Fielding Your Calls And Messages Like A Pro

Call handling and the treatment of incoming and outgoing messages govern a part of your enterprise that’s integral to the success of the business as a whole. These functions may be outsourced to a specialist service provider, or handled in-house using the tools available on your business communications platform. 

Either way, there are policies and best practices that you can follow to ensure that you don’t miss out on vital information and valuable opportunities. 

Making The Right Impression

Features available on modern telecommunications platforms like call screening, Auto attendants (electronic receptionists), and mobile support effectively mirror the kinds of resources available to large organizations. Business phone systems based on VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) allow companies a greater international reach. For smaller-scale enterprises, this levels the playing field in terms of communications and allows businesses to present a larger corporate image.

Today’s business communications systems are customizable, enabling subscribers to tailor content and configuration options in line with the way their organizations routinely operate. This said, there are certain universal standards that should still be met, in order to create and maintain the right impression with consumers. 

• Answer calls promptly. A response within the first three rings is considered ideal.
• Let them know who they’re calling. Each response should include a clear indication of your company name, and the name of the person who’s handling the call.
• Enthusiasm and courtesy never go out of style. Experience and established wisdom also indicate that listening attentively and responding in a polite and helpful manner really resonate with consumers.
• Don’t keep them waiting. It’s now accepted wisdom that more than a minute on Hold gives most callers the urge to move elsewhere. So configure your call handling options to minimize this risk.
• If they must wait, make it worth their while. Music on Hold isn’t for everyone, but you should at least offer a selection of tunes or styles. Creative uses of telecoms audio (news, advice, other information) are possible. You might also consider offering incentives to stay on the line, and / or some kind of reward for having waited so diligently.

Related: What is VoIP Call?

Making Messages Work For You

Beyond the more traditional email or SMS text, media like Live Chat and Instant Messaging are gaining popularity as ways for consumers to interact with the businesses they deal with.

Messages with instantaneous response are ideal for answering queries, or for customer service delivery. So it’s a good idea to set up real-time messaging channels on your website, payment portals, and other points of contact. Your business communications platform should provide the tools and mobile applications to enable your staff to participate in these interactions, and facilities to enable each person to manage the flow of messages they receive through various channels.

You might consider offering messages or chat as an alternative to waiting on the phone lines.

Meeting Expectations And Obligations

Meeting customer service expectations is just one of the things that messages and call handling need to accomplish for your enterprise. 

Your business communications platform also has to provide the tools and versatility required to keep your operations running smoothly. And it has to empower your people to collaborate with each other, co-ordinate their activities, and have ready access to the resources they need to do their jobs.

All of this has to be available over the various platforms (desktop, mobile, etc.) and multiple channels that make up today’s business environment.

The new net2phone offers a comprehensive suite of enterprise-grade communications features including voice, call handling, messages, and Live Chat – all accessible over multiple channels and configurable from a single application.

If you’d like to improve on your call handling capabilities and discover how messages and real-time response can benefit your business, get in touch with net2phone.