How to Greet Customers?
You only get one chance to make a good impression so greeting customers professionally by formulating your initial greeting when answering the company telephone is critical. Exhibiting excellent business phone call etiquette is extremely important in establishing a good first impression of your company. Answer the call promptly and enthusiastically, preferable within 3 rings. Don’t forget to smile before you answer the phone as this will be reflected in your tone of voice and will be great for maintaining a positive attitude, not only during the call, but through-out the whole day. Yes, customers can actually hear your smile because smiling helps your voice sound friendly, warm, and receptive.
How to Greet Customers Examples – The Four Part Greeting
Experts agree that the following initial four part greeting will make your customers feel welcome and appreciated:
- Greet the caller in a friendly and enthusiastic manner such as “Good morning or good afternoon“.
- State your company name. For example, “Office Skills Training“.
- Introduce yourself to the caller. For example, “This is Stella“.
- Offer your help. For example, “How may I help you?”
Example” “Good morning. Office Skills Training. This is Stella. How may I help you?“
If you are a Receptionist or one who directs calls, you may wish to just offer to direct the call such as:
Example” “Good morning. Office Skills Training. This is Stella. How may I direct your call?”
Greeting Customers – Ways to Properly Address the Caller
How you address the caller may be determined by the type of business or industry you work for. For example, if you work for a university or doctors office, your callers may wish to be addressed by their professional titles such as Dr. Baker or Professor Jones. If you work for a product catalog company however, your callers may wish to be addressed by their first name.
It may be appropriate to address callers as an adult male or female such as Ms. or Mr. The following are accepted ways to address a caller in the United States:
- Sir (adult male)
- Ma’am (adult female – mostly used in North American)
- Madam (adult female)
- Mr + last name (any man)
- Mrs + last name (a married woman who uses her husband’s last name)
- Ms + last name (a married or unmarried woman; used in business)
- Miss + last name (an unmarried woman)
- Dr + last name (some doctors go by Dr + first name)
- Professor + last name (in a university setting)
$49.99 Professional Telephone Etiquette E-Learning Module
In our Professional Telephone Etiquette e-learning module, you’ll learn basic telephone etiquette skills including learning how manage the call from beginning to end including professionally greeting the caller, building rapport during the call, expressing empathy when needed, showing appreciation to the customer for calling and ending the call in a professional manner. You’ll learn how to Master Basic Telephone Skills including how to answer the telephone professionally and enthusiastically, how to transfer calls effectively without annoying customers, how to appropriately use the customer’s name during the call and how to take messages professionally and accurately. This course is hosted in the Phone Skills Collaborative Online Classroom. Join at any time and work at your own pace. You will have up to six months to complete the program.
