As the economy struggles, businesses are competing fiercely for customers, and sometimes a single phone call can determine whether a deal succeeds or fails. Enspyre Business Center, which specializes in outsourced secretary answering services, introduced the concept of the \u201cFive Skills\u201d: knowing how to listen, ask, answer, confirm, and record \u2014 while also \u201cavoiding misunderstandings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hsieh Yi-ying, Manager of Enspyre\u2019s Service Department, explained that many people believe a good secretary only needs to respond politely and keep accurate records to handle a supervisor\u2019s calls well. In reality, beyond knowing how to answer and record information, \u201cknowing how to ask questions\u201d is what truly distinguishes an excellent secretary from an average one.<\/p>\n
When should questions be asked? What should be asked? How should questions be asked? Hsieh explained that a good secretary should first understand the situation on behalf of the supervisor, organize the information, and then relay it properly. This not only affects how callers perceive the company\u2019s professionalism but also saves valuable time for supervisors.<\/p>\n
Providing supervisors with enough time and space to respond appropriately is also an important skill. Typically, receptionists or secretaries simply ask whom the caller wishes to speak with, quickly record the caller\u2019s name and phone number, and transfer the call immediately. Many managers and business owners feel that having such a secretary is no more helpful than having a \u201chuman answering machine,\u201d offering little support for business operations, let alone becoming a truly reliable assistant.<\/p>\n
Based on years of experience serving professionals from various industries, Enspyre Business compiled the following telephone answering tips for those interested in becoming secretaries or those still unfamiliar with secretarial work:<\/p>\n
In addition to being friendly, you must also be professional \u2014 you represent your supervisor\u2019s image.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The caller\u2019s company name, personal name, phone number, and call time are all essential.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Do not interrupt excessively, but appropriate interruptions are acceptable.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
If callers only provide vague descriptions, remember to ask follow-up questions. For example, if it is a business issue, what exactly is the problem? If the quotation or product differs from the original discussion, in what way is it different?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Beyond understanding the issue itself, skillfully ask what response the caller expects and when they hope to receive it.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Unless the caller firmly refuses to provide information, politely and tactfully attempt again to obtain details even if they say \u201cthe supervisor already knows\u201d or \u201cthe supervisor has the information.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Before ending the call, reconfirm important details such as the purpose of the call and contact information.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
When recording information, organize it clearly and concisely using categorized bullet points, and avoid leaving messages on scattered scraps of paper.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Develop judgment skills and understand priorities. Matters involving business, money, calls from the supervisor\u2019s superiors, issues requiring same-day handling, or urgent callbacks should all be prioritized and reported promptly.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hsieh Yi-ying emphasized that answering calls is a professional skill. It is not only important for secretaries but is a fundamental business skill everyone should possess. Interested individuals can visit the Enspyre website to explore more examples of professional call-handling techniques.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the economy struggles, businesses are competing fiercely for customers, and sometimes a single phone call can determine whether a deal succeeds or fails. Enspyre Business Center, which specializes in outsourced secretary answering services, introduced the concept of the \u201cFive Skills\u201d: knowing how to listen, ask, answer, confirm, and record \u2014 while also \u201cavoiding misunderstandings.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media"],"yoast_head":"\n