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by Dealership University
Almost
every month we talk in some form of the importance of
professionally handling the telephone. So why do we
continue to review this subject over and over? Is it
really that important? The answer is yes! Dealer
Principals spend thousands of dollars every month to
make the telephone ring. Statistics show that over 70%
of customers call the dealership before coming in. Wow!
That’s pretty powerful. If a customers calls the
dealership and gets left on hold for 5 minutes they may
just decide to go elsewhere.
Have
you noticed how your dealership’s telephone handling
skills will make solid improvements after you’ve
discussed them in your department meetings? But then you
turn around and it’s the same telephone problems again,
almost as if the subject has never been addressed! Why
is this? How can this be? Telephone handling skills in a
dealership require consistent maintenance much like a
motorcycle. The less maintenance you do on your race
bike the worse it performs on race day. If you do no
maintenance at all eventually the unit will completely
blow up? In Kraig Kramers book ‘CEO Tools’ he refers to
a tool he calls ‘repetitive communication’. Repetitive
communication is a great tool yet often overlooked.
Meetings, Agendas, Internal Memos, Structured
Training Courses and Verbal re-enforcement on a
regular basis are required to maintain the dealerships
telephone handling skills. Let’s review some basic
telephone handling fundamentals.
Enthusiasm – Be excited! Remember we sell fun!
This will set a great tempo and provide the first
impression that customers want!
Tone, Speed, and Inflection - If you sound rushed
and upset then the customer is going to feel un-easy.
Take a breath and smile when answering a call and
remember the caller has no idea how busy you are and
expects your undivided attention.
Identify Yourself - Always identify yourself when
answering the call. This will add a personal touch,
builds trust and makes your customer feel more
comfortable with the call. “ Good Morning this is Rod”
Own that call until is reaches it’s final destination
- When taking a call always take ownership of the call.
If you page someone watch the line and be sure that they
pick up. If there is no answer ‘and’ ‘or’ you see the
person being paged is assisting a customer, let the
customer know and offer to take a message.
This is the single biggest breakdown with
the telephones.
Be responsible when taking and receiving messages
- If you take a message for your co-worker be sure that
you not only write legibly and include all necessary
information but be sure you deliver the message in a
timely manner. If you receive a message always return
your calls. Remember thousands of dollars are being
spent to make the telephone ring.
Listen for calls to you and your department -
Often times employees can’t see the forest for the
trees. You may be available but just not paying
attention. Be aware of the paging system and listen for
calls for you and your department. Be ready and treat
every call like it could be a record breaking sale and a
record breaking commission!
By
placing strong emphasis on telephone handling in your
dealership on a consistent basis, you can get a grip on
the telephones. But remember, just like maintaining your
race bike it must be done week after week! If you and
your team are great at handling the telephones chances
are your one step ahead of your local competitors and
that will ultimately transfer straight to the bottom
line!
For
more information on structured courses on how to handle
the telephone visit
www.dealershipuniversity.com. |
