I ask the student in my office to please excuse me, I take the call and explain to them that I currently have a student, but would like to discuss their needs. I get as much contact information from them and tell them that I will call them back shortly.
Jennifer ,
It sounds like you are providing great customer service. I am curious, what kind of impact do you think it would have on the student in your office if you let the call go to voicemail?
Dr. Jean Norris
Rick,
That sounds like great customer service. I'm curious about what you think the impact on the student in your office would be if you let the call go to voicemail?
Dr. Jean Norris
When an inbound call comes to me while I'm in an interview with a student I do 1 of 2 things: (1) I take down their contact information & let them know that I will contact as soon as I am finished interviewing my current student. I also tell them that I understand how important this info is to them & that I want to focus my full attention on answering all the the questions that I know they will have -- or (2) I set an appointment in front of the student to show how busy & in-demand our program is. I use Urgency to set these types of appointments.
Kelly,
Thank you for sharing. How do the students in your office typically respond to this practice?
Dr. Jean Norris
This is exactly how we do things here. We all belive the person in front of us should have our undivided attention. Even if the person in front of us says to go ahead and answer the call, i think they feel important that we don't.
Teri, Thank you for sharing. It sounds like you really value the time you spend with each individual student.
Dr. Jean Norris
When I'm with a prospective student I do not take any calls. thankfully we have a really good system where the front desk takes all information and i am able to call back as soon as I'm done with my interview. I do feel that I can excuse myself and take the call with a brief explanation that I would call them back, but I find that this distraction can sometimes interrupt any connection and flow that I might have been building with my face to face. It is always a hit or miss whether someone might find taking a pone call rude or no big deal so I just don't risk it.
rosaura,
Great awareness! If you are building great rapport with your face-to-face, best not to interrupt it!
Dr. Jean Norris
We have four of us that answer incoming calls. So if one person is with a student the others will answer incoming calls. For instance if I'm the only one in the office at the time. I ask the student if they mind holding a moment to take the call and ask the caller for their information and ask if I may call them back then continue with the student. The students do not seem to mind if they know you are the only one there.
Danielle,
That sounds like a great plan. How do you know the student does not mind if you answer the call? What is an example of what you say to them?
Dr. Jean Norris
They are smiling and tell me to take my time. Example, Is i say "Do you mind if I take this call and gather their information then I can finish helping you".
Danielle, Excellent! Great customer service! Thank you for sharing.
Dr. Jean Norris
I agree. The potential student in my office has made the effort to come in, and I make sure that they know that the time is his or hers. I blocked off my time because they made a commitment to meet with me. If I answer the phone, I feel like I'm telling the student that they're just another number in my sales goal.
My voicemail is frequently updated with a message telling callers that I'm either away from my desk OR in an appointment, and provides them with contact information for the front desk, or to another representative that would be available to take their call. I believe that this gives them the option to get their questions answered immediately, while letting them know that when I schedule time for them in the future, they're the priority.
Upon returning the call after my appointment, I make sure to apologize for missing the call, and explain that I was in another appointment. This ends up being a great way to segue into setting an appointment with this new prospective student. When I explain the situation, they're generally very understanding.
It sounds like you truly care about your students, Evan. You voicemail and attitude towards the student in your office, and customer service as a whole, is spot on. You are doing the student in your office, and the student on the phone both a great service by providing each with one-on-one attention. Great job!
Dr. Jean Norris
It is my job to answer the phone and speak with prospective students and any other responsibilities that a receptionist might have. When I am on the phone the caller has my undivided attention, the same with walk-in inquires, I will not stop to take a call when I am speaking with them in person. I do not have a private office, my office space is the lobby of the school.
Julie, Excellent! Giving each student your undivided attention is so important. Is there is anything you find that you would like to improve upon?
Dr. Jean Norris
We are a relatively small school, therefore all calls go directly to me as the Admissions Coordinator. I handle every aspect of the Admissions process from the call to the enrollment.
dallas, Wow! Can you share then, what you say on when you take an inbound call?
Dr. Jean Norris
Prior to starting the admissions interview, I explain to the prospective student that I occasionally may be required to accept calls from potential student requesting information. As a common courtesy I may ask if this is okay with them? Most student don't mind, as long as you let them know up front.
