Have you ever had to call a company– any company– perhaps after sitting on hold for any amount of time, and the Greeting you hear is:

“This is Bill.” End.

You: “Uh, hey Bill, Is this ABC Plumbing?”

Or perhaps “Thank you for calling. Can I help you?”

You: “Ummmm, yes? That’s why I called.”

Or maybe “Hello. How many I direct your call?”

You: I just need help with my AC.

Hold and transferred.

And most often you know — you just know — the person on the other end of the line is not enthusiastic about taking your call. In your mind you’re thinking “Here we go again…”

And you suffer through the call. It could be calling your cell phone or cable company, post office, pest control, online store, banks, internet, credit cards, water heaters, AC, etc etc. The list goes on. We are always calling about something, and when we do, we want to talk to someone who is nice and trust that we will be taken care of.

Have you ever thought that your greeting could be reason why customers choose to do business with you?  We are often convinced about a company based off of enthusiasm, cheerfulness, kindness, and excitement.

So when we or our team of CSR’s picks up that phone, it should sound like it’s the best thing we’ve done all day long! We want customers to feel that. Even if it is 5 o’clock in the afternoon and you can’t wait to go home, having a powerful, personal greeting is the first step in creating a WOW experience for our customers.

There are many wonderful and catchy greetings out there. Even if you think they sound cheesy and you are uncomfortable saying “It’s a wonderful day at ABC Plumbing! This is…. How can I make you smile?” It is only uncomfortable because you aren’t used to it.

Our greetings should consist of 3 main components.

First– always say your company name. We want customers to know who they called. We are proud of who we are, so let’s not be afraid of letting the world know.

Second, say your name. This is who you are- your identity. And you want customers to remember you. We always ask for their name, so let’s make sure that they know ours as well. This helps build rapport.

Third– ask an open ended question. Asking a yes or no question could result in the customer telling us “no.” Let’s ask “How can I take care of you today?” “I’d love to help you. How can I do that today?” “What can I do to make your day better?” And many, many other examples.

Having a powerful greeting is vital in today’s world of customer service. It is the first step, first impression, and first contact with those customers. Let’s make it great!

Erica Leonor has a passion for teaching people to reach new heights of accomplishment in their personal and professional lives. She graduated in Anthropology from BYU-Hawaii, and she enjoys traveling and learning about vast cultures all around the world. She has taught English in 5 different countries, worked as a substance abuse treatment facility teacher, and is fluent in Spanish. She is thrilled to coach and train at Power Selling Pros and empower others to provide phenomenal customer service. Erica currently resides in Utah with her husband and they enjoy riding motorcycles together.