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There’s More to Answering the Phone Than Just "Hello"

Whose voice greets those who call your church?  Is it a warm and friendly live person, or a computer-generated "Thank you for calling.  No one is available to take your call now…" or "Please select from the following options…."

A church’s telephone and messaging system is a critical element in the overall communication picture. Here are a few points to consider in designing an effective phone messaging system.

WHO'S CALLING?

As with all communication efforts, target the message by considering the audience who calls the church most frequently.  Those who call include:

While all callers are important, potential visitors and people in crisis have special needs and will not be patient enough to go through a long messaging or menu system.  They want to talk to a real person right now.  Can they?

WHO'S ANSWERING?

Human Voice

The church receptionist or secretary sets the tone for the whole church.  His or her job is critical in giving the right impression of your church.  Instead of answering, "Believer’s Fellowship," consider changing the greeting to, "Welcome to Believer’s Fellowship.  How can we help you?"  or "Thank you for calling Believer’s Fellowship. How can I direct your call?"

To maximize the power of this role, remember to be enthused, energetic and smile when answering the phone.  A smile can actually be heard on the phone, as the person sounds happy and friendly.  Also, be as helpful as possible.  Rather than transferring the caller straight to the extension of someone who’s not in, ask if they’d like to leave a message or if someone else could be of help.  Verbally escort the caller until they get the help they need.  If caller traffic is especially heavy, use two receptionists to accomplish this task. 

Automated System

Whether your church has a simple answering machine or a sophisticated switchboard, the first voice they hear is the most important.  Thanks to technology, you can choose from a selection of voices in the larger systems.  Pick the one that sounds the most sincere and personable.  And don’t design the system to have the caller select more than one "Choose from the following options" menus.  Few things are as frustrating as listening to several different menus in order for the call to reach the proper person.

If you’re recording the voice on the messaging system, remember to smile, speak slowly and clearly, eliminate all background noise during the recording, and keep the message as short as possible – try for under one minute in length.

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?

Churches, more than any other type of organization, are in the people business.  When people are in need, hurting or scared, they call the church.  Your phone system must take this into account, and the message you offer must be appropriate for these callers.

Your phone message should give basic information, such as church name, location and service times, but it should go beyond that too.  What’s your church about?  Remember your target audience, and include that in the message:

"Welcome to Believers Fellowship, a place of worship for the young and young at heart.  Join us on Sunday, where we celebrate the Savior with the latest music, fun skits and a message with heart.  We meet at 9 a.m. at 101 Main Street.  If you’d like to leave a message, please wait for the beep.  But if you have an emergency and need to reach a pastor, please call 555-1212."

OR

"Welcome to Believers Community Church, where stronger families are being built every day.  We invite your family to join us at 9 a.m. Sunday morning at 101 Main Street for a contemporary worship service you’ll all enjoy.  Sunday school for kids under 12 coincides with the service, and we also offer a nursery for those under 2.  If you’d like to leave a message, please wait for the tone, but if you need to speak to someone right away, please call 555-1212."

Don’t pass up the opportunity to convey your message and your willingness to help.  If you structure your phone greeting properly, it can be a powerful ally in your mission to reach the lost and change lives.