| Talk about first impressions; telephone greetings | | | | my ritual. My business is too important. |
| are critical. Prospects are deciding whether or not | | | | Sometimes I'll even stand before I answer the |
| to do business with you. Irate customers are | | | | phone if I need an extra jolt of energy. Stand on |
| deciding how helpful and competent you are. Yet | | | | your head. Do jumping jacks. Do whatever is |
| many companies convolute the telephone greeting | | | | necessary to attain a pleasant state before |
| to the point that employees hate saying it and | | | | answering the phone. (Within limits of course.) |
| customers and prospects dread listening to it. | | | | Sincerity- No scripts. I am against scripting |
| There is power in simplicity. For best results, | | | | greetings because they sound insincere, irritate |
| incorporate three easy elements: pleasantry, | | | | callers, and discourage employees. Scripted |
| brevity, and sincerity. | | | | greetings usually include some kind of slogan. |
| Pleasantry- A pleasant greeting is essential to a | | | | "Hello. It's a beautiful day here at the XYZ |
| successful call because it sets the stage | | | | Company." Now I don't care where you work. It |
| emotionally. In general, listeners tend to mirror or | | | | can't be that good all day. At some point saying, |
| "catch" the emotional states of speakers. This is a | | | | "It's a beautiful day..." is going to be a stretch or |
| principle of communication that holds true whether | | | | insincere. The other risk is that the caller is irate. |
| one is speaking to a group of 1000, a small | | | | An employee from a furniture company confided |
| meeting of 10, or a single customer over the | | | | to me that she hated answering the phone, "It's a |
| telephone. In other words, people respond in kind. | | | | beautiful day..." because irate callers would snap |
| If we answer the phone gruffly, chances are the | | | | back, "Well it's not a beautiful day where I am and |
| caller will become gruff. If we answer the phone | | | | get over here and fix this thing!" Is it any wonder |
| pleasantly, chances are the caller will be pleasant, | | | | why employees and customers hate scripted |
| and we all know which caller is easier to work | | | | greetings? |
| with. | | | | You want the greeting to be natural, which also |
| Imagine you are a customer calling a place of | | | | makes it easier to sound pleasant consistently. |
| business. The professional on the other end of the | | | | The key elements of a telephone greeting are: |
| phone sounds irritated. What is your response to | | | | department or company name, your name, an |
| a greeting like that? When I'm a customer, my | | | | offer of assistance. An example of a switchboard |
| response tends to be irritation. I start thinking to | | | | greeting might sound like this, "XYZ Company, this |
| myself, "Well, you think you're irritated now? Wait | | | | is Bob. How may I direct your call?" A greeting |
| until you get finished with me, then you'll know | | | | from someone in the accounting department |
| what irritation is!" I wasn't even irritated when I | | | | might sound like this, "Accounting, this is Bob. How |
| called the company. I simply caught the | | | | may I help you?" |
| professional's irritation. | | | | State the company or department name so that |
| I've had the opposite experience as a customer | | | | customers and prospects know they are in the |
| too. I am irritated, highly irritated. I really want to | | | | right place. How many times have you been five |
| let somebody have it. I call the company, but the | | | | minutes into a call only to realize the caller would |
| person who answers the phone is so nice and | | | | be better served in another department? Always |
| professional I can't bring myself to yell at them. I | | | | state your name because it is a sign of authority. |
| hate when that happens. This time I've caught | | | | Stating your name implies that you are |
| their professionalism. | | | | accountable. It also creates a personal touch. |
| One of the easiest ways to attain an emotional | | | | Lastly, end with a question that expresses your |
| state quickly, like being pleasant, is to use body | | | | desire to serve the caller. |
| language. Research conducted by John Grinder | | | | Brevity- Keep it short. I have heard telephone |
| and Richard Bandler suggests that body language | | | | greetings that are so long, I feared the person |
| helps create emotional states. If we carry | | | | answering the phone was going to hyperventilate |
| ourselves with slumped shoulders, frowning face, | | | | and go into cardiac arrest trying to get it out in |
| bowed head, averted eyes, and shallow breathing, | | | | one breath. Excessively long greetings are |
| we will probably feel depressed. If we smile, | | | | unprofessional for many reasons. They don't |
| breath deeply, pull our shoulders back, and look | | | | sound pleasant or sincere because technically they |
| straight ahead, we will probably feel good. How do | | | | are impossible to execute. Employees hate them |
| you carry yourself all day at work? | | | | and those feelings come through. Callers hate |
| I recommend that professionals establish a ritual | | | | them because they waste their time. Fortunately, |
| before answering the phone. In order to sound | | | | by following the guidelines above brevity is |
| pleasant, we need to be carrying ourselves | | | | assured. |
| accordingly. My ritual is to sit up on the edge of | | | | Summary- Telephone greetings are a powerful |
| my seat, pull shoulders back, take a deep breath, | | | | part of doing business. To be successful, keep |
| smile, let the phone ring twice, then answer. I | | | | greetings simple. Practice a ritual to be pleasant. |
| never answer my phone unless I've gone through | | | | Remain unscripted. Be brief. |