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Telephones - Your Worst Enemy or Greatest Ally - You Decide!

For years now, many have regarded the receptionist

For years now, many have regarded the receptionist as one of the most-important positions within the dealership, as she/he is often responsible for the first impressions we give our customers. It is, unfortunately, one of, if not the least trained personnel in our dealerships. Sure, we train them on how to use the switchboard or phone system, and we teach them the line to use when they answer; "Thank you for calling ABC Motors, how can I direct your call?" but we neglect to teach phone etiquette. The receptionist not only is the first impression we give, they can be responsible for the only impression we give if they don�t perform properly.

Most sales managers, general managers and dealers receive more phone calls in a day than any one person within the dealership, and often they are so-called "nuisance" calls from vendors trying to sell products and services. What many managers have done to help avoid these calls is to have the receptionist "screen" all callers who ask for a specific manager by asking something along the lines of "May I tell him whose calling?" and/or "And what is the call in reference to?"

This method has proven to be very effective at discouraging vendors, salespeople, or whomever from trying to get through, maximizing the manager�s time on daily tasks required for the smooth operations of the sales department/dealership. Unfortunately it also has an incredibly negative side effect, in that when you ask a caller who they are and what they want and the manager doesn�t take the call, the caller feels unimportant. If the intention is to discourage people from calling, then it is definitely working. However, are you confident that you are only discouraging vendors and so-called nuisance callers? What if XYZ Consulting (the caller) isn't trying to sell you anything? Perhaps it is a fleet company wanting to purchase 50 vehicles this week, and you've "screened" them into deciding to call another dealership where they can successfully speak to the manager.

If you do not have time to take all of the phone calls, you should take a time management course, as your schedule is obviously out of whack. However, if you don't even have time to take a time management course, allow me to make a minor suggestion that will maintain a caller�s feeling of value, while still screening the calls. Obviously, the manager is prepared to accept calls from some callers. Give this �acceptable caller list� to the receptionist in advance. When she/he answers the phone, rather than asking who is calling, explain to every caller that the manager is with a customer, in a meeting, whichever, and ask the caller to leave a message. If the caller turns out to be someone on the list, then she can say, "Oh, Mr. Manager told me that if you were to call, to put you right through, one moment while I interrupt him from his meeting."

Callers who are granted the privilege of speaking with the manager will feel even more important and valued, and those callers who do leave a message don't feel like they were "screened-out" because of who they are, as you were taking the message without pre-existing knowledge of who the caller is and what they want.

A final suggestion: Return all of your messages as soon as possible, even those that you don't want to. The sooner you return your messages, the less likely the caller will feel they need to call back. Statistically, one outgoing call eliminates three incoming calls. Would you rather make one call or three? I'm guessing that if your time schedule doesn't allow you to take any calls, making one outgoing call is more efficient than three.