Quiz: How are your phone skills?

Last year, we gave you 10 tips to handling inbound phone calls. If you’ve implemented any of these changes in your dealership, you should be well on your way to experiencing higher results. Are you ready to be put to the test? Take the quiz below to see how your phone handling skills rate.

1) How often do you forget to capture customer information?

a.  Never.
b. Once a week.
c. Almost every single time.

2) How many voicemails or missed calls are sitting in your inbox?

a. None.
b. Less than 10.
c. I’m not sure.

3) Do you answer the phone with the same, consistent greeting every time?

a. Yes, and with a smile.
b. For the most part.
c. I’ve never really thought about it before.

4) I use the customer’s name during conversations to:

a. Make them feel special.
b. Look them up in the CRM tool.
c. Make sure I heard them correctly.

5) When speaking with customers, I:

a. Speak clearly and explain things in simple terms every time.
b. Speak slowly but use dealership slang the customer may not know about.
c. Talk so fast I often need to repeat myself.

6) A customer asks if you have a specific set of tires in stock. Unfortunately, you don’t. How do you break the news to the customer?

a. “I’m sorry, we do not. Would you like me to special order them for you instead?”
b. Just a simple, “no.”
c. “No, but you can call another dealership across town or the tire shop down the street.”

7) What is your average hold time?

a. Less than 30 seconds.
b. Less than 3 minutes.
c. I’m not sure.

8) What customer information do you gather when taking messages?

a. Phone number, name, reason for the call, and email address.
b. Phone number, name, and reason for the call.
c. It depends on the day.

9) How do you ask for the appointment?

a. “I have a couple options available – Saturday at 9 a.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. What works better for you?”
b. “When would you like to come in?”
c. “So, do you want to come in to check out that vehicle?”

10) How do you review your phone interactions?

a. I listen to every one of my calls on my own.
b. I listen to calls as my manager asks me to or sits down with me.
c. I didn’t know I could review my phone calls…

Mostly A’s

Job well done! You know all the right questions to ask and how to be on top of your game. You always go the extra mile to take on any learning opportunity, and it shows! Now that you’ve mastered phone skills, try taking it one step further. Start thinking about your marketing efforts and what your dealership is doing to get customers to call your business. Do you have accurate and detailed reporting so you can optimize your marketing investments? That’s the next tier of success your dealership should strive for.

Mostly B’s

Not bad, but you could use some tuning up. You may need to start asking more questions, checking voicemail more often, or paying attention to how long your customers are put on hold. Whatever it is, holding yourself more accountable will bring you to an A+ in no time.

Mostly C’s

You need some more practice, and that’s okay! Phone handling is a tricky business. With an enhanced telephone system that records and reports on all phone activity, your job gets easier. No call is alike, so it’s important that your phone system can meet the needs of every interaction.

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