12 Phone Skills That Small Business Owners Should Master

When I worked in customer service, I started on phones. I answered calls for eight hours a day, troubleshooting CRM software for small businesses.

I spoke with every type of customer - new users, loyal customers, and plenty of complainers. I got comfortable answering calls and leveraging my phone skills to create fantastic customer experiences.

In this post, I'll share my top phone skills for customer support. I'll explain why each is important and how you can improve them as a small business owner.

Below are twelve phone skills that are used constantly in customer service. I've organized them into three sections, starting with skills used in any phone conversation.

Basic Phone Skills

Here are what I call the four "Ps" of phone support: politeness, professionalism, positivity, and preparation.

1. Politeness

Politeness is important in any conversation. It shows that you respect others and value their opinions. It can also diffuse a frustrated customer who begins the conversation with a confrontational tone. It's harder to argue with someone who is nice to you than with someone who is impolite.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

When you're on the phone, the customer can only interpret your words and tone of voice. That means how you say something matters as much as what you say.

Pay attention to your tone and maintain an optimistic demeanor. Use phrases like "please" and "thank you," and ask for permission when you put people on hold. These details go a long way in making you sound competent, confident, and caring about your customers.

2. Professionalism

Professionalism makes it clear that you know what you're talking about. If you sound nervous or stumble over words, customers will think you're less experienced and might not trust you. The more confident and professional you sound, the more it lets others know you've dealt with these issues before. That will put their minds at ease and make them more likely to trust your solution.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

Smooth out your responses and get comfortable talking with strangers over the phone. Relaxing and leaning on your industry knowledge makes it easier to answer questions and sound credible.

A lot of this comes from experience. However, you can position yourself for success with rehearsed responses. Practice what you'll say when you pick up the phone and end a call. You can also put a customer on a brief hold if you need a moment to consider your response. It will give you time to plan your next steps to act confidently in front of the customer.

3. Positivity

Positivity goes hand in hand with great customer experiences. If you're negative or don't sound interested, the customer will have a poor perception of your brand.

That doesn't mean you have to be insincere. You just have to sound invested in the conversation and optimistic about the outcome. If a roadblock pops up, replace negative phrases like "we can't do this" with "let's find an alternative solution." Choosing the right words can sometimes spin a conversation in a positive direction.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

We all have bad days when we're stressed and don't want to interact with customers. Unfortunately, our problems aren't our customers' problems. We have to find ways to stay positive even if our day isn't going well.

One way to do that is to take your time between calls and avoid answering the phone if you're upset. Here's where a phone system can record voicemails and log them in your CRM. That way, you can take a moment before answering customers to improve your mindset before they speak to you.

4. Preparation

One of the most underrated phone skills is preparation. If you can plan what you'll say and use a prepared intro and closing statement, you'll set yourself up for success on your next call.

Additionally, you should leverage data in your CRM to help you with each customer. You can see previous interactions, the products and services they purchased, and any feedback on customer satisfaction surveys. Use this information to guide the conversation and make smart decisions based on the customer's experience with your brand.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

Start by working on your opening statement. When you answer the phone, you should sound confident and ready to solve problems.

My go-to was, "Thank you for calling customer support; my name is Clint. Who do I have the pleasure of working with today?" When they answered with their name, I would follow up with, "Nice to meet you, [name]. What are we working on today?" I practiced this repeatedly because I knew how important the phrasing was. It kicked off every call on the right foot when I got it right.

My other recommendation is to have your computer present or use a mobile CRM. This software contains information you can use to help customers, such as notes, purchase history, engagements, and more.

Customer Service Phone Skills

These phone skills apply specifically to customer service calls. They come in handy when solving problems and troubleshooting issues.

5. Active Listening

Active listening is more than just hearing what someone has to say. It's focusing on specific details and listening completely, rather than planning your response.

But wait. Didn't we just talk about the importance of preparation?

Preparation allows us to actively listen to customers. If we prepare with rehearsed statements and contextual information, listening and keeping track of the customer's story is easy. We can provide a thoughtful response instead of scrambling to come up with something to say.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

It sounds cliché, but one of the best ways to improve active listening is to be aware of it. If you find yourself thinking about your response rather than listening, stop. Remind yourself you need to focus on the customer. The more information you can gather from them, the better your conversation will be.

6. Channel Transitions

Phones are a popular channel for customer support. However, that doesn't mean they're your best channel for customer support.

Sometimes, it's best to move a conversation to another communication channel - like email, video, or live online chat. These platforms don't require you to hold a live conversation; they also let you troubleshoot differently than phones.

For instance, I can send documents and screenshots over email, and we can screen share on web chat. These channels let you provide different information to customers so you can solve their problems faster.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

The best way to master channel transitions is to explain why they benefit the customer. I would recommend focusing on speed. Everyone wants their solution faster. If you explain how this transition will lead to a speedy resolution, customers will be more willing to switch channels.

