From dental practices to accountants, Best Reception is known for its exceptional customer service for all clients. In this article, the experts at Best Reception provide examples of how to handle calls like a Best Receptionist in order to provide excellent customer service.
We know your business
Receptionists are the first point of contact with existing and potential customers and can greatly influence someone’s first impression of your business. Call handling is an effective way to improve the efficiency and professionalism of your operation.
According to data published by HubSpot, customers will spend more if they know they’ll receive excellent service. Meanwhile, 66% of customers expect companies to understand their needs, and customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than companies that aren’t. Think about it: a single positive interaction over the phone could help to land your biggest client.
At Best Reception, we create a guide from the information you supply so we really know your business inside-out. The benefits include call consistency to build trust with customers, providing clear and accurate information and improving efficiency so more calls can be handled per hour.
Read on to learn how we build this in order to take your customer experience to the next level. Whether you are a busy dental practice seeking to streamline patient relations or a small car garage aiming to reduce employee stress, Best Reception can benefit your business.
Creating a guide
The greeting
The idea here is to provide a warm greeting to set the tone for the call. A positive, friendly attitude is the first impression you want to give a new customer. Best Reception can answer your call in anyway you’d like, creating a greeting that is unique to your business.
Every phone greeting should include a “Hi” or “Hello”, a thank you, your business name, the receptionist’s name and a question. For example: “Hello, thank you for calling [Your business name]. My name is [receptionist’s name], how can I help you today?
The call transfer
This is when things can go wrong. Callers can become frustrated if they are transferred to different departments, where their call goes unanswered or even cut off. The receptionist needs to fully understand the caller’s needs to identify the best person to help them.
For example: “Thank you for calling. Based on what you’ve told me, [NAME] from [DEPARTMENT] is the best person to speak to you about [SUBJECT]. Shall I transfer you now?”
Putting people on hold
Common phone etiquette views the hold button as a last resort, and often an arranged call back can be a better solution. It is important to tell the caller why you need to put them on hold and always ask permission, and make the hold period as brief as possible.
Message taking
Receptionists should record as much detail as possible in the message to prevent the caller from having to repeat themselves. With the right information, you can prioritise customers and deal with issues quicker.
Every message should contain these essential details: full name, customer type, reason for call, person to speak to, importance and a convenient time for a return call.
Tricky questions
Receptionists need to think on their feet and solve the problems of callers. Never say “I don’t know”. For example: “I’m not an expert in [THE QUESTION] so I can’t give you the right information. However, [NAME] is the best person to speak to, would you like me to transfer you?”
Whatever call structure you use, it is important that everyone answering external calls needs to cover these basic details:
• Warm greeting
• Caller’s name and number
• Reason for calling
• Resolution (e.g. provide an answer, arrange an appointment, call back)
Dental receptionist phone guide examples
If we look at one profession in particular, here are a few ideas for how a dental receptionist can deliver excellent customer service.
New patient
Receptionist: “Hello, thanks for calling Oak Street Dental Surgery. My name is Lisa, how can I help you?
Caller: “I’m a new patient and I want to make an appointment.”
Receptionist: “Fantastic, we always love to welcome new patients! Could I please take your name and number so we can schedule your appointment?”
Caller: “Yes of course, my name is Peter Smith and my phone number is 0123 123 123.”
Receptionist: “Thank you Mr Smith. What dates and times of day are most convenient for you?”
Patient: “Well, I am usually free on weekdays, do you have any lunchtime slots?”
Receptionist: “Of course, our earliest lunchtime availability is on Monday April 20 at 1pm. Does that work for you?”
Patient: “Yes, that sounds perfect.”
Receptionist: “Great, I have you scheduled you in for Monday April 20 at 1pm. You will receive a text message 24 hours before your appointment. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
Patient: “No thank you, that’s all I needed.”
Receptionist: “Well, thank you again for choosing Oak Street Dental Surgery. We look forward to seeing you on the 20th.”
After-hours (non-emergency) call
Receptionist: “Hello, thank you for calling Oak Street Dental Surgery. My name is Lisa. How may I help you?”
Patient: “Hello, I have a query about my last appointment.”
Receptionist: “Okay, I’d be happy to help. Just to clarify, this is not an emergency call?”
Patient: “No it’s not.”
Receptionist: “That’s great. Please give me your full name and phone number so your dentist can get back to you as soon as possible?”
Patient: “Yep, my name is Mrs Sue Jones and my phone number is 0899 899 899.”
Receptionist: “Thank you, Mrs Jones. I will get your dentist to contact you when he is next at the surgery. Is there anything else I can help assist you with today?”
Patient: “No, that’s all thank you.”
Receptionist: “No problem, thank you for calling Oak Street Dental Surgery. Have a great day.”
After-hours (emergency) call
Receptionist: “Thank you for calling Oak Street Dental Surgery. My name is Lisa, how can I help?”
Patient: “I’ve got a really painful tooth, I need to see the dentist urgently.”
Receptionist: “I understand, it sounds like you are in a lot of discomfort. If you need urgent medical care, you can call 999 or 111. Otherwise, I can help you. Please give me your name and number?”
Patient: “My name is George Walker and my phone number is 0777 777 777.
Receptionist: “Great, thank you Mr Walker. Because it is an emergency, I will connect you to our on-call dentist who will be able to help. Please wait while I transfer you.”
Call handling best practice
As you can see from the examples above, receptionists need to display certain soft skills to assist callers.
Build rapport: your staff need to engage in conversation with callers to create a rapport, fostering trust and brand loyalty.
Meet customer needs: receptionists can quickly deal with questions and concerns so callers feel valued.
Personal touch: Adding a personal approach, for example, offering their name in the phone greeting, helps callers to feel familiar and appreciated.
How to develop your receptionist skills
Here are some key considerations:
Role-playing
To achieve consistency, we recommend running role-playing workshops with your team members so they get comfortable with all scenarios. Weekly or monthly sessions will ensure that your people are performing at their best.
Training and development
Role-playing is just one area of training. Consider group or one-to-one coaching sessions so every member of staff has the tools and resources they need.
Emergency planning
If you offer an after-hours or emergency service, you need to put plans in place to handle every situation. This needs to cover both answering the calls and also having experts on call to deal with any emergency.
Appointment systems
Using digital appointment software can transform your efficiency. Setting up reminders that provide appointment details will mean fewer missed appointments.
Need help with call handling?
Having an onsite receptionist answering calls is a great way to improve customer service while also supporting your staff. Your team will feel more confident handling calls without having to bluff their way to a solution.
But not every business has the resources to handle incoming calls efficiently and professionally. Since 2006 Best Reception’s virtual receptionists have been supplying an affordable solution to answer calls. From a tradesperson to a growing tech firm, our UK-based team offers three main services:
The cost-effective packages require no upfront fees and have clear pricing so you won’t be hit with hidden costs and complicated contracts.
Take your customer service to new heights and focus on your business while our professional virtual receptionists will manage all your incoming calls. Callers will not be charged for contacting you, and calls can be transferred to any UK landline or mobile number.
As an added bonus, a Best Reception call handling package includes a FREE virtual number.
