CHAPTER 13

WHEN YOU HAVE TO SCREEN CALLS

“Hello, you’ve reached the office of Mr. Untouchable. How may I help you?”

“Mr. Untouchable, please.”

“And you are? …”

“Mr. Gotaproblem. I’m a customer of his.”

“Well, you aren’t on my list.”

With experiences like that, it’s not surprising callers resist being screened. Screening can make the “protected” party appear pretentious and customers feel that you don’t think they are important. In fact, screening sometimes gets such a strong negative reaction that it’s tempting to declare a moratorium on all call screening. Yet, there are times when it is necessary for you to screen calls for someone you work for or with.

Before you choose your screening tactic, have a clear understanding of what the person you are screening needs:

• Are there callers who should always be put through?
• Might someone call in relation to the project at hand?
• Are there callers who should never be put through?
• Is the person you are screening calls for expecting certain calls?
• When should you report on the messages you take—as they occur or at certain times during the day?
• When should you tell callers that their calls will be returned?

Screening may be required because a coworker is on a tight deadline and can spend time only on key calls or on those related to the project at hand. In that case, use Screening Tactic 1: Take a Message. The easiest way to keep callers from feeling that their call doesn’t pass the importance test is to take messages from all callers. Then use your prescreening information to prioritize the messages.

The information you gather when screening calls can give your coworker a chance to focus on the purpose of the call before being connected with the caller—“Joan Gates called about the latest sale catalog. She thinks there’s a pricing error on page 47.”

Screening calls also allows you to identify which questions or problems are better handled by yourself, or by some other staff member. To do this, use Screening Tactic 2: “Will She/He Know What This Is in Regard To?” Asking this question should get most callers to open up to you about the purpose of their call without feeling defensive. As you listen, you’ll be able to assess whether or not the caller would be better served by you or if the caller should be put through as originally requested.

Finally, screening calls allows you to weed out unwanted and unannounced sales calls. When you screen an unexpected sales call, use Screening Tactic 3: Ask for It in Writing. Don’t be surprised if Screening Tactics 1 or 2 surface a cold sales call. And don’t be annoyed. Sales calls are a terrific way to learn about new products and services. But that doesn’t mean that you have to drop everything to listen to the pitch. When using Tactic 3, explain that while Mr. or Ms. Too Busy is unable to take the call, you’d be happy to direct written information to his or her attention. If the salesperson isn’t willing to write, then you probably aren’t missing much. If the salesperson follows through, his or her material deserves a review.