Revenue Journal®

Every day, potential buyers are calling your company for the first time. They are also calling competing companies. This is the "first contact test."

If you are like most companies, your first-time callers will be confronted with a recorded voice that tells them to "select from the following options."

They must then pay careful attention to the options presented. As the voice rattles off the choices, #2 may sound hopeful, but not quite right. They try to remember #2 while they listen to all the other options, still hoping that one of them will lead to what they need. When the voice finally gets to #9, then says "press pound to hear the menu again," they realize that none of the options were appropriate and they are not going to be able to get human help by pressing zero.

If this is how your company's current system works, and you'd like to grow your sales, scrap your system.

Before you do, hire a pleasant, helpful, capable person--preferably someone older - to answer your phones. Why older? Because they'll stay on the job longer. Someone who's at the tail end of their career will stay in a job for years, whereas the up-and-coming youngster will want to move on to a more "exciting" job as soon as possible. The older person won't behave as if the job is beneath them. They won't act as if the caller is interrupting their very important day. And they will come to know the regular callers, recognize their voices and develop a friendly rapport.

Teach that person a lot about your business. Let her know that you are expecting her to grow the job. Give her the power to help customers. Pay her well. Have her report to you weekly on the types of questions customers ask and the comments they make. She'll have a good picture of what your company is doing right and wrong. If you set up the system properly, your "customer concierge" can even work out of her home, using instant messaging and intranet access to answer questions and alert employees to important calls.

Instead of a frustrating recording, the person who calls your company for the first time will have a satisfying and pleasant experience. He or she will get help.

How you handle that first call from a new customer says a lot about your company. It is often the first test you must pass. It is a loaded experience for the prospect. In the first few seconds, he decides if you are going to help him solve his problem and accomplish his goal, or if you are simply going to add to his problems. Then he decides if you deserve his money - or not.

Voicemail is great for leaving messages for individuals. It is a slap in the face when it comes to greeting new or returning customers. If you want to increase your revenues, you will scrap the system that alienates customers and replace it with someone who will help.