The way callers are greeted is often the first introduction a potential customer has with your organization. A professionally recorded, clear and understandable welcome text, followed by a selection menu with well-thought-out choices and clear instructions for the caller can make such a first impression an unforgettable experience.

Many number owners would like their organization to come across as large and professional as possible at such a first impression. In this article, we will show you how to set up your service number with the professionalism of a top 500 company, so that you can serve the needs of your callers as efficiently and professionally as possible.

Start with the most important thing

Callers measure the efficiency and professionalism of your service number by the speed and quality of the information obtained. In some cases, it may even be sufficient to receive an automated answer. Think, for example, of opening hours, the address of your nearest branch or requesting the outstanding call credit for your mobile phone by telephone. It is important that callers receive the requested information as quickly as possible or are connected to the right employee within your organization.

A welcome text that is played directly at the beginning of a conversation should be short and concise, but mentioning your opening hours or the address of your website is certainly recommended if that answers frequently asked questions.

Before you mention the options of your selection menu, it is wise to mention that the caller can enter the chosen option at any time. When callers do not have to wait until the end of a message, this helps them to find the requested information in the shortest possible time and to prevent irritation that waiting can cause.

Keep choices short, simple and understandable

When drawing up a selection menu, it is tempting to be as exhaustive as possible. The problem is that this generally leads to endless menus where the choice often becomes more difficult instead of easier. Do not use more layers with choices than is absolutely necessary. Most companies have more than enough with a single layer of options.

Always use a clear “call to action” such as “Press 1 to hear your balance” or “Press 9 to speak to an employee”. In this way, it is also clear to the caller in advance what they can expect after being connected.

Mention the most requested options first

This sounds obvious, but can you remember the last time you chose the first option in a selection menu?

By far the best way to investigate what questions customers are calling with is to listen back to calls. This gives you a perfect insight into what the caller’s actual question was. Make a list of callers' questions and divide them into categories or departments. Keep track of how often each question comes back. Also look at which questions really need to be handled by an employee and which may be eligible for automated handling.

Also pay attention to the words that callers use to formulate certain questions. These may differ from the terminology that you use as an organization. Always use the words that your callers also use so that they can make the right choice more quickly and you have to connect a caller to another employee less often.

Use options to provide extra information

We have already mentioned it a few times: not all information has to be given by an employee. You can include one or more options in your selection menu where an automated answer is given.

For example, a dance school has a menu option where callers can hear the lesson times. The more information you provide in the platform, the fewer calls your employees have to answer and the more time they have to deal with questions that do require their attention.

Do not hesitate to make an offer

We are not yet used to it in the Netherlands, but announcing a special offer or an event can be an excellent marketing tactic. Do this in combination with a separate option where callers can get more information; for example, “This month we offer free delivery on orders over €100. Press 1 to hear more about this.”

Use the correct greeting

Your company does not work non-stop, even if it sometimes seems that way. When you are not available for a while, let your callers know why that is and when you are available. You can do this in two simple ways:

Use a closed message

Even when you mention your opening hours in your welcome text, it is a good idea to play a closed message outside working hours in which you mention when you will be available again and what callers should do in emergencies. For example, a doctor’s practice could first indicate outside opening hours what a caller should do when a doctor needs to be called urgently and then give callers an option to leave a message.

Don’t forget the holidays

Even small self-employed people sometimes have to take a few days off. Leave a clear message for callers when you will be available again. You can set up separate welcome texts and options for individual holidays. Our platform automatically switches them on and off on the days you specify.

Selection menus and spoken texts are just a few of the many extra functions that the interactive voice response system (IVR) of the Belfabriek offers. By making smart use of these functions, you greet your caller professionally and appropriately with every call.