(restaurant name) Telephone Answering Procedures

Answering incoming calls appropriately is very important to our restaurant. How you respond to people and the impressions that are made during the call can either encourage or discourage potential guests from coming to our restaurant.

The following steps will help you attend to the needs of the caller and give them a positive impression of our restaurant.

Greeting

 Answer the phone by the third ring.  Speak clearly and directly into the mouthpiece.  Use a friendly greeting that begins with, “Good morning/afternoon/evening” and the name of our restaurant. For example:

“Good afternoon, (restaurant name), this is Robin speaking, may I help you?”

 Always smile when answering the phone, the caller will hear the smile in your voice and it will result is a smoother conversation.  Be polite and don’t sound rushed, even when the restaurant is busy.

Placing Callers On Hold

 If you need to obtain additional information or get a manager, always ask for permission to place the caller on hold.  Ask your caller, “Do you mind holding just a minute?” or “May I put you on hold?”  Always wait until you hear a positive reply and thank them for waiting before hitting the “hold” button..  When the caller has been on hold longer than 30-45 seconds, give them the option to continue to hold or ask if they would rather have someone call them back.  When returning to the caller, always remember to thank them for waiting.

Taking Messages

 Always try to use the telephone message pad to record accurate and complete caller information. Telephone Answering Procedures - continued

 A good phone message includes:

- Name of person the call is for. - Full name of the person who called (get correct spelling). - Date and time. - Message. - Mark action needed – (“call back”, “will call back”, or “URGENT”)

 Also, ask the caller, “When is the best time to get back with you?” and note it on message pad.

Giving Directions

Giving clear, concise and accurate directions that other will understand is very important. When potential customers can’t find get here easily, chances are good they’ll give up trying and go somewhere else.

Here are some basic steps for giving directions:

 Make sure you know where the person is coming from.  Find out if they are familiar with the area.  Keep in mind men tend to use north, south, east and west and women tend to use landmarks.  After giving directions always ask if they understand and if they’d like to repeat the directions back to you.

(Some restaurants keep a laminated “directions sheet” next to the phone(s) that contain the restaurant’s address and written directions from different parts of town. Also, note familiar landmarks that are adjacent or close to your location. Either refer to the directions sheet or include directions and landmarks here.)

Closing

 Always thank the person for calling  Say “Good-bye.” Avoid “see ya,” “bye-bye,” or other slang terms.

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