1. SALUTATIONS

If you start the call well, the rest of the call will go well.

2. GREAT EXPECTATIONS

If the information you require in a message or order is long winded, give an understanding to the customer of the expectations, so it doesn’t seem you are writing a Dickenson novel.

3. SMILES ARE INFECTIOUS

You can see a smile down the phone. It sounds absurd, but if you smile on the phone the person on the other end will feel it.

4. LISTEN

Take the time to listen to the needs of the person on the phone. Remember their name. Most callers explain in the first few seconds what it is that they want – so remember it.

5. MIND YOUR MANNERS

Good etiquette is essential, especially on the phone.

6. IN LAYMANS TERMS

Avoid using jargon. Clear English is the best way to communicate. There is no need for acronyms.

7. MIRROR

If you mirror the callers tone and pace you will find the call goes better…but remember points 3 and 5.

8. GO THE EXTRA MILE

If it is the first point of contact for a firm it is important you show enthusiasm and leave a great impression.

9. EXPLAIN WHAT HAS HAPPENED

Snow predicted across much of the UK next week - widespread travel chaos is expected over Northern and Eastern areas.

Business continuity planning for weather affected businesses, provide us with a list of staff and their home numbers and then divert your phones through to a dedicated number for our staff to answer according to your needs.

Call the Virtual Business Centre now on 08080 510866

The Virtual Business Centre is chosen the Bria Softphone by Counterpath to provide pure workstation based telephony for the callcentre. Counterpath website

Our current technology is based around Alcatel Omnipcx and Asterisk based PBX's with Cisco 7900 series telephones.

Whilst the Cisco telephones will remain as a primary part of our infrastructure - the softphones will allow us to quickly setup new office workspaces and homeworkers for short term and emergency purposes.

Call centre messages in an Instant.

There are a number of traditional means of delivering telephone messages taken by a call centre - email, fax and sms to name only three - In the telephone answering marketplace, much software development has recently been targeted at social networking and instant messaging mechanisms for transfer.

The following benefits can be observed -

• Communications are more real time, with data flowing easily between employee and call centre.
• Improved efficiencies as both parties are contactable more easily.
• Whereabouts and availability data is always up to date.

Potential Issues -

• Sensitive or critical data. Using a URL shortening service such at http://bit.ly/, a call centre can provide a link to sensitive data protected by userid/password.

Employees are more connected than ever; software clients for PDA, Network or Smartphone connect to all of the major social networking and instant messaging systems.

Whether you are a franchisee or franchisor, the Virtual Business Centre can provide telephone answering services from one central location to exactly the specification you require.

For the franchisor, the telephone answering services can be bundled for your franchisee and billed directly or indirectly with supporting documentation for you to dissemination to your franchisees.

Please give Claire a call on 01666 511340 or use our contact form.

When it comes to professional telephone answering, we feel we are top of the class - it's all about being clear and concise whilst engaging the caller - things have moved on a bit since this advice was issued in the August, 1906 Pacific States Telephone & Telegraph Company directory for San Francisco, California . .

How to Answer a Telephone Call:

• Remove the hand telephone from the hook and say "Here is Main 297" (or whatever your number may be).
• The party calling should say "Here is main 298," (or whatever the number may be).
• Much friction and annoyance will be avoided if this simple plan is carried out.

Source : Telephone Tribute

Our inbound call center receptionists can not only handle your calls by taking messages, responding to enquiries or transfering calls to the correct individuals but can also take caller details and enter them directly into your website.

These caller details might be exhibition bookings, sales orders, diary bookings/cancellations or just general enquiries.

Using a real person to handle the interaction with your customer means that the data being recorded is already qualified and tested. There will be fewer errors and in instances where a customer feels unwilling or confused about the online form, there can be re-assurance and explaination to help out.

Telephone Answering is our core offering - whatever the reason you need someone else to answer your phones - whether it be holidays, expansion, prudent staffing - just let us know.