I had a long day at work today, had to stop over at my go-to restaurant in the southeast for my favorite local dish, ‘ofeakwu’. As I queued up waiting patiently, a flyer promoting an innovative program caught my attention.  I bought my ‘ofe akwu’ with rice and freshly fried plantain, packaged to go, and picked up one of the flyers on my way out. I reached home exhausted but couldn’t stop thinking of the flyer, and how I would love to connect and partner with whoever put it out there.  I again checked the flyer, 45 minutes before COB so I called the number boldly displayed on it, excited and filled with anticipation.

After the 5^th ring, a lady picked up the call. She was totally distracted and kept talking to someone else about food. I patiently waited, and as she returned to the call, the first thing she said was “eh yes, can I help you?’ I replied, “Hi, I’m Haesha, I found a flyer and I would like to know more about your program.” “Oh okay, oya come to the office naa” she replied in an irritated tone. I went on to add “I would like to discuss business opportunities and partnerships with your firm. Who do I speak to about that please? Can you redirect me?” Sounding irritated, she said “when you come, someone will talk to you. Is that all?” she yelled into the phone. I said yes and she hung up. I was saddened. This is a business presumably set up to make a profit for the owner or owners, yet untrained, and unmotivated staff, knowingly or unknowingly destroy prospects for the business. What if that was your business? Can you imagine how much business you would be losing? As a business owner, what would you do to remedy this situation? In my experience, the most effective remedy for such situations is to ensure that your staff receive adequate training, as well as mentoring and hands-on support supervision, contact the Hayche Network for staff training options

Many businesses lose revenue, new clients, great opportunities and potential partnerships as a result of poor phone etiquette. Here are quick tips to remind your staff;

1. When you take a call, smile. I know it’s a call; they can’t see you but please, smile. Why? For the reason that, even though you are on the phone, when you smile, you automatically improve your vocal quality, yes, you heard right! And guess what? You will also sound pleasant and interested. Try it!
2. Sit or stand up straight. Remember to breath. It’s easy to tell if you are stressed from the tone of your voice, and your body positioning plays a significant role here. If you slouch, you’ll sound dull but if you stand straight, you’ll project confidence. Try it. By sitting or standing up straight, you’ll be and sound more alert and pay better attention to what is being said.
3. Use a low voice pitch. There are certain situations that may require you to match your tone to that of the caller. We teach the application of this style of emotional intelligence at ‘The Hayche Academy’. When in doubt, use a lower voice pitch, this will make you sound more mature and authoritative.
4. In matching your speaking tone to the caller’s; Let the caller set the tempo of the conversation. For Example, he or she may be in a hurry, In that case you should provide information more quickly and it any case, try to avoid extreme volumes. Find the balance. You don’t want to speak too loud and sound rude but you shouldn’t speak too softly either or you may sound timid or uncertain. Remember, breath.
5. My personal favorite, please try to avoid expressions such as “uh-huh” and “yeah.” Such expressions make the speaker sound dull, indifferent and uninterested. Trust me, it is bad for business. Stay professional. Maybe I’ll write about how to be a professional next week. Let me know if you would like to read about that. If not, what would you like to read about?

Oh, one more tip; if you are taking the call for a third party, remember to fill a call message form especially if you are taking messages for customers. Listen carefully and take written notes while speaking with the caller.

Try out these tips; teach your employees, colleagues and friends. Thank me later for the quick #HaycheTips.

Till next Tuesday, have a nice week.

Ms. H.