We\u2019ve all had this experience. You come home, and your spouse, parent, friend, child or partner tell you that someone called for you. The exchange goes something like this:<\/p>\n
Spouse:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSomeone called for you while you were out.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n You: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWho was it?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Spouse:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know. Karen something or other.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n You:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat did she want?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Spouse:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt was about an appointment maybe, I can\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n You:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, did you get her number?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Spouse:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, I forgot.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n And in a matter of seven sentences, your level of frustration has hit the ceiling. Now, imagine that you\u2019re paying an assistant, receptionist, or answering service to take a message<\/a>, and you get barely-there detail, inconsistencies, near-total uncertainty at who called, why, and how you can reach them. If you think you were upset with your loved one, just think about how much worse it would be when this hint of a message is botched on your dime. When you work in a high call volume environment or an extremely busy office where people are constantly coming and going, it can certainly be a challenge not only to answer the phone promptly and pleasantly, but also to document accurate and thorough message details in the midst of general chaos. Depending on what type of business you run, essential details will vary; however, if your goal is to take a perfect phone message at work (or at home), as a rule of thumb, most messages should adhere to the three \u201cC’s.”<\/p>\n #1. Clear<\/strong><\/p>\n #2. Concise<\/strong><\/p>\n #3. Correct<\/strong><\/p>\n So, what\u2019s the best way to ensure that you are getting just the data that you need, no more and definitely not less? Take these two approaches:<\/p>\n Because messages can be vastly different industry to industry<\/a>, and everyone\u2019s needs are different, we\u2019ve put together a worksheet for evaluating a phone message. This can be utilized to measure your staff\u2019s adherence to your requirements, or to post near the phone as a reminder of what is expected on every call. By building on what we\u2019ve already created, you can easily set up a checklist for use in training new employees, evaluating call center staff when you\u2019re outsourcing inbound calls, and giving temporary staff a helping hand. In that case, the more cheat sheets, the better. So, download the PDF<\/a>, give a copy to your training team, distribute it to your front desk, and bring it up in the morning meeting. No matter how seasoned an employee, it never hurts to throw in a reminder every now and again.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re feeling bold, take a copy home and tape it up by the phone. Your bad message days will soon be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve all had this experience. You come home, and your spouse, parent, friend, child or partner tell you that someone called for you. The exchange goes something like this: Spouse:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSomeone called<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":9409,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[249],"tags":[139],"class_list":["post-9401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-phone-etiquette","tag-tips-for-customer-service"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat are the 3 “C’s”?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n