Order Taking Archives - Specialty Answering Service

Evaluation Form for Taking Orders Over The Phone

Gabby R. — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 