When we design a phone call management system I’m not talking about phone equipment. I’m talking about what happens when the phone rings at your agency – what’s said, how calls are screened, how they’re routed, etc.
More specifically … what experience does the caller have? And how efficiently are calls routed to where they truly need to go?
While designing his call management system, a client recently said to me in jest, “I just need somebody to answer the phones!” But we all know it’s not that simple.
Phone contact – by machines (yuk!) and by humans – is part of your agency’s life-blood and can’t be left to chance or the whims of certain people. Arguably, more sales are lost when the phone’s answered then at any other time!
Your call management system must strike a balance between caller experience and efficient processing as these objectives are often in conflict.
Perhaps the most important idea to start with is that not all callers are created equal. Some are simply more important than others.
I’ve identified 8 different types of callers in my phone management system. And I have different experience and efficiency objectives for each type.
Therefore, the balance between experience and efficiency is not one thing … it’s different for each type of caller.
The types are … prospects, clients, VIPs, company personnel, third parties, agency business, personal calls and all others.
The questions you need to answer are – What do I want my prospect’s experience to be when they call? What standards and objectives do we have for handling and possibly returning those calls? What priority does this caller have compared to others?
Then ask those same questions for all the other caller types. Use your answers to design a call management system that delivers an exceptional experience to important callers and maximizes efficient handling of the less important ones.
And be sure to document your system! People have flawed memories and new people need a training guide.
Make phone call handling a SYSTEM. And make that system a true asset for your agency.
