How To Take a Telephone Message
Message taking is important, as information could be vital and taking a message incorrectly could prove embarrassing, unprofessional or lazy for your business. This is not a reputation you want to have!
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Answer the phone professionally. Answer with your company name and say “how can I help you?”
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Allow the caller to speak. Don’t interrupt as this can seem rude.
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Don’t allow there to be long silences. When the caller has clearly finished speaking, speak back. Don’t leave long pauses between sentences as this can appear awkward on the phone!
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Help if you can. But if you can’t, don’t try and offer advice that could be wrong. Wait for the person who can deal with the enquiry to come back into the office and if they are out all day, take a message.
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To take a message, you should email and write the message down. This means if the note gets lost on their desk, it doesn’t matter. They still have an email copy. Take the note clearly, ask for the person’s name, where they are calling from, and specifically what their question is.
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Ask for contact details!! Too often, the person forgets to ask the caller for their telephone number. This is embarrassing as it means you will never be able to call the person back and they will be kept waiting.
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Finish the call with how long you expect it to be before their call is returned. Be honest, and you will get a better reaction. If it won’t be today, say so.
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Say thank you for calling and hang up after they have hung up. This ensures that any last minute questions can be addressed.
Message taking is an important part of business operations; get it right and you will have better customer service.
