Contrary to what some people think, switchboard management is not as simple as answering a phone call. No, it is indeed a subtle art that must be mastered to ensure a smooth and appreciated customer relationship. To help you communicate well with your contacts and ensure a quality telephone reception, here are 5 tips dedicated to switchboard management.
SELECT THE RIGHT SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR TO MANAGE YOUR TELEPHONE RECEPTION DESK
The very first piece of advice we give you is to choose the person who will be in charge of the switchboard. This person will be the first contact with your customers or patients. He or she will therefore play a key role in the image of your company. Here are some of the qualities that your switchboard operator must have in order to manage your switchboard properly:Advantages-standard-telephony
The person must be friendly, pleasant and express himself clearly.
They must know how to manage their emotions in order to react in the best possible way in the event of a stressful situation or difficult contact.
The switchboard operator must know your company and its members well to be able to transfer important calls.
He must be organised so that he does not forget to transcribe messages or to follow up with you (service providers, customers, etc.).
GIVE A COMPLETE TRAINING TO THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF RECEPTION.
Our second piece of advice is to properly train the person in charge of your switchboard. He or she must know your business and your teams at your fingertips. This will enable him/her to give more precise answers to the people who contact your switchboard. The more they are trained, the richer the communications they will provide. This will save you from having to call back contacts, answer left messages or provide average quality service.
SET UP RESPONSE SCENARIOS TO MAKE EXCHANGES MORE FLUID
Our third piece of advice focuses on the response process provided by the operator. Indeed, your switchboard management will be more efficient if you anticipate the requests that will be made to you and the different solutions to be brought to them. Write standard scenarios to enable your switchboard to respond more quickly to requests. For example, set up a telephone greeting scenario that includes these different steps:
Pick up the phone.
Say the name of the company and say hello.
Ask the reason for the call.
If requesting a connection: Ask for the caller's name and the reason for the call, then wait for the time to contact the person to find out if they want to take the call, then transfer the call or take a message.
If requesting an appointment: ask for the purpose of the appointment then refer to the calendar to propose a time slot, give the information again at the end of the call, thank and greet.
ASK FOR FEEDBACK TO IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF SERVICE
Our fourth piece of advice concerns the quality of your standard. Perhaps without knowing it, your contacts are not always satisfied with the exchange and may therefore not recommend you. This would be a pity, because the recommendation is an important lever for the development of a company. Take advantage of the exchanges conducted by your switchboard operators to carry out a small satisfaction survey. For example, ask at the end of the call whether the person received all the necessary information and found the service provided responsive and satisfactory.
ESTABLISH A PROFESSIONAL RECEPTION THANKS TO AN OUTSOURCED SWITCHBOARD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
As you will have understood, standards management is a crucial element of your activity. So our fifth and final piece of advice is simple: rely on specialized services to provide a professional telephone reception. There are companies that allow you to outsource this task in order to benefit from expert services. They are used to putting into practice things like the ones we've told you about in this article. They will ensure you an optimal quality and continuity of service, at costs that often quickly pay for themselves.
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