The theme of this article is basic, but hardly anyone does it well. Let’s have some fun with 7 quick questions. Picture yourself calling a tennis facility to reserve a court and then answer these questions about the person who answers the phone.
- Are they enthusiastic about their job?
- Are they smiling?
- Are they distracted or focused?
- Are they making an effort to learn your name and know who you are?
- Are they knowledgeable?
- Do they care if you have a nice day or not?
- Can they give clear directions to the facility?
Basic questions, yet few facilities out of dozens I visit each year have staff who would score well on telephone skills. This is the bad news. Now, here’s the good news:
- To be able to succeed in these 7 areas is cost-free, and your staff can actually train themselves (see below).
- You will have happier and more loyal customers.
- The return on your investment will be huge.
It’s almost ironic that some of the most simple yet essential things in running a tennis business seldom receive more than superficial attention. That said, here’s a plan to get your business phone skills up to speed.
- Copy the 7 questions at the beginning of this article.
- Create a list of 7 businesses in your area including a hotel, restaurant, barber shop, pizza delivery service, retail clothing store, hardware store, and car dealership.
- Have your staff call each and ask two questions. First, ask what the store hours are, and second, ask for directions on how to get there.
Then have them grade each business based on the 7 questions at the top of this article with letters (A-F, just like in school). You will find that this process will be monumentally more effective than calling a staff meeting and lecturing your team of employees about how important good telephone skills really are.
Here are some tips on the 7 skills contained within those 7 questions in case they need some extra help.
- Enthusiasm? Job satisfaction comes across most clearly on the telephone by enthusiasm. You might say that it’s hard to be enthused about taking court reservations. But why not? After all, you are facilitating your customers to be healthier through exercise and to reduce stress through the pleasure of playing tennis.
- Are they smiling? Smiling is tremendous in breaking down barriers. Practice smiling when you are on the telephone by putting a table mirror next to your phone to smile into. It comes across in your tone of voice, so this little test and exercise is well worth the effort.
- Distracted or focused? One of the worst things that can happen on the phone is when the person receiving the call is doing something else at the same time. It could be talking to a friend, listening to the radio, or whatever. It’s easy to tell if the person answering the phone is focused on the customer who called.
- Learning names? We all know the trick of repeating someone’s name to learn it. However, the point in repeating someone’s name is not just to learn it. Remember that one of the sweetest things a person can hear is their own name. Repeat the name to please the listener. Yes, learning their name is critical, but it’s a secondary benefit.
- Knowledgeable? How much are court fees? Are there any open courts? Has the deadline to sign-up for the tournament passed? Where is the head pro? Can I schedule a lesson? How much are semi-private lessons? Do you have children’s tennis clothing? These are just some of the basics that your front desk soldiers need to know.
- Do they care about the customers? The issue of caring is more difficult to quantify because it is largely based on individual impressions. But I will tell you this. Although some people are more naturally caring than others, everyone can do some of the little things that help give customers the impression that they care. Gradually getting to know your customers is a big part of it, but simple efforts such as saying, “I hope you have a great day” at the end of a phone conversation goes a long way.
- Can they give clear directions? This point is such a basic one, it always surprises me when people cannot give clear directions to their place of business. Have a sheet printed up that includes written instructions and a map that can be faxed and emailed to a customer. As simple as this sounds, few businesses make this effort.
People versus Machines
This article would be incomplete without a comment on having people answer your phone instead of machines. Who hasn’t been frustrated by electronic phone systems forcing you to listen to a series of computer-generated prompts with the hopes of getting a real human being on the other end of the line? It happens to me almost every day! If you must have an electronic system, keep it short and sweet, and easy for the caller to press zero to be connected to a live person.
The Bottom Line
Let’s finish with a final set of statistics dealing with telephone conversations. A whopping 84% of the impressions we make on the phone are based on how we sound, while only 16% are based on what we say. If this is a breakthrough for you to hear, don’t feel alone. It was for me, too.