How many times have you called a wrong number? At least a few times. You probably found out because the person on the other end told you that you were in the wrong place.
When a customer calls up your business phone number, how do they know they are in the right place?
You have to tell them.
It’s simple, I know. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t identify themselves when customers call.
I called the merchant account company that we use for our Family Says business and was greeted with an automated message. This message didn’t tell me which company I had reached but rather jumped right into the phone tree maze.
All the department options were generic and could probably apply to my merchant company but I was never sure.
Once I finally reached a human, I found myself having to hand over account information to a person that I could only hope was really from the company that handles my account.
Do your customers ever end up in this position? They shouldn’t!
The same day I had the trouble above, I called Authorize.net to ask a question. I was greeted with: “Thanks for calling Authorize.Net. You can press 0 at any time to talk to a customer service representative.” Then, only after telling me who they were and how to shortcut to a person, did they take me into the phone tree directory.
There was no confusion and I was free from any doubts about who I had reached.
Your customers have enough doubts as it is. Don’t throw one more at them by not clearly stating who you are when you answer the phone.
There is a simple solution: greet any incoming phone call by stating your company name.
We have to do this at work now and it makes a lot of sense. What’s funny is that my mom had/has a home business and I had to answer the phone with the business name while I was growing up.
Abi, I guess Mom knew what she was doing all those years ago!