Answering the phone may be simple, but it’s a simple thing that some businesses can get very wrong, creating an unfriendly or unhelpful impression that your business probably doesn’t deserve.

Creating a good impression for our clients when we answer the phone is a staple of what we do at PA Answer, and we thought who better to give you some advice on creating and protecting your company’s reputation than one of our fully-trained, professional and, above all, friendly PAs.

“The best advice I can give is simply to smile. At PA Answer we smile when we answer every single call for one of our clients, because you can actually hear a smile over the phone!”

“Don’t leave your caller waiting. At PA Answer we promise to answer to answer every call within three rings, because we pride ourselves on making our clients’ clients feel valued. Someone hurriedly grabbing the receiver after a seemingly endless ringing tone can make the caller feel like an afterthought!”

“Give the caller an actual person to talk to. People like speaking to other people. Introduce yourself and ask how you can help with genuine sincerity, and you and your company are bound to leave a positive impression on the caller!”

“Make sure you answer with your company name. It establishes the tone for the conversation and ensures your company and the positive impression made by the call is at the forefront of the caller’s mind.”

“Nobody enjoys being on hold. Don’t just leave your caller waiting, no matter how good the hold music is. If it’s taking longer than you expected to transfer, go back and personally reassure the caller that you haven’t forgotten about them. And when it comes to transferring, make sure you are comfortable with your phone system! There’s nothing more annoying than being hung up on after a long wait.”

“If you take a message, make sure you get it right! Re-confirm and check the details if needs be. There’s no crime in not hearing properly, but passing on incorrect information can create an easily avoidable problem.”

“Difficult callers have feelings too! And they are more likely to be offended if you lose your cool. Try your very best to stay calm and deal with any irate callers as professionally as possible. Listen to and understand their situation even if you don’t agree with it, and try your best to offer positive solutions.”

How much is one missed call worth to your business? Don’t let your next big contract go to voicemail and give your competitors a chance to steal your business. Let PA Answer answer the calls you can’t, ensuring your business makes a good impression on every caller.

Give us a call today on 0333 800 0085 to find out how well we answer calls, and talk about how we could answer your calls for you.