One of the worst things you can do to a busy person or department, is to drop a blind transfer call on them. It’s impossibly rude. When a shitty receptionist or another department doesn’t want to take the time to gather relevant information to deliver that before transferring a call, it’s an indication of potential incompetence.
This very situation has caused me on several occasions, to lose data, or crash a report that was running, just to find out that Mrs Smith’s issue could have been handled differently. The call didn’t actually need to be transferred to me at all.
Afterward, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to scream out,
“Are you fishing out up there at the front counter? How many times have we been over this basic routine?”
Forcing a client to re-tell their story without warning incites anger, which is then also blind-transferred onto the recipient. Believe me, that person bearing the complaint does not want to state their case again. This is seen in the consumer world as good old-fashioned poor customer service, and a waste of time.
Let’s get it right, shall we?
- Accept the call with a cordial, but not too lengthy introduction.
- Speak clearly, enunciate your words, and do not raise your voice as if you’re yelling across the distant phone lines of yore. If you have a fantastic accent, I cannot understand you any better if you shove the words into my auditory canal at a high decibel.
- Stop what you’re doing, and pay attention to the caller. Stop eating, stop talking to your girlfriend. Listening does wonders for being able to pass along a competent message.
- Clarify what is needed to correctly pass the message onward. The more information passed to the recipient, the better. Do not waste anyone’s time, in other words.
- If the information is best delivered to the particular recipient by e-mail, do so! When a client hears you typing their request to a recipient, they feel validated and know the message will be delivered.
- Do not drop a call onto an unsuspecting co-worker, who is likely in the middle of a project that you’re unqualified to assist with, and therefore do not understand. Don’t do that to people.
- If a call needs to be transferred, first check to see if the individual is available. Nothing sets a client off like being blind transferred into nothingness.
Next time, office lunch etiquette!
