Over the course of a day’s time how many times do you come into contact with people? How often are you treated kindly and with respect? How often are you treated rudely? With this in mind, what impression do you want to leave on those who respond to your advertising?
After all of the time and money you have put into creating marketing methods that motivate people to call, creating a good first impression is priceless. For this reason the individual(s) who you hire to be your front office are essential to your success.
One way that we emphasize this in our office is with the use of job titles. Since job titles seem to be such an important part of ones identity in the office we have decided to use ours for practical uses as opposed to being used strictly for ego building. We use a title I once heard … Director of First Impressions. It has had a dramatic effect on my staff to know each day the most important challenge is to fulfill this title.
My Directors of First Impressions must be able to create a warm and caring environment for every prospect that calls. They are required to be polite, efficient, and most of all have excellent phone technique. After all this is how 99% of my prospects will first be introduced to my office.
Those working in the “front office” must be friendly, enthusiastic and courteous. After all they are a direct representation of the professional each caller is seeking to meet. They must have the right voice and the right attitude. Years ago I took a Phone Doctor seminar and much of the information is helpful and has remained with me. Using my personal experience and many of the seminars I have attended, we have put in place the following system.
Ten Rules For Excellent Phone Technique
1) Use a Greeting. When answering a business phone, it is important to answer with “good morning/ good afternoon”, your organizations name, your name, followed by HOW may I help you? The simple statement of HOW may I help you? Emphasis on the HOW with rising inflection will condition the caller to be ready for help.
2) When Putting a Caller on Hold. Ask permission and wait for a response. There is nothing worse than calling a business and being told to hold or being asked and having no one wait for your response. When returning to the line, always thank the caller for holding.
3) Monogram The Call. Using the callers name shows respect and lets them know that you know to whom you are speaking with. Not only that but everyone loves the sound of his or her name. Be certain to spell and pronounce their name correctly. We are careful to ask pronunciation and spell the name phonetically in addition to correctly for others in the office to use.
4) Avoid Excuses. Providing an excuse is merely an attempt to avoid giving the caller what they want. It is also a waste of time and portrays an unprofessional atmosphere. If the individual on the call cannot provide the information requested or answer a question accurately, simply take a message and the appropriate person should return the call.
5) Give The Caller Your Undivided Attention. Do not multi–task during phone calls. It is obvious when someone you are speaking with has divided attention. It is offensive and rude. Since the front office is representative of how prospects will be treated by the professional it is important to give them your full attention.
6) Give Verbal Feedback Signals. When speaking with a potential client it is necessary to communicate good listening skills. Repeat phrases back to them to let them know that you are listening and to be sure that you are getting the correct information.
Also, be certain to use mirroring skills. Mirroring is the method by which two people become like one another during communication. Mirroring is used with body language but can also be applied on the phone with your voice. During a conversation with a caller match their volume, pitch, and speech patterns and be sure to mirror phrases and words that they are using to communicate. This will create same-ness or like-ness and therefore create a subconscious like-ability.
7) Take Accurate Messages. This is absolutely necessary for every business. Taking incorrect messages increases situations of mispronunciations or worse yet asking for an individual by an incorrect name. Transposed or incorrect numbers can even result in a lost client due to the inability to return a call. We also recommend the use of carbon or duplicate message pads. This will minimize unreturned calls due to lost messages.
8) Control The Conversation. Calls can be lengthy and consume large portions of your day unnecessarily if you do not keep control of the call. Be cordial and social but keep your callers on track by asking questions. We use an intake sheet that asks specific questions and allows a prospect to tell their story therefore giving us the information that we will need for the consultation.
9) Avoid Mouth Noises. As silly as this sounds, with today’s technology it is probable that callers hear drinking and certainly the chewing. This includes gum, coffee, hard candy, and certainly lunch. Keep this to a minimum by avoiding these things all together.
Another inconsiderate and unprofessional thing to do is to whisper in the background while waiting for responses or believing you are on hold. Make it a priority in your office to avoid this behavior all together. If it is necessary to consult another person in the office regarding a call, ask permission to put the caller on hold and return quickly with the information.
10) Leave a Good Last Impression. Leave every call with a positive phrase. Examples of these are: Thank you for calling, It has been a pleasure speaking with you, I am certain you will feel better after your consultation_____, I look forward to meeting you on_______.
Using these phrases leads naturally into the confirmation of the appointment. Repeat the date and time of the appointment. List the items that you wish them to bring along and be certain to provide each person with directions from the area of town they will be coming. Just before terminating the call, say: “If you need to change or alter your time at all you will call ahead, won’t you?” Then wait for the caller to say, “YES”. This will reduce wasted time through no-show appointments.
Creating the best first impression on the phone requires a voice with the ability to speak with the correct volume, enunciate properly, and use inflection. However, the most important characteristic, even on the phone, is the ability to smile. A smile can always be heard on the phone and will put your potential clients at ease.
Hiring the right Administrative Assistants or as we call them Directors of First Impressions, can dramatically increase your closing ratio. Prospects will often be ready to hire you before they have even met you knowing that there is a great professional behind such fantastic office staff. Only the most professional and intuitive practitioners will even recognize their staff is directly representative of them. Having highly trained and skilled individuals in your front office reflects well on you and on your practice and should be a top priority of every practitioner.
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