I recently called a colleague who works for a large recruiting company to pass up an opportunity that would have earned him about $ 30,000. I would normally have his mobile number, but that day I was having problems with my electronic organizer and had to call his office directly.

The receptionist who answered the call launched into the second coming of the Spanish inquisition. I wanted to know why he was calling her and what he wanted to talk to this person about. Not wanting to go into the complexities of the opportunity, I told him that I knew him personally and that I had an opportunity that he would be interested in. He sighed loudly and interrupted me by putting me on hold. When he came back, he told me that he was too busy to talk to me and that he would take a message.

After his response, I called another colleague and gave him the $ 40,000 opportunity.

How much money are you losing from call screening?

It is amazing how much time and money we can spend attracting people to our business, yet when they call us, instead of a warm welcome, we annoy them by “filtering” the calls and making them feel uncomfortable.

So my question to you is … how many people are calling you and not giving you opportunities because of your screening policy.

Everyone I’ve asked why they have a detection policy always answers the same thing … which is to save time so they can focus on what they are supposed to do. Or, they are trying to get rid of all the time-consuming calls that could easily be answered by someone else.

So, let’s look at the ways you can perform detection – without detection!

Introduce a no detection policy in your business

I have always had a “no detection” policy in all of my businesses. This means, do not ask their name, do not ask the purpose of the call or any other information. However, I still know exactly who is on the phone when they tell me.

So how do I do that? Let me share with you the 8 things your receptionist can implement right away so that you can screen without screening:

1. Have your receptionist ALWAYS answer the phone using their first and last name
   This is often one of the hardest things to deal with for both business owners and receptionists. What! My receptionist answers the phone using her first and last name! So why do I insist on answering the phone this way? Because it is human nature that when you hear someone using their first and last name, we automatically respond in the same way. 99% of callers will respond with something like “Hi Jane, this is Frank Butler from XYZ Company. Is Bob there?” It also establishes your receptionist as a person of authority within your business. Suddenly, the person who is calling you, but cannot talk to you, will always feel more comfortable asking the person who answers the phone how they can help.
2. Always use the phrase “He / she is WITH SOMEONE right now”
   How many times does a receptionist take your call, put you on hold, and then come back to your call saying … “I’m sorry, but Bob is in a meeting right now. May I take a message”? And what do you think automatically? Usually one of two things: that you’re in an internal meeting, or that you can’t be bothered to take your call. Ask your receptionist to update his terminology with … “I’m sorry, but Bob is with someone right now. I can interrupt you if it’s urgent, or would you rather ask him to call you back when he’s free.” Strangely, I have not been interrupted yet! When callers know that you are “with someone,” suddenly you are with a real person. Usually your customers will respect you. And if they don’t, you can guarantee it’s urgent.
3. Always block the time each day when you return all your phone calls
   When they can’t reach you, most people will ask the receptionist what time you will be free. If you have a set time each day to return calls, this allows your receptionist to let you know without having to constantly monitor and interrupt you. “John, Bob will definitely be free between 2 and 3 pm, which is when he returns all your phone calls. Did you need to contact him before that, or is there a better time to call him back?” If it is urgent, you will find that most people will communicate and respond with a time that works for them.
4. Update your receptionist terminology
   When you receive a message, ask your receptionist to use the following terminology: “Jane, I can pass a message to Bob, or I can certainly try to help you if you prefer.” That gives the caller a choice. And usually, if it’s trivial, they’ll ask the receptionist. Your receptionist can then determine if it would be better for you or someone else to respond. If it is someone else, you can forward the call immediately.
5. Train your interlocutors on who is best to contact
   If, after all of this, you’re still getting calls that would be better directed to someone else, then the best way to deal with this is by offering exceptional customer service and training your clients to ask for the right person. For example, if you receive a call that is best served by one of your salespeople, simply reply with … “Frank, thank you for your call. I’m very glad you contacted me about that. The best person to help. you with this is our customer relations manager, Trevor. You always get a great result from these types of inquiries, so let me introduce you and he can take care of you. Is it okay for you? “And then pass them on. If you’d like, follow up with a quick follow-up phone call a day later to make sure they’ve been taken care of. But don’t try to solve the problem for them. Otherwise, you will always be solving them!
6. Describe what you are doing every step of the way
   Make sure your receptionist describes what you are doing every step of the way. By this I mean that if you are about to put someone on hold, tell the caller. For example: “John, I think Bob is with someone right now, but let me put you on hold for a moment and I’ll check their availability.”

7. Use the caller’s name as much as possible
   Everyone loves the sound of their own name … so use it! Encourage your receptionist to use the caller’s name whenever possible. For example: “Sure, John, let me write down your contact details.”
8. Train your receptionist
   Interestingly, the art of projection is easy to implement, but it often goes awry when you don’t adequately train your Director of First Impressions (that is, your receptionist!).

So here are 3 things you need to do to help you take advantage of all the opportunities that come your way:

1. Provide your receptionist with a phone script that incorporates the above key points. And explain why you want it to be used.
2. Schedule a time each day that you can dedicate yourself to answering phone calls so that your receptionist can set the caller’s expectations of when they will return your call.
3. Ask your receptionist to test the concept and then ask for their opinion to see if it works.

Now for the full phone script

So in summary, here is the phone script that you can implement in your business today and improve the response of your customers.

THE ART OF NOT CHECKING THE PHONE SCRIPT

“Good morning / afternoon, welcome to Innova Business Momentum. This is the FIRST NAME / LAST NAME.”

[Hi, this is John Smith, can I speak to Bob Brown please]

“Sure Bob, I’ll put you on hold for a moment and check to see if he’s inside.”

[Put caller on hold to enable call to be transferred]

If you are out of the office or cannot take the call

“I’m sorry John, Bob is with someone right now. Do you want me to ask him to call you as soon as he’s available?”

[When will he call me back?]

“John, Bob will definitely be free between 2 and 3 pm, which is when he returns all your phone calls. Did you need to contact him before that, or is there a better time to call him back?”

[Can you ask him to call me?]

“Sure John, what would be the best number to reach you?”

“Thanks for your call John, Bob will be in touch with you shortly”

Key considerations for your receptionist:

• Make sure your receptionist smiles when they answer the phone – the caller can hear it in their voice!
• Ask your receptionist to speak clearly and confidently, don’t mumble
• Use the name of the caller when possible
• Let them know what you are doing, for example putting it on hold etc.