Simplified and Effective Telephone Greetings

Make a Lasting Impression with Effective Telephone Greetings

When organizations bring me in to do presentations on customer service, one of the easiest areas for improvement may be how they answer their phones.

For example, a typical phone greeting could be, “Good morning, this is ABC org, Susan speaking. How may I help you?” Sounds good in theory, but in reality there are 4 negatives:

1. It’s too long, so employees rush through with a monotone.
2. Employees confuse times and mistakenly say, good afternoon.
3. Finishing with ‘how can I help you’ rushes customers to get to the point – instead of introducing themselves.
4. The caller misses the employee’s name because it’s skimmed over early in the sentence.

A more effective greeting is simply, “Thank you for calling ABC org, this is Susan.” It’s short, friendly, and helps customers remember your name while encouraging them to offer theirs.

Today’s chuckle:

It is not your position that makes you happy or unhappy, it’s your disposition.

Written By Jeff Mowatt (original content – not AI generated)

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Jeff Mowatt is a customer service speaker, customer service & sales trainer, a business communication strategist, award-winning speaker, and best-selling author.