For many people who have been in the workforce for a while, answering telephone calls wasn’t a skill that needed to be learned on the job. After all, older individuals didn’t grow up with instant messaging for communication; if they wanted to talk to their friends, calling on the telephone was the only option!
Young people today, however, have grown up using voice calls less and less. With the rise of texting and social media, communication doesn’t require any more effort than the flick of a finger. While this means that youth tend to be adept at learning new technologies, the business world today hasn’t yet switched entirely to text communication. Voice calls are still a valuable tool; businesses therefore might need to train new and younger employees in the ways of proper phone answering technique. Central Telephone, a business phone installation firm, explains how below.
Be Patient When Teaching About Small Business Phone Systems
As with any new skill, it helps the learner when the teacher is non judgemental, calm, and straightforward. What does this look like in terms of teaching young employees proper phone communication?
● Shedding your prejudices. It can be frustrating to watch someone flounder with a skill that comes so naturally to you. However, it’s important to remember that, as awkward as a young employee might be with your cloud-based phone system, nothing is inherently wrong with said employee. They simply might not have grown up using this technology and might need time to learn—time that older employees spent with voice calls when they were kids.
● Providing a script. For the especially anxious employee, a written script that dictates exactly what to say when picking up might prove helpful. It gives the young employee a starting point and a confidence boost when they realize that, yes, they can talk on the phone.
● Going over all controls and running a few practice calls. Take the time to sit down with a new employee to explain what each and every button on their phone does. Encourage them to ask questions and to try things out for themselves. At the end of the demonstration, you can have one of your employees call in as a fake customer for some no-stakes training.