Having a recorded tape of how your receptionist is answering incoming calls for the community's telephone is a useful practice and helps improve their answering skills.Permission to tape calls should be obtained from all employees at the time of their employment.
Periodically having these calls taped is quite useful in hearing what a prospective customer hears.
Our calls to numerous communities consistently indicate how poorly the first impressions are made.
For example:
- Mumbling the name of the community;
- Speaking too quickly;
- Not saying their name clearly;
- Sounding exasperated--and that the call is an unwelcome interruption;
- Telling a caller no one is available to be of help;
- Multi-tasking and not giving full attention to the incoming caller;
- Sing song voice--reading a prepared script;
- Letting the phone ring numerous rings.
While you can hear for yourself how the receptionist sounds to callers, it is constructive to have someone listen to themselves and practice skills with role playing.
First impressions separate your community from competition. Lost leads at this point is inexcusable in today's competitive marketplace.
