Build a professional phone and callback system

Why the phone needs a fixed way of working

In many small businesses, whoever is closest to the phone picks up. That works as long as it is quiet. At busy times the phone keeps ringing, nobody writes the number down, and an hour later nobody knows who called.

A caller who cannot reach anyone may just as well call the next business. You never see that anywhere: a customer simply does not come. That is why the phone deserves fixed arrangements, just like the cash register.

In this lesson you create four things:

• A call structure in six steps, with scripts for the whole team.
• A callback process: who keeps track of missed calls, how soon you call back and when you stop.
• An escalation plan: what everyone handles themselves and what goes to the specialist, the owner or emergency services.
• A 15-minute exercise to practice it with your team.

The incoming call in six steps

A good phone call almost always follows the same order. If everyone on your team knows that order, your business sounds the same no matter who picks up.

1. Greet

   Pick up before the phone has rung for long. Say good morning or good afternoon, the business name and your first name, so the caller knows they have the right number and who they are talking to.

2. Find out what the call is about

   Let the caller finish. Then ask follow-up questions until you know what kind of request it is: an appointment, information, a job in progress, a complaint or something urgent.

3. Ask only what you need

   Ask only what you need to handle it or pass it on. Usually that is the name, the best number to call them back at and a short description.

4. Confirm

   Briefly repeat what you have written down and what will happen, and let the caller confirm it. This is where you still catch a wrong digit or a wrong time.

5. Deal with it or pass it on

   Answer the question if you can. Otherwise transfer the call or set up a callback at a time you can keep. No caller hangs up without knowing what the next step is.

6. Close properly

   Sum up what was agreed, thank the caller by name and hang up without rushing.

The process for missed calls

No matter how well your team answers the phone, calls will always be missed. The problem only starts when nobody is responsible for what happens next. A callback process spells out who checks, who calls, in what order and when you stop.

Who keeps track of missed calls?

Assign one person to handle callbacks on each shift. That does not have to be the owner, but it does have to be someone who can get to the phone and is given the time to call back. Put the name on the schedule, so there is no doubt.

Agree on fixed check times, for example every hour on the hour, right after lunch and fifteen minutes before closing time. Every missed call then goes on the callback list: a sheet of paper next to the phone or a tab in your spreadsheet.

In what order do you call back?

Before you call back, check whether the same number has sent a WhatsApp message in the meantime or has already been called back by a colleague. That way nobody gets called twice about the same thing.

Choose your own target time

How quickly you call back is up to you. Choose a time that fits your business, your staffing and your customers, and that you can also meet on a busy day. Nobody takes a target that is never met seriously. For example:

• A salon or garage with someone at the front desk: within an hour during business hours.
• A small business where the owner does everything: the same day, before closing time.
• Calls after closing time or on the weekend: the next business day before 10:00 AM.

No answer? Two attempts and one message

1. First attempt

   Call back within your target time. If you get voicemail, leave a short message saying who you are and when you will try again. Write the time and the result on the list.

2. Second attempt

   Try again a few hours later, at a different time of day, for example late in the afternoon. Write this attempt down too.

3. One WhatsApp message

   If that does not work either and the number uses WhatsApp, send one short message. A landline usually has no WhatsApp; in that case you stop at the two attempts.

4. Stop and close

   After that you stop and write “not reached, closed” on the list. The customer knows you tried to help; the next move is theirs.

The callback scripts

An escalation plan: who takes over what?

Not every request belongs with the person who picks up. An escalation plan sets out what everyone handles themselves and what goes to a colleague, the owner or emergency services. That way nobody has to hesitate in the moment.

Three examples from the garage (fictional)

• Standard. “How late are you open on Saturday?” Shanti answers right away. Nothing needs to be written down.
• Complex. “My air conditioning is blowing warm air. What will that cost?” Shanti cannot estimate that. She writes down the name, number and the make and model of the car, and says, “Our mechanic will call you back before 4:00 PM to go over it with you.”
• Safety. “My brake pedal is going all the way to the floor.” Shanti says, “Please don’t drive any farther. Are you somewhere safe? I’ll put you right through to our shop manager.” She transfers the call or walks the phone over to the shop.

