There is nothing worse than calling a business and being unable to hear the person on the other end because of all the background noise. While it can be difficult to provide a quiet place to take calls, especially in some smaller businesses such as workshops and factories, there are always things that can be done to reduce the level of background noise. Some suggestions include:
- Partition off a part of the office to ensure that noise is dampened and less direct.
- Don't put items such as water coolers near the telephones, as people will congregate around these facilities. A group of people standing by the reception desk having a chat can be very distracting for a receptionist.
- Talk to the providers of your telephone system to find out if there are products available that can reduce or eliminate background noise.
- Some noises are more distracting than others. Music can be particularly distracting, so it should be kept at a low volume.
- Traffic flow can be distracting. Unfortunately, the nature of reception areas is such that this is where people come and go. This can often be noisy and distracting for the receptionist. Something as simple as thicker carpet around the reception area can help to make the area quieter.
Use whatever means you can to reduce the amount of noise in and around any area where people are required to answer telephones. Your customers don't want to shout to be heard, and they certainly don't want to have to repeat themselves over and over again.
Customer service encourages making every aspect of communication with your business easy and enjoyable. Customers aren't impressed if they have to yell to be heard.