As a message taking company, we so often hear funny and sadly horror stories about how prospective customers receive telephone messages. From the scrunched up paper holding a scribbled first name only to the ‘Chinese whispers’ approach where the recipient gets garbled details that are simply unrecognisable. Whilst there are scenarios of how others receive messages that cause hilarity throughout the office, there are also many occasions where calls aren’t returned due to poor message taking and a valued customer is lost forever.
We are all different and mainly that’s positive, because life would not move forward if we were all the same. In business, it’s a challenge to manage differences, because often we all need to pull together and follow systems to ensure we retain customers, uphold a great service and ultimately grow.
Message taking and how we receive telephone messages seems so trivial and we’d all readily claim we know exactly how to do it, but in the day to day flurries of work and varying priorities and objects we face, I can tell you that this is not the case.
I’ve highlighted two faults in message taking already, the scribbled note and the Chinese whispers, these scenarios really can lead to loss of business and I do hear stories about this regularly from those that contact us desperate to make changes and standardise message taking systems.
It’s important to address and manage the collection of information for message taking and various personalities do need to comply with your standards for these processes from sales staff through to operations and directors to managers. If you don’t have a receptionist or person(s) responsible for the task of answering phones, transferring calls and/or making sure that others receive telephone messages in an agreed format, you must work to standardise the process throughout your business.
I would advise you to draw up and implement a message taking policy. This should include what details to collect from a caller when taking a message (name, number, message etc.) right down to how that message is delivered to the intended recipient. With so many competitors vying for business, you cannot afford to not receive telephone messages.
It’s pretty certain that the different personalities that work in your business to make it a success won’t be able to comply with a message taking policy. It will take substantial effort from you to ensure a policy is implementation and operational on a day to day basis.
So, how can you standardise the message taking process?
Message Takers instantly standardise message taking processes
I’d urge you to trust a team of experts who on a daily basis collect and deliver messages to every kind of business – That’s us here at Message Takers. You will instantly have a solid proven system for message taking and telephone answering.
From day one, your phones will be answered using your business name (as a receptionist working directly for you would do) and a process would be followed to ensure the information you need is collected. This information can include a caller’s name, their company name, a telephone number and email address.
The beauty of our service is that the message is typed, not scribbled on scrap paper. This typed message is then automatically sent to you or a chosen member of staff and each staff member can receive their message as an email or text.
Yes, Message Takers can hold a directory of all your staff and take and deliver typed messages to them or transfer callers directly f they’re available.
Do call us to find out more 01858 439000. It’s a proven system with the objective of making sure businesses receive telephone messages.
