the team.
But don’t stop there! Knowing the business and clients is only the first step. Send the telephone receptionist to specific educational sessions on telephone etiquette and personality development. Just call your local telephone company and ask about educational programs. They will provide you with the tools for telephone training. As for the personality angle, Dale Carnegie classes are an excellent investment for every telephone receptionist.
CHANGE THE TITLE
If you haven’t noticed by now, I’ve refrained from using the term “operator,” which automatically instills a condescending tone. This individual does far more than process calls. They’re the host for your electronic lobby — a telephone receptionist. If you’re into high-tech terms, the job classification could be communications coordinator. Build importance into the position and it will pay you back in untold dividends.
WHAT ABOUT EQUIPMENT?
On a final note, let’s talk about equipment. Many telephone receptionists now are provided with the convenience of headsets. Take a few minutes to check the voice transmission quality. Is it tinny? Does it have an echo effect? Is the voice thin and hard to understand? Inferior equipment can cripple a good telephone receptionist.
You might have purchased your current headset on a price-only basis, without any regard to quality and value. Or it’s possible that no one ever checked for voice quality before making the purchase. Or maybe the headset was the best at the time of purchase several years ago. There have been dramatic strides in voice transmission quality during the past couple of years. Maybe it’s time to update the equipment.
Last, but definitely not least, did you invest in an automated, voice-mail telephone system? Did this system replace your telephone receptionist? Are clients’ calls answered with an automated voice and a menu list of extensions? If so, shame on you!
According to the voice-mail inventor Gordon Matthews in an interview with the Dallas Morning News, “The biggest mistake is using voice mail as a company’s receptionist, forcing callers to work their way through a maze of menus instead of having a human direct the initial calls.” (Such systems might also violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, since they are not compatible with telephone devices for the deaf).
Give the telephone receptionist/communications coordinator/electronic lobby host position its due. It is much too important to be taken for granted.