How to Professionally Answer a Business Call

Working in an overflow answering service, there is one thing that you learn pretty quickly – how to answer a business call. When you are on the phone all day, you learn pretty quickly to pick up on the cues as to how your delivery was received and when the way you answered the phone just was not received well (it happens, even to the best of us!). But what are you to do as a small business owner. You don’t have the benefit of thousands of calls under your belt. You haven’t made all of the mistakes and learned from them. Hopefully, this will save you from making some of the mistakes so that you are able to represent your business well and make the kind of first impression that you want to make.

Here are 5 Tips That Will Help You Answer a Business Call Professionally

Don’t Let it Ring
Nobody wants to wait, listening to the phone ring. If you want your caller to feel cared for and to have a better interaction with you, answer the phone on the second ring whenever possible. The third ring is totally fine, but by the fourth or fifth ring your call either goes to voicemail or you risk your caller hanging up in frustration. However, if you answer the phone too quickly, it can actually catch a caller off guard which is why we recommend the second ring.

Have a Smile in Your Voice
We have always used this in our training for new operators, and it works very well. We want to answer every call with a smile in our voice. When someone answers the phone, you can often tell what kind of day they are having simply by the tone of their voice. Our operators are known as “friendly and professional” for a reason. We make it a priority to answer every call in a friendly and happy voice – no matter what has gone on earlier in the day, no matter how rude the last caller was, etc.

Everyone Loves to Hear Their Name
Always ask for (and remember) a caller’s name. Write it down if you have to. You want to be able to address a caller by their name because they will really appreciate it. It shows that you are listening and subconsciously, it puts you on their side. In our initial greetings, we always identify ourselves by name and get the caller’s name. That way we can use it in the course of the conversation making the call much more personal.

Pros Use a Script
The best advice that I can give you on how to answer a business call is to use a script. You should answer every call the same way. Make sure that you use and feel comfortable with your script. Something like, “Thank you for calling Dr. Smith’s Office. This is Jane, how may I help you?” You want to use your business name so that callers know that they have called the right place. You want to identify yourself so that callers know who they are talking to. And you want to ask them why they are calling so that you can help them quickly and efficiently.

End on a Positive Note
Always try to end your call on a positive note. There are several things that you can do to accomplish this. One simple way is to ask if there is anything else you can do to help. Another way is to thank them for calling and to wish them a good day. You need to find a way that feels comfortable to you and to stick with it on every call.

How To Answer a Business Call Professionally

• Do your best to answer every call by the second or third ring.
• Answer each call with a pleasant tone of voice.
• Ask each caller their name and use it throughout the conversation.
• Have a script that you use to start every call and then follow it.
• Finish every call on a positive note.

Try Us Risk Free
If you would like all of your calls answered by our world-class friendly and professional operators, you can give our service a try risk-free. Give us a call at 888-528-5678 to get started!