How to Answer the Phone Professionally | Small Business Tips

hi i'm kelsey johnson from smith ai smith ai is a virtual receptionist service and we've taken over two million calls on behalf of businesses so we know our stuff when it comes to professional phone answering so here are some essential tips we recommend when answering the phone in order to maintain a professional heir whether you're a business owner a contractor or simply a new employee without experience answering the phone at work you're likely taking calls from clients and leads as well as others since this is often the first impression you make it's important to represent your business in the best way possible it's not difficult but it is important so here are six steps to get started the first step is to answer in about three rings this seems to be the sweet spot to give the caller a moment to compose their thoughts yet not leave them hanging on the line for five or six rings which can be awkward the second step is to answer with a smile people can tell the difference in your voice when you smile and it will psychologically make them smile as well that's always a good first step when it uh comes to new leads third step introduce yourself and your business so the person on the other line knows exactly who they reached fourth step is to be warm enthusiastic and professional so i'm not just talking about avoiding slaying or swear words although that's really important too always maintain an upbeat and honestly helpful demeanor when chatting with the other person on the line try to think of positive ways to approach issues rather than concentrating on the negative even when the caller is unhappy step five be succinct ask how you can help straight away and try to determine the best course of action whether it's transferring a call scheduling an appointment answering an outstanding question they have make sure you are as useful as possible without getting distracted and the last step is to have an end game plan for your callers new lead be prepared to make the sale or book the consultation is it a new client calling in with something they need be prepared to offer them the information they ask for or have a follow-up plan if you don't have it ready at hand after all what you really want is more sales and happier clients do you need help answering your business calls we at smith ai understand being a business owner is tough and you may not be able to pick up the phone every time even though it's better for your callers and for your business if you do so try out smith ai receptionists uh we can answer all of your calls or just after hour in overflow calls we can even qualify new leads schedule appointments and take payments for you um we can sync with dozens of online sales funnel platforms and so if you want to try us out get started with a free 20 call trial today go to smith.ai

Channel: Smith ai

Views: 15,446

Keywords: smith.ai, virtual receptionists, answering service, live chat service, website chat, phone answering, call answering, business phone, 24/7 answering service, live agents, ai answering service, chatbot, ai chat, call center, professional answering, small business, client calls, business calls, voice, phone voice, new leads, helping clients, prospective clients, lead generation, lead conversion, sales calls, spam calls, tips, business tips, solo business owner, solopreneur

Id: 5OCQvldNm8A

Length: 2min 55sec (175 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 10 2020