ClinkscalesPayne116

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

Should you work for a live answering service or answer phones in your job, you will find frustrated callers from time to time. Everyone makes mistakes and often folks have other activities going on within their lives that leave a bad taste in their mouths. Though these calls can be tricky, they can also be a wonderful chance to turn someone's day around. Taking these steps can have your customers that you simply care and you may simply make them into a loyal customer together with your thoughtfulness:

When talking with an unhappy caller:

1. Let them explain and reiterate what you've heard. Sometimes folks simply need to vent. Give them a moment 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 quite a distance. But when you do not feel it, don't say it; faking empathy can do more damage than good.

3. Offer to assist. Like a virtual receptionist, you might not be able to do everything your caller asks (i.e., answer their question about a bill or physically track down an employee). However, almost always there is something that you can do! Use helpful phrases like "Let me" or "I could be happy to" and give a healthy dose of reassurance ("Let me have a message for John, our billing specialist. He'll be the best person to speak with about your bill. I will make certain 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 call helping you gather any pertinent information. A quick question is going to do, such as "May I have your phone number?" or "What's the best time to achieve you?" Basically, anything you need or you think could be useful to obtain issue resolved quickly with very little additional effort out of your caller!

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

virtual receptionist

Your entire system is down? That's terrible! Allow me to defeat an in depth message for the support team and read it back to ensure things are correct. I'll make sure they get this immediately so we might have you ready to go as soon as possible. What is the best phone number for any return call?

Bonus tip: Virtual receptionists and in-house receptionists alike may want to include the caller's frustration within the message, so that the other party can prioritize their issue and be prepared for the return call. Something similar to, "Sheila seemed frustrated and would like a phone call when possible" should do the secret!

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

1. Ring rather than reply. Even when your client sent an e-mail or left a voicemail, when emotions are participating, a call or face-to-face conversation is the greatest approach to take. Conveying a positive tone in an email is much harder compared to your voice. When conversing over the telephone, you're able to add warm and kindness to your voice and diffuse the problem better.

2. Gather your tips. Before you decide to dial their number, stop and think about what you'd like to discuss. For example, if pulling up their account information will help the phone call go smoother, do that before hopping on the telephone.

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

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