The first perception of your practice can be made within those first few seconds of a telephone greeting. “Thank you for calling InTouch Practice Communications. This is Lisa. How may I help you?” It’s very important to have a professional, clear voice as representation of your client’s first interaction with the practice. Think of other experiences you’ve had when calling a business where the person answering the phone is yelling, rushing, distracted, or speaking in a tone which makes YOU, the customer, feel as though you are bothering or interrupting them. How terrible!
At InTouch Practice Communications, we pride ourselves on our customer service, and our clients always come first! We have a top-notch professional staff to answer every call with a warm, welcoming tone, and we’re readily available to assist you with all your marketing needs.
The Five C’s of Good Customer Service
Some helpful reminders for good telephone customer service that will go a long way in determining how successful your phone interactions will be with clients are to follow these five basic components:
- Be Clear
- Be Complete
- Be Concise
- Be Concrete
- Be Correct
Make sure your clients clearly understand you by completely describing your explanations, and making sure you have all of your facts straight. Being confident in what you’re saying to them during any call is extremely important as well, as opposed to sounding hesitant or unsure of an answer.
Additional Customer Service Tips
A few other simple reminders to follow while on the phone with a client are:
- Listen: Be a good listener to make sure you understand the client’s needs.
- Smile: This, of course, is a very simple thing to do. It’s also rewarding, as the client will be able to hear it in your voice.
- Be positive: Phrases like, “Sure, I can help you with that” or “Yes, we can do that for you” set the stage for a positive interaction. They also put the customer at ease.
- Be informative: After hearing the client’s request, it’s best to notify them that you will be placing them on a brief hold to attend to their request.
- Please and thank you: Don’t forget the golden rule…MANNERS!
Communication is the key to success, so make sure you’re conveying the impression you want to convey to your customers!