Only 7% of how powerful our communication is is determined by what we say. We often think that our words are essential, but in reality there are more important factors. In fact, 55% is determined by our body language and 38% by our voice.* And body language can also be heard in the voice, as crazy as it sounds. How do you use this knowledge to come across as sympathetic on the phone?
The beginning of the conversation: first impressions count
Be nice and understanding right from the start. The first impression really counts. Perhaps your first words on the phone are the caller's very first contact with the company. The tips for during the conversation also apply here.
During the interview: attitude, tone and patience
Your posture really affects the impression you leave with the caller. Sit up straight and smile; people can actually hear that. Sit on the edge of your chair with a straight back and your arms relaxed. If you are hunched over, looking up and really don't feel like it, it will be noticeable in your voice.
Your tone is vital when it comes to telephony. Articulate well so you are easily understood. Pay attention to your intonation and don't talk too fast. So do not: "Hllojuhspeak withJapppervan Lemneworks" but a neat "Hello, you are speaking with Jasper from Lime Networks". There are no exact guidelines, so ask for feedback from your colleague or someone else close to you to know if you are doing it right. Another tip: inquire from the caller if you are well understood, by simply asking "Am I so easy to hear?" when you notice that someone finds it difficult to hear and understand you.
Take your time and listen. Maybe the person on the phone is in a hurry, cranky, frustrated, unreasonable or otherwise an unpleasant phone caller. Of course that's annoying, but stay nice and show understanding. Show that you are annoyed. Listen carefully to the caller and make sure they feel heard and understood. There is nothing more annoying than feeling misunderstood on the phone or getting the impression that you are not being taken seriously! So repeat what the customer says and summarize the problem in your own words.
The end of the conversation: understanding and personality
Maybe you think the problem is solved, but does the customer think so? Double-check that. So not, "Then the problem is solved now, goodbye!" but "Did I answer your question with this? Do you have any other questions?" May it be clear that the essence of appearing sympathetic on the phone 's in making the caller/customer feel heard and understood.
Always end on a personal note. It is important to feel the caller. With some people you can get away with a "bye-bye" and they appreciate the personal and informal touch. Other people want to keep it informative and formal. Either way, make sure you don't end the call with "Bye" but make it a little more personal, such as "Have a nice day," "I wish you a good day," "Have a good day," or "Good luck with [something the caller is working on, e.g., a project he/she talked about]." For example, if we have solved an IT problem, we sometimes jokingly say "I hope not to speak to you soon" (because that would imply a problem and we obviously don't wish that on the customer). But if you have a super busy and professional CEO on the line, he probably laughs a little less loudly at that than you do. So listen carefully to come up with an appropriate conclusion and remember: practice makes perfect.
Apply your skills right away if you have any questions!
Want to get started right away with your freshly learned skills and learn more about Telephony? Kill two birds with one stone and call us on 010-2121806 with all your questions about Telephony. You can then also check out how we actually do it, being sympathetic on the phone. Below we have already made a selection of frequently asked questions about telephony.
* source: research by Dr. Albert Mehrabian (American psychologist)
Frequently asked questions about Telephony
Is your question not listed? 1 email or 1 phone call is enough to get it answered. 010-2121806 | info@limenetworks.nl
Yes, we all can. Whether you have subscriptions for your landline and/or mobile phone, whether you mix private and business use, or whether you are even on different providers... It's all right, we will help you make the transition to the best solution as easy as possible.
We deliver everything zero-touch for perfect calling, which means you can start using it right away. Want to know exactly how that works? Then send an e-mail to verfrissend@limenetworks.nl or call us for an appointment on 010-2121806
Yes, that can certainly make a difference. Our fixed/mobile solution works via the KPN transmission network. Our cloud telephony solution ColigoGrid takes care of the further handling of the calls. This provides a modern and innovative platform with the quality you need for perfect business communication.
With internet/VoIP, calling is much more complicated than before via the ISDN line. Seamless use of your mobile, both privately and in combination with your telephone exchange, should be efficient and simple. And if you have questions or need help, you want to speak to someone directly. Therefore choose Lime Networks. It must be refreshing.
A lot of communication is still done by phone. The world we now live in is faster and communicates in all kinds of modern ways. In particular, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep one's attention. So you want to be easily accessible everywhere (at times when you want) and you want to be able to communicate clearly and easily. So when you're at the office, this has to be perfectly organised.
Are you in the office? Then you can disconnect your device from the power supply or give it a factory reset. After a few minutes, everything will work as it used to. Is the phone not responding at all? Then you can sit down at another workstation and call from your extension by logging into that phone. It's that simple. If your phone is really broken, we will send you a new one. It works immediately so no installation problems. If necessary, we will plug it into your network for you, if that is what you want.
You pay for a user of the telephone exchange (fixed and/or mobile), for your call minutes (or you buy them off) and, if you want, for refreshing service. If you have questions or want to see something adjusted in the telephone exchange, we help you. Smart engineers who know what to do. No 'closet to the wall' story, but nice people who help you immediately.
Very good. We use the network of the KPN transmission towers and their network internationally. So that's okay. It can always vary from building to building and from provider to provider. But KPN is simply good! Very good.
