CALL TODAY: (316) 247-2466
CALL TODAY: (316) 247-2466
THE VOICE OF YOUR BUSINESS - THE FIRST IMPRESSION A NEW CLIENT HAS OF IT
The receptionist is the most undervalued person in an office but the entire sales process and customer experience STARTS from the second he/she answers the phone. If the phone is answered in a timely manner and questions are answered quickly – this usually will lead to a happy client and it sets the tone for the client. However, a bad experience will only lead to issues that are so easy to fix. As the business owner, the success of the receptionist literally translates into dollars – either an increase or decrease of them into your business. It is your job to make sure that they are properly trained and understand their role in the client experience and sales process.
It is vital that you train your receptionist on all the common customer complaints and how to quickly resolve them, if possible. It is also equally important that your receptionist is well versed in your products and services offered with the ability to discuss them in general details if need be. This will greatly assist in the entire sales process and highly increase your conversion.
It is important that your receptionist is trained in listening, taking notes, communicating, general positivity and an eagerness to help the client. Also of the utmost importance is that your receptionist understands when certain client issues are too complex for him/her to handle and need to be escalated to the office manager or business owner.
Listening seems like a no brainer but many times you will find receptionists overloaded with general office tasks that they feel rushed to get off the phone. This should never happen and it is important that your receptionist listens to every detail from the client, both because of customer service reasons but also for sales – the client might mention something that your staff can then upsell them on at a later time or at the next appointment. The number one priority for your receptionist is to be comfortable spending as much time needed on the phone with any potential client.
Taking notes and documenting them on every call is very important – especially for the first time the new client comes to the office. It gives you an advantage because you can then discuss details of their possible concerns prior to them bringing it up with you – affirming your level of expertise.
Communication again sounds like a no brainer – but is often overlooked. General positivity is relayed over the phone. Most of the sales books out there say the number one rule when cold calling people is to smile because the smile changes your tone and can be sensed over the phone. The same is true with positivity. It is important your receptionist, the first voice your clients hear is positive and comes across as happy. This will instantly relay to the client and they will appreciate it.
The same is true when your receptionist has an eagerness to help the client – even if it is as simple as trying to find the right appointment time or explaining in detail the best place to park. Small things go a long way in the client experience and the more positive experiences they have, the more likely they will come back over and over and share their experience with their friends.
The most effective way to motivate any employee is reminding them that you, as the business owner have realized what a good job they are doing. It is extremely effective when you remember specific scenarios. Everyone loves compliments and wants recognition when they do a job well done.
Another way to motivate a receptionist is to have metrics that have to be met and when met consistently rewarded with some type of bonus. The small cost of a bonus is well worth having a happy receptionist. The bonus does not have to be money either, you can always find certain things they will truly appreciate and make them feel valued and stay loyal to helping you grow your business. Typically though, money is best because who doesn't love having an unexpected amount in their pocket to buy something random.
We have tons of ideas for incentives that are low cost and highly effective.
At SayWhat Consulting we are experts at training staff in all aspects of the customer experience. We have a specific training program for receptionists because their job is so vital to the success of your business. We hope you choose to value them and realize from day one their importance to your bottom line. We have programs that can assist and maintain training for the receptionist and allow you to maximize their potential and increase your revenues.
We also have call auditing services which allow us to evaluate your receptionist and providing you with a report of the pros and cons – along with how to fix them. We are focused on increasing your revenues, hiring SayWhat Consulting on will be one of the best business choices you make. We have monthly packages and a la carte services as well - contact us today to learn morel.
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