Answering Service

Answering Service Etiquette

Answering service etiquette and proper call techniques are important in most any setting but are especially critical for a call centre. Telephone answering requires a quick greeting and identification of the answering party and the company or organization represented. Often this part of the conversation is scripted even if the one answering the phone is an actual person and not a computer. Brevity and pleasant tone of voice usually determine the flow of the rest of the call.

Under no circumstance should an answering service feel like a struggle for the person calling. A computer answering service should be designed as a simple filter to be able to handle high volumes of calls efficiently and effectively. These should assist the telephone answering operator and not completely take over the process.

Such a computer should be used as a tool to quickly identify what a particular person is calling about. This is done so that any exchange of information is precise and on point with any touch tone request by the caller. At all times, the person calling should have the option to talk to a live person if necessary.

Information gained through the computer helps prepare a live answering service operator to confirm the purpose of the call. The caller is greeted again in person and asked how they can be helped. Often the answering service operator will already know this information from the computer call centre readout, but asking for the info is the polite thing to do and reconfirms the focus of inquiry.