There are various possibilities for this, whether your company consists of 10 employees or 1000. Take the app on your desktop or the connection to your CRM system, for example. That gives a lot of insight. Do you have a small environment? Then we have a device with a large screen with buttons that show the availability and names of your colleagues and/or departments. Need more? Then we have extra modules for next to your phone with even more buttons and lights. Do you need a really large number of buttons (100+)? Then we have an application on your pc where you can set everything up custom and on a separate screen on your pc you can see your colleagues and connect to them directly. Of course, you can work on your device or on your pc with a headset that leaves your hands free and also allows you to walk at least 50 metres away from your workstation. You can also use your smartphone to answer calls if you need to take care of something. You can always transfer the call you are making to/from any of your devices you are calling.
We all know voicemail and it works the same with us. If you have a smartphone with iOS or Android, you can use the Reach app. It allows you to view all your voicemails, listen to them directly, delete them and fast forward or rewind them. Visually from your screen without all sorts of complicated menus with quick choices that we can't remember. Super convenient.
Yes, you can! You are also not restricted to a smartphone with two SIM card slots or an E-SIM, for example. It works on a standard SIM card. So your 1999 Nokia will still work!
This is more convenient than you might think. At least you don't have to carry two devices on the road. Nor are you tied to a smartphone with two SIM slots or, for example, an E-SIM. It works with any standard SIM card - whether you're using a Nokia8010 from 2005 or the latest iPhone. It works anytime, anywhere, even abroad. The SIM card connects to the telephone exchange, so you can be reached or called on multiple numbers fixed and/or mobile - and even time-based!
With the availability matrix or with the preset schedules, you can automatically deliver your calls somewhere else. Here you can indeed set up your secretary to answer the phone when you are in a meeting, on holiday, taking the dog for a walk or absent for some other reason.
Yes, that is very easy. So if you don't have time, you can easily transfer the caller to a colleague or to a department - with or without consultation.
No. With any mobile phone you can make mobile calls and use the call centre functions (such as call forwarding and call waiting). We do have an application. This allows you to control your profile so that you do not have to do this online. It also allows you to view and directly listen to your recorded voicemails in a list.
With Premium Support, you can also call us if things go wrong at night, on the weekend or on public holidays. Do you have a shop or do you provide services outside regular office hours and you can't get any further? Then we are here for you.
You can get a login for your online environment. Here you can control everything. If you do need help, our knowledgeable and passionate helpdesk is there for you and we have an extensive user manual. So if you want to get started yourself, nothing will stand in your way.
Yes, we can. We can store them for you but if you don't want to we can also deliver them daily to your IT environment e.g. on an sFTP server. Please note: if you record conversations, you must either announce this or you can only use it for internal learning purposes. Unannounced is not legally valid.
Get an enterprise PBX and all the features that go with it. Queues, waiting queues, hunt groups, call forwarding, everything on times and schedules, holidays/free days, CDR records, hot-desking, groups, call-pickup and so on. Basically, everything you want and/or need. Want more details? Then take a look at our brochure on the 'Telephony' page. Oh yes... you can also use your mobile phone. No need for a landline!
With 'secure by design', security comes first. With pen testing and our ISO certification, we commit ourselves to staying constantly alert to your security and that of our services and products. Take landline telephones, for example. They connect to the platform with a unique user name and accompanying password. You don't even know them. Then you have your own login on top of that. So it's not difficult to hack... just say (almost) not. Also take a look at the frequently asked questions about security or our page about Security.
No, that is not necessary. The SIM card connects to the telephone exchange. So you can be reached or called on several numbers, fixed and/or mobile, and even time-based. An example: your business mobile number is on your business card. You don't want customers to disturb you at the weekend or on holiday. So you forward your business number to the fault-clearing service at the weekend and on your well-earned holiday to the Maldives. Customers are helped, but you are not bothered. And your private mobile number will continue to work as usual. Always, also on holiday! (Pssst... you can forward your mother-in-law directly to voicemail - always!
Yes, on all phones you can log in with your own internal number (e.g. 201) and your own PIN number. It takes 10 seconds and you can start calling immediately. This applies to all phones, brands and models that we supply (including conference phones). By the way, if you do not have a flexi-place, you only have to log in once and you remain logged in. Also the next day, even with a power failure or storm Ciara. You are only logged out when you want to be.
Yes, you can! You can call with an application on your laptop or with your mobile phone. You can also connect your landline at home. Whether you want a phone at the office, a landline at home or you want to use your mobile to make calls in the car... everything is possible. You can also choose whether to call from your mobile number or from your business number anywhere. And it's all super easy, too.
No. You and your company get your own telephone exchange on the cloud platform. That is part of the whole and you pay per person and for the call minutes (or you buy the call minutes). This applies to both mobile and fixed telephony.
This differs per provider. With us, it means that your SIM card and therefore your mobile phone are behind the switchboard. So everything on your landline also works on your mobile - if you want it to. Call forwarding, call waiting, transferring calls, picking up calls and 100 other functions. It all works perfectly with any mobile device without apps and complexities. PS We do have a mobile app (iOS/Android), but you control your account with it so you don't have to log in online. Very easy.
