COVID-19 relaunch: Is your phone system ready to get back to work?

As pandemic restrictions lift, businesses are slowly reopening, and people are starting to go back to work. Things will be very different during the various stages of the relaunch, including aspects of your operating procedures and your customer’s behaviour. Your business phone system, including prompts, greetings, voicemails, and messages on hold, can help create a better experience for your employees and customers as we adjust to the ‘new normal.’

If you had adjusted your messaging when the pandemic started and you were closing or reducing service, it might be time to update your messages now that things are beginning to reopen. Callers will need to know your new safety measures, including how you will now be operating and any restrictions you’re following.

Here are some ways you can prepare your phone system to get back to work:

Review your entire phone system’s messaging.

Automated phone prompts, messages on hold, voicemail greetings, and other messages might need adjustments as things change. Listen to your current messages so you know what your callers will experience and hear when they call. As these times during the pandemic seemed to change almost daily, you want to make sure that everything is relevant to the current day. Its likely messages will have to be removed or edited. Customers need to know your new office hours, if you’re open to the public or not, and other simple but essential information. If you need help making quick changes to your messaging as we work through the stages of the relaunch, On Air can help.

Inform your callers about anything

Businesses can slowly get back to work, but there are many restrictions on how we can do things to be compliant with government health and safety protocols. For example, you might have to limit customers in your store or continue to offer curbside pickup. There might be a procedure for ensuring social distancing, hand hygiene, sanitation, and keeping other safety measures while operating your business.

Every business is different, and depending on your industry, you’ll have different restrictions and guidelines than others. It’s important to know what they are and communicate them to your callers. If there are significant changes that will impact your customers, make sure to include those things in your messaging, so they know what to expect and can follow the rules to keep everyone safe and healthy.

Be helpful and empathetic.

Customer service has always been essential to doing good business, but things have changed because of COVID-19. Business owners need to adjust. Your customers are going to be feeling a wide range of emotions. Some will be shaken and nervous, and others will be excited to get back to things that were closed and unavailable before. Most people will feel frustrated if they hear an outdated greeting or messages that doesn’t fill them in on the most current situation regarding your business. Make sure your phone system is updated, friendly, informative and empathetic to what people have been going through.

If you need help updating your automated phone prompts, messages on hold, voicemail greetings, and other phone system audio, we can help. Contact us to learn more.