Even if one mobile phone becomes commonplace for each person, calls to company landline phones will not disappear.

In addition to calls with a designated person in charge, general inquiries, matters where the person in charge is unknown, sales calls, etc. are received on the representative phone and department phone.

When you just started accepting calls , you can’t help but think that it’s impossible to respond perfectly to all of them.

However, it is all about getting used to answering the phone .

It will be easier to take countermeasures if you clarify the reasons and difficult points that you are not good at, rather than having a vague sense of anxiety or feeling that you are not good at answering the phone.

In this article, we will explain the main reasons why it is difficult to answer the phone and the NG responses that should be avoided, and support you to improve your phone skills .

Reasons why answering phone calls is difficult

There are a number of points that I find difficult when answering phone calls at companies , but most of them can be overcome by gaining experience and getting used to answering phones .

Even if it’s difficult at first, keep calm and build up experience.

I don’t know who it’s coming from

In most cases, people who call us on mobile phones or at home are acquaintances, and we can know who is calling us through caller ID notification .

As long as we are a company, we may receive complaint calls .

Considering that you can’t guarantee that you won’t get yelled at the moment you pick up the phone, it’s no surprise that you’re nervous even before you answer the phone.

Regarding this point, if you continue to accept calls for a while , you will know who is always calling, so it should be quite easy .

I have to talk to someone whose face I can’t see

Conversation with someone you meet for the first time can be nerve-wracking.

Especially in the case of a phone call , since you can’t see the other person’s face, you may find it difficult to communicate because you can’t read the other person’s expression .

However, in the case of a phone call to a company, the other party is calling because he or she has something to do at work .

Small talk and witty conversation are not particularly required at the reception desk . Thinking about it that way might make you feel a little better.

Intermediation and messages occur

Recently, it is not uncommon for business partners to directly call the person in charge on their cell phone, but if the person does not know the cell phone of the person in charge, there will be an intermediary call or a message.

At this time, if you misheard the other party’s company name or name, or miss the purpose of the call, the person in charge will not be able to respond appropriately . increase.

Nonetheless, the pattern of agency and messages is fixed, and it is rare that there is a big deviation, so once you learn the flow, you will be able to respond easily.

Difficulty in making decisions based on the situation

There are various cases in telephone reception work, such as intermediary and correspondence in absence, and it is necessary to respond flexibly according to the situation .

It is difficult to calm down and do the best response until you get used to it.

Experience matters when it comes to answering phone calls , so you just have to build up the number of calls and get used to it.

Lack of confidence in honorifics and phone manners

If you look at the telephone manual, you will find the language and manners unique to the telephone.

It’s not that difficult once you learn how to say things and how to respond to each pattern, but there are phrases that you don’t use when you’re face-to-face, so many people seem to struggle until they get used to it .

Don’t worry, you will naturally remember the wording as you say it over and over again.

Reasons to irritate the other party at the reception

What is a pleasant phone reception response in business?

If you put yourself in the shoes of the caller, you’ll find that the best thing you can do is get things done without stress.

Some of the factors that make customers feel uncomfortable when answering the phone are as follows.

As long as you keep this in mind, it’s not difficult to make a good impression on the other person over the phone .

no one answers the phone

People are calling because they have something to do or have a problem they want to solve .

Despite this , if the phone does not connect, you will not be able to achieve your goals, and you will feel confused .

Of course, if there are staff who can answer the phone, we will answer the phone as soon as possible, but if you can’t get through after business hours or when the phone line is full, you can set up a special announcement to let you know why you can’t get through. .

the respondent is dark

We often hear the term “the face of the company” when answering calls .

When you call a company, the first person who answers the phone determines your impression of the company.

At this time, regardless of the quality of your voice, if you mumble in a low tone, the company itself will give you a gloomy impression.

When answering the phone, try to speak clearly and in a tone that is one tone higher than usual.

long hold

It is one of the frustrating points to be kept waiting for a long time on hold .

I can’t see the other party on the phone, so I don’t know that they are doing research for me or looking for the person in charge.

What’s more, when you’re on hold, the other party can’t hear what you say, so even if you think it’s a long time, you have no choice but to wait.

According to telephone etiquette, the hold time is 30 seconds or less.

If it takes a long time, cancel the hold once, explain the situation, and call back depending on the situation.

responsibilities are passed around

I told the person on the phone what I had to do, but was told that I wasn’t in charge and was transferred to another department, and I had to explain the same content from the beginning…

This situation is called “Taraimawashi” , and it is no exaggeration to say that it is the most hated response at the reception desk .

If it is not clear who is in charge, ask the contact information of the other party and call back, find the official person in charge, and then return the call from the person in charge.

Chopped

If you put down the handset with force when you hang up the phone, the other party will hear a “Gachan!”

It is good manners to hang up quietly after waiting for the caller to hang up first.

It is smarter to gently press the hook switch with your hand than to hang up the phone directly.

Promises to return or reply are not kept

It is frustrating to be in a situation where the person in charge hasn’t contacted you, even though you’ve properly told the receptionist about your business and provided your contact information.

Furthermore, if the cause is a human error such as “the message was left out” or “the person in charge forgot” , the company may lose credibility.

Reciting and confirming important points and choosing a method of communication that will surely be conveyed to the person in charge are also skills of the person in charge of receiving calls.

Manual for how to receive business calls to improve the impression of the company

From here, I will introduce tips for answering calls that can be put into practice immediately and are directly linked to improving the level of handling calls .

Answer the phone within 3 calls

How many calls do you wait when you call and the person doesn’t pick up?

In general, people feel that three or more calls are too long, and many people give up and hang up after that.

In business etiquette training, we are instructed to answer the phone within 3 calls.

Depending on the company or department, rules such as “within 2 calls” or “first call” may be established, so please check the telephone handling manual of the organization you belong to as well.

Call reception in a quiet place

If the place where you are answering calls is noisy, it will be difficult for you to hear the voice on the phone, and you may not be able to hear it accurately, or you may have to repeat the same thing over and over again.

In addition, it is not very impressive to hear employees chatting while answering the phone .

As long as you’re working in an office, it’s inevitable that you’ll be a little noisy, but if you’re answering the phone , ask for the help of those around you to keep things quiet.

prepare notes and listen

When answering a phone call , you have to listen for proper nouns such as the company name and name of the other party.

In addition, there are cases where business terms and technical terms may appear in the business, so it is dangerous to rely on memory to deliver a message to the person in charge.

Have a notepad ready at the place where you answer the phone, and listen while taking notes while answering the phone.

Repeat the other party’s name and business

Mishearing and spelling mistakes of names and words are the most common mistakes when answering the phone .

It’s possible that you didn’t hear it perfectly after listening to it once, or that you wrote it wrong even if you knew it in your head.

Be sure to repeat back any information you hear on the phone that cannot be mistaken, such as the name of the person you are speaking to or the purpose of your business.

By repeating it aloud, the other person will correct you if you make a mistake.

use cushion words

When answering the phone , there are times when we cannot meet the other person’s wishes and we have to decline them, or we have to make difficult requests.

Use “cushion words” to convey things that are difficult to say.

“Cushion words”, as the name suggests, are words that cushion the impact like a cushion.

If you find it difficult to say it as it is, try adding cushion words.

Example sentences using cushion words

• “Excuse me, but could you wait a little longer?”
• “If you don’t mind, could you tell me your contact information?”
• “I’m sorry, but 〇〇 is out of the house right now.”
• “If you don’t mind, please leave a message.”

What is AI-supported call forwarding service “Canario”?

You will definitely get better at answering phone calls if you do it enough times.

However, there are many manners and rules that must be remembered, so it is difficult for companies to allocate sufficient resources for manner training, and there may be cases where you have to start answering calls with anxiety and doubts . I can’t.

We would definitely recommend NEC Networks & System Integration’s telephone response service “Canario” to companies that are struggling with the lack of resources for answering and responding to telephone calls.

AI acts as your company’s call reception desk, recognizes the customer’s voice, and transfers the call to the designated person in charge.

If the person in charge is unknown, it is possible to call all at once in the organization unit, or receive a message on behalf of the absent person in charge, transcribe it and send it.

Article Summary

It seems that they are not good at receiving calls , such as the unpredictability of the person and the content of the call, the need to make flexible decisions, and the existence of detailed manners.

However, even if you can’t do everything perfectly at the reception desk , there is no problem as long as you care about “not making the other party uncomfortable”.

Master the reception tips and mental attitudes introduced in this article, and use them to improve your telephone reception skills.