What should you do if for some reason it is necessary to leave a customer on hold for an extended amount of time, such as when looking up information, consulting with a manager, or a co-worker, or paging someone they need to speak with?
Solution: Always come back on the line 30 seconds or so to let the caller know the status of the call. But, prior to hitting the hold button the first time, say for example:
“Please wait while I look that up for you.”
Subsequently when you come back on the line use responses such as, “Thank you for waiting Ms. Rogers. I am still searching for the information you require,” or
“Ms. Rogers, this is taking longer than I expected, may I call you back within 15 minutes with what you need?”
Or, when you are able to come back on the line with the information, “Thank you for waiting while I looked up your information, Ms. Rogers.”
Or, “Thank you for waiting, Ms. Rogers. I have Ms. Simon (or Ms. Simon's secretary) on the line who will be happy to give you the answers you need.”
There is a lot more to go over when it comes to telephone etiquette. The telephone call is often the first, and lasting impression the potential customer has of your company. It may very well capture, or lose the person on the other end of the line forever.
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