Lunch, busy times, closing time and weekends

Calls usually go unanswered at predictable moments. Your audit from Lesson 1 shows which moments those are for you. For each of them, you can set something up with simple means.

Forwarding calls to another phone

Some phone providers offer the option of forwarding calls to another number, for example the cell phone of the colleague on duty. Whether that is possible for you, how to set it up and what it costs varies by provider and by plan. So do not assume it; check with your phone provider.

If you forward calls, agree on who has the phone the calls go to, until what time, and that this person also puts missed calls on the callback list. Otherwise you only move the problem to another phone.

Privacy and recording calls

The callback list contains names and phone numbers. That is personal data. Handle it with care, even if it is only a sheet of paper.

• Write down only what you need to call back: name, number and a few words about the request.
• Do not write medical details, payment details or other sensitive information on the list.
• Do not leave the list lying open on the counter where customers can read it. Share a spreadsheet only with colleagues who make callbacks.
• Shred or delete old lists after a fixed period, for example after a month. Choose a period yourself and stick to it.

How to put it in place, step by step

You now have all the parts. In this order, the process is in place within a week, without extra software.

1. See when calls go unanswered

   Look in your audit from Lesson 1 to see at which times most calls go unanswered. Haven’t done an audit? Then for one week, count the missed calls on your phone every evening, by time of day.

2. Fill in the basic details

   Download the document below. At the top, fill in your business hours and target times, and who calls back on each shift, who handles complaints and who decides in urgent cases. Look up the correct emergency number.

3. Adapt the scripts

   Read each script aloud and replace words that do not fit your business. Keep the order: greeting, question, details, confirm, next step, close.

4. Set up the callback list

   Print the list, or create a tab in your spreadsheet with the same columns. Keep it in a fixed place next to the phone, out of sight of customers.

5. Arrange lunch, busy times and closing time

   Put on the schedule who covers the phone during lunch and who goes through the list before closing time. If you want to forward calls, ask your phone provider whether that is possible.

6. Train the team

   Do the 15-minute exercise from the next section with everyone who answers the phone.

7. Work with it for a week and look back

   After a week, go through the callback list together: did you meet the target time, which questions kept coming up, where did things get stuck? Adjust the scripts or the schedule accordingly.

Team training: a 15-minute role-play

A script only works once the team has said it out loud a few times. Plan a short exercise, for example before opening or during a quiet hour. You need: the printed document, two chairs back to back (so you cannot see each other, just like on the phone) and three people: a caller, a staff member and an observer.

The three scenarios

1. An appointment at a busy moment

   A customer calls a salon (fictional) in Zorg en Hoop for an appointment while the staff member has someone in the chair. Goal: use the script for busy times, write down the name and number and give a callback time you can keep.

2. An angry customer

   A customer calls the garage: his car was supposed to be ready yesterday and nobody called him. Goal: let him finish, sum up, do not get into an argument and pass it on to the owner with a specific callback time.

3. Safety

   A caller is on the road and says his brake pedal is sinking a long way down. Goal: recognize that this does not belong on the callback list, ask the caller not to drive any farther and to find a safe place, and get a specialist involved right away. Variation: there has been a collision and someone is injured. Then the only right answer is: call the emergency number right away.

What the observer watches for

• Did the staff member say the business name and their own name?
• Did the staff member let the caller finish?
• Were the name and number written down and repeated back?
• Was the next step clear, with a time attached?
• Was the right route from the escalation plan chosen?
• Did the tone stay friendly and calm, even with the angry customer?

Checklist for this lesson

Downloads for this lesson

Test your knowledge

What to do now

• This week, assign someone to handle callbacks on each shift and put the callback list next to the phone.
• Before the end of the week, do the 15-minute exercise with everyone who answers the phone.
• Then continue with Lesson 3: setting up WhatsApp Business, so your WhatsApp messages and away message fit in with this way of working.