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Inspiration

6. Set aside a specific block of time
to return calls each day and follow
through.
Leaving messages
Green also provided tips for leaving
messages when the customer or
prospect you are trying to reach
isn't in:
• Sound excited.
• Limit your message to less than
30 seconds.
• Smile when speaking.
• Speak slowly and clearly.
• State and then repeat your name,
phone number and company name.
• Spell your name.
rom merchant level salespeople in home offices • Don't give away all your information – just enough
to startup fintech entrepreneurs to super ISOs to make the person want to call you back.
and executives at top processors, payment pro-
F fessionals all deal with some form of voicemail Improving the user experience
to accept calls when they are unable to answer them. It's
an essential business tool, but sometimes people forget In an April 2012 blog post on Unitiv.com, consultant Mer-
the importance of making the voicemail experience as edith Estepon offered several tips for making voicemail
easy on callers as possible. user friendly. These include to:
Handling incoming messages • Not use the voice that comes with your voicemail
system and instead have the person in your com-
In Good Selling! TM: The Basics, Paul H. Green provided the pany with the friendliest voice record messages that
following six points to remember when responding to welcome and direct calls.
customers and prospects who call while you're out: • Offer to transfer a caller who is unable to reach the
1. The caller can always call a competitor who is in. individual desired to another representative who
So return the call as soon as possible – by the end of can take care of the request if possible.
the next day, at the very latest. • Eliminate useless phrases like "I'm not here right
2. Never set up your voicemail system to ask a pros- now" when recording your personal out-of-office
pect to call back. In your outgoing message, request messages. Instead, let callers know where you are
the name, company, number and reason for the call. and when you expect to return.
Then put the responsibility to call back on you. • Make good on your promises. If your message says
3. Even if you have the cheapest and/or best service you'll return calls by the end of the day, make sure
on the planet, it will not make up for inaccessibil- you do so.
ity. In this day of smart phones, text messages and
always-on, always-connected electronic communi- Another step that can spare your customers frustration
cations, you have to be as accessible as possible. is to test your voicemail thoroughly. In addition to in-
4. Your callers shouldn't have to try to maneuver house testing, ask several people who are not your work
colleagues to place calls and offer feedback on what
through a confusing voicemail system. They may worked well for them and what needs improvement. Then
hang up and call someone else if your system is too make changes accordingly. Your customers and your
difficult to navigate. bottom line will benefit.
5. Always sound delighted that the person chose to
call you. Callers can sense indifference in your re-
corded voice, and they don't have to tolerate it. They
could have just as easily chosen to call someone else
(and they still can). Kate Gillespie, President and CEO

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