How to be More Effective When Answering the Telephone

When customers call your organization they form an impression within the first ten seconds by the way your telephone is answered. Whether it is answered by automated voicemail or a live person, how they are made to feel, can make or break their desire to do business with your company.

Automated Voicemail
If it is an automated voicemail system that is used to answer your phone, it needs to have an option of reaching a live person. The last thing you want is for your potential customer to go through “voicemail Hell.” With a poorly designed phone answering system, you are sending the message that your organization is not capable of properly communicating with its callers. If it can’t get that right, how can your customers expect to get effective service from the rest of the company?

Live Receptionist
If you have a live person to answer the telephone, you have the distinct advantage of giving a caring and personal first impression. The three areas that should be addressed by a live person when answering the telephone in this order are:
1. Identification of the company or organization
2. Identification of the person answering the phone
3. The response: “How may I help you” or “How may I direct your call?”

Answer the Telephone Professionally
Here, it is important to remember, how the call is answered, is vital to creating a good first impression.Tone of voice, pace and tact are three key factors that play a part in how the call is answered.What you don’t want to have happen by the person answering the phone, is to do so in a way that is rushed and impersonal. When this happens, your customer typically will get defensive and impatient. If this happens, you run the risk of losing the customer.

By having an effective approach to receive incoming calls, you will insure that your company or organization takes full advantage of attracting and retaining new customers.


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Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is a business consultant, speaker, coach and author. He helps companies and organization become more profitable by increasing their value and lowering their costs through the professional development of their managers and employees.