Tom Merriott

Have you ever told your team what you want your company to sound like? Seriously, what do you want your business to sound like on the phone? If this is a foreign concept to you I am challenging you to put some thought into it. We constantly work with our technicians on how they should present themselves in the home but our office staff is presenting long before that. If you have no idea where to begin, I will give you a little exercise.

Start by thinking about a great customer experience you have had in the past. Make a list of how that experience made you feel. For example: understood, cared about, and important. Then write down some things you remember about the person who delivered that great customer service. Descriptive words like professional, polite, friendly, and helpful.

Now look at those two lists and come up with your company’s voice. Before you begin you should know that the ultimate goal is to communicate to your team how you want to sound. So make a list of your own. Maybe craft the first two into your own. Some examples would be, “how we want our customers to feel and how we should present ourselves.”

When you finish, bounce it off of your team. Make them a part of the solution so this isn’t just another thing you are making them do.

This shouldn’t take much time, but the communication and reinforcement will be ongoing. Letting everyone who answers your phone know exactly what you expect from them is an important part of delivering great customer service.