Small business phone matters

Calling a small or micro business can tell you a lot about how the business is run. This morning, I had the pleasure of speaking to a business owner's teenage daughter. While she tried her best on the phone, she had to ask her mum, who obviously was standing in the same room, to confirm some of the details I was after. How much were they charging? "Mum, how much is it?" What quantities I could order? "Mum, what size does it come in?" Can your dad give me a call? "Sure, what was your name again?"

Allowing kids to answer the phone is often a home-based business hazard, and it's a particular gripe of mine. Call me old fashioned, but it just sends the wrong professional message to potential clients.

However, dodgy phone etiquette isn't just a home-based business problem. Small business owners often forget to train their staff to answer the phone professionally because they're never on the other side of the phone. How often have you called a business to hear: "Hi. Can I help you?"; "I just need to find a pen"; "It's really busy here at the moment, can I put you on hold? Beep, beep, beep..."

Some things to remember:
* The phone is your company's front line, no matter how big or small your business is.
* If a customer gets a poor first impression because of the way your work phone is answered, they get a poor impression of your business.
* Take the time to train every staff member, and yourself, in answering the phone in a professional, pleasant and helpful way.

I outline more tips in The Small Business Success Guide, and you can also find some good tips from companies such as Vodafone. In fact, there's a heap of information online about business telephone etiquette. There's really no excuse.
Make every call count!

Margie