Telephone Practices

In the restaurant business, first impressions count the most.  It doesn’t take much to turn away customers.  One of the first contacts in any restaurant is the second the telephone rings.  Many restaurant owners are tangled into all the other activities of managing and promoting the business that they forget the simple things such a answering the phone.

Do you have Poor Telephone Practices?

In my previous job, part of our staff training included the proper procedures of answering the restaurant’s telephone.  We drilled it to our staff and no matter how much they thought we were nagging, we explained to them how important it was of first impressions.  Our corporate office went one step further by employing a secret shopper company to evaluate our restaurants in every aspect of food and service quality.  Twice a month a report would be generated providing scores and feedback from customers.  Under telephone practices, we scored well above 90% and occasionally 100%.  This was very good, but being nearly perfect was not good enough. There was no excuse from our staff not to perform higher.  By closely reviewing the reports, there was a pattern of where we were being docked on points.  Things like “unknown receiver’s name,” “unhelpful” or “unprofessional greeting” were just some of the comments.  Staff meetings were called and a review on proper telephone etiquette was enforced.

Telephone Etiquette

There are four easy steps to improve your staff’s telephone service skills.

1. Answer Promptly.  Enforce a two ring policy.  An unanswered call leaves a negative impression.  On rare occasions it may be difficult to answer the phone within two rings.  Therefore, remind your staff it’s not just the job of a host or manager to answer the telephone, it is everyone’s responsibility.
2. Greeting.  Be consistent when greeting the caller.  For example, “Good Evening, XYZ Restaurant, Tom speaking, how may I help you?”  Remind your staff that regardless of whether they know the caller on the phone, a proper greeting is required.  Words such as “Yo or” “Hey” should not be part of the staff’s vocabulary during restaurant hours.
3. FAQ Sheet.  Most customers call the restaurant for the same reasons such as directions, reservation policies, dress code, type of cuisine and catering information.  Save the embarrassment for your staff and the restaurant by providing the correct responses to the most frequently asked questions.  You may wish to include a map of various directions from different city points.
4. Talk with a Smile.  A smile means everything in service.  It reflects your personality and most important your attitude.  Speaking with a smile is one of the most important aspects of making a positive phone impression.  Research has shown that callers can hear a smile in the tone of voice.  Callers want to feel welcomed and have a sense of comfort.

Fast Facts

• 7 out of 10 customers decide not to use a business after their first call because the telephone was not answered within 2 rings or they received an unwelcoming greeting.
• It takes 3-6 seconds to impress a customer.
• It costs 5 times more to obtain a new customer than to keep an existing one.

The next time a phone rings, make sure it is answered appropriately.  Don’t allow poor telephone practice to hurt your business.

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