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Virtual Receptionist Tips: How to Turn a Caller's Frown Inverted

If you work for a live answering service or answer phones in your job, you will come across frustrated callers from time to time. Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes folks have other things going on in their lives that leave a bad style of their mouths. Though these calls could be tricky, they are able to also be an excellent opportunity to turn someone's day around. Taking these steps can have your clients that you simply care and you'll just make them right into a loyal customer with your thoughtfulness:

When talking with an unhappy caller:

1. Let them explain and reiterate what you've heard. Sometimes folks just need to vent. Provide them with a minute to describe their situation and inform them you've understood their issue by repeating what you've heard.

2. Acknowledge their emotion. A supportive "That does sound frustrating" or "I can see where you're coming from" will go a long way. But if you do not feel it, don't say it; faking empathy can do more harm than good.

3. Offer to help. Like a virtual receptionist, you may not have the ability to fit everything in your caller asks (i.e., answer their question about a bill or physically find an employee). However, almost always there is something that you can do! Use helpful phrases like "Let me" or "I would be happy to" and give a healthy dose of reassurance ("Let me have a message for John, our billing specialist. He'll be the very best person to speak with regarding your bill. I will make sure he gets the message right away.").

4. Guide your caller. Always end in an issue. Guiding a caller with questions keeps you in charge of the phone call and helps you gather any pertinent information. Simple questions will do, for example "May I've your telephone number?" or "What's the best time to achieve you?" Basically, anything you need or you think could be helpful to obtain issue resolved quickly with as little additional effort from your caller!

A high level small company answering service employee, it could all come together such as this:

call center services

Your entire product is down? That is terrible! Allow me to take down a detailed message for the support team and browse it back to you to ensure things are correct. I'll make certain they understand this immediately so we might have you up and running as soon as possible. What is the best telephone number for any return call?

Bonus tip: Virtual receptionists and in-house receptionists alike might want to include the caller's frustration in the message, so that the other party can prioritize their issue and become prepared for the return call. Something like, "Sheila seemed frustrated and would really like a phone call as soon as possible" should do the trick!

If phone answering is a component of the job and you receive a message from an upset caller:

1. Ring instead of reply. Even if the consumer sent an e-mail or left a voicemail, when emotions are involved, a phone call or face-to-face conversation is the greatest way to go. Conveying a positive tone in an email is much harder than with your voice. When talking over the telephone, you get to add warm and kindness for your voice and diffuse the situation better.

2. Gather your tips. Before you dial their number, pause and think about what you want to touch on. For instance, if pulling up their account information can help the phone call go smoother, do that before hopping on the telephone.

3. Think positive thoughts. Negative thinking won't build your follow-up any easier. Instead, envision your conversation running smoothly, and your colleague's concerns being assuaged. It'll calm your nerves thus making you sound well informed as you fix their problem!

Whether you're a virtual receptionist or CEO, we suggest trying these tips when a colleague, customer, or co-worker is frustrated - you'll turn their frown inverted!