7. Improvisation

Great customer service requires a lot of thinking on your feet. While it's nice to prepare, you can't plan for everything, and you have to adapt when things go wrong.

The most common time to improvise is when a customer won't take no for an answer. You can't meet their needs, and they won't be satisfied until they get their request.

In these situations, your best approach is to devise alternative solutions. In customer service, we call them"workarounds" because they're unique solutions to problems you wouldn't anticipate. Workarounds are great because they show the customer you're committed to solving their problem - whether that means bending the rules a little or making special exceptions.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

It's important to have a contingency plan or a series of steps you can take if a call doesn't go as expected.

For example, the first step I would take is to put the customer on hold. I would ask them if I could gather resources to better support their call. Then, I would take 3-5 minutes to outline a plan. I would brainstorm a few solutions and pick the one I felt would work best.

If that didn't work, I would move on to the next, and so on. This approach gave me a few chances to solve the customer's problem before I had to follow up via email.

8. Time Management

Time management is another overlooked customer service skill. No one wants to be on the phone for hours and hours. In fact, the average service phone call lasts about three and a half minutes. If your calls take longer, you should have alerts reminding you how long you've been on the phone.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

Be sure to check the time when you first pick up the phone. Note when the conversation started, and set a timer for 15 minutes.

When 15 minutes is up, look for a good opportunity to ask this:

This approach was very effective for me. It kept customers happy because it showed that I cared about their time.

It also allowed me to come up with solutions independently. I didn't have to juggle a conversation while troubleshooting a problem. Instead, I could follow up with the customer once I hashed out a well-thought-out and organized solution.

Effective Phone Communication Skills

These skills help you take an average phone call and turn it into a great customer experience.

9. Product Knowledge

If you possess strong product knowledge, you can avoid a lot of follow-up with customers. The more you know about your business, the easier it will be to answer questions and set expectations. You should know what your products can and can't do and be familiar with solutions to the most common problems, like refunds, complaints, and requests.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

If your business sells a physical product, get a demo and use it as much as possible. Try to put yourself in the customer's shoes and encounter some of the same roadblocks they face when interacting with your business.

If you're a service-based company, consider a "secret shopper" approach. Call or schedule an appointment with your business as if you were a real customer. Browse your website, review your sales material, and look for ways to request customer support. It will give you a good look into the customer's experience and perception of your services.

10. Empathy

Empathy can be difficult over the phone, especially with complete strangers. Your tone should convey the right message and let customers know you care about their issues. If your tone is flat or sounds harsh, the customer will focus on that.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

Empathy is about reading the room - except, in this case, there is no room. You're reading the customers' words and tone and deciphering their feelings based on limited information.

Your best bet is to stick with a professional tone and attitude. Being too cheery might come off the wrong way, and being monotone isn't fun for anyone. Find a happy medium and adjust from there, using other skills, like active listening.

11. Personalization

Personalization matters because it shows customers you're listening and invested in the situation.

Take the customer's name, for example. If you forget it, you'll spend the whole call thinking about it rather than working on the problem. And, if you slip up, you might create an awkward moment.

On the other hand, if you use the customer's name throughout the conversation, they'll feel more comfortable working with you. It'll feel less like a customer service call and more like a conversation with a colleague.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

When I answered the phone, the first step I took was asking for the customer's name. I wrote it down in our system and started taking notes immediately.

After that, I recorded everything - the products they used and the last time they contacted our businesses. If I asked about the customer's day, I wrote that down, too.

It was useful not just for the present call but also for future calls. If I talked to the same customer later on, I could ask them how things have been and continue building rapport. It established trust between me and the customer, creating better experiences along the way.

12. Clarity

Clarity refers to your dictation and how concise you are when explaining solutions. Long-winded explanations confuse people - especially when they're looking for simple solutions.

Remember, most folks don't live and breathe your business. They need you to simplify things and tell them exactly what they need to know. Start simple and provide additional details as the customer asks for them.

How to Improve This Phone Skill:

Here's where I would use a "strategic hold." Even though I had a solution worked out, I would ask the customer if I could put them on a brief hold. I would tell them, "I'm confident in this solution, but I just want to confirm it before I pass it along to you."

I would use this time to rehearse what I would say and ensure my explanation was concise. Then, I would talk the customer through my solution. Since I had rehearsed, I could communicate much more clearly, which made for a better conversation. Customers had fewer questions, and they were more likely to trust what I would say.

How to Provide Excellent Phone Support

Small business owners rely on their phones. When you're constantly on the go, your phone is your lifeline to your business and your primary way of keeping in touch with customers.

Providing excellent phone support starts with these fundamental skills. Practice each, as it will help you create better customer experiences. You'll improve customer relationships, leading to higher satisfaction, greater loyalty, and repeat sales.

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