Telephone Etiquette Tips by Yodle

Posted by Court Cunningham

Have you ever called a plumber, or a spa, or a veterinarian looking for help and been so turned off by the phone conversation that you went somewhere else? I think that is an experience we’ve all had, and I know that at Yodle it is one we try and help our small and local business owners avoid at all costs. An important feature that Yodle offers to clients we provide internet marketing services to is call recording (though not for doctors and lawyers for privacy compliance). This tool has provided many a business owner with important insight into how customers are being treated and enabled those same business owners to significantly improve customer service.

Yodle’s been in this business for five years now, and we’ve learned a lot from our clients about telephone etiquette.We’ve been able to assemble several best practices and wanted to share them with you all now. Hiring a local online advertiser like Yodle to get your business found online is only the first step to success. What happens once the phone rings is up to you. It is my hope these tips will help make the most out of any methods of attracting new clients.

Rule 1: PICK UP THE PHONE! Small business owners are often a one person show and this seemingly simple task can become quite hard. In fact, studies show that 2 out of 3 local business owners don’t answer the phone. But not answering means that a lot of potential clients are slipping through the cracks and finding competitors instead! If you can’t always grab it when it rings, you can a) hire a receptionist b) have the calls forwarded to your cell phone – making sure to have a professional voicemail message, recorded in your own voice, or even c) use a call answering service so that the call is always picked up, and your potential customer always gets a person to speak with.


Rule 2: Be Professional ALL the time. Your receptionist is the front line of any business. Make sure to train a receptionist to be positive, articulate and welcoming. When a potential customer calls and interrupts your receptionist’s lunch hour, they shouldn’t know that just by the tone of voice when the call is answered. Also, a well-trained receptionist will be able to handle the basic preliminary questions about the business: what services do you offer? How does this benefit me? What’s a ballpark estimate? At some point, we’ve all called a Doctor, gotten a receptionist with a bad case of the “I Don’t Knows”, hung up, and promptly found a new Doctor. Bottom Line? A friendly, patient and helpful receptionist is key.


Rule 3: Treat your receptionist like a VP of Sales. Your receptionist’s primary goal should be to convert phone calls into business for you, so make sure they know how! Is your receptionist getting people to set appointments quickly for your services? What about handling cancellations? Or even dealing with upset customers? Something Yodle offers to all clients, and would recommend for all calls regardless of source, is a recording device. We have seen small business owners time and time again surprised by how their receptionists handle client inquiries. The recording device allows you to listen to calls and make any necessary improvements.


It is a tough market for local services with many uncontrollable variables impacting your business success. But having the best phone skills in town, however, is well within your control as a business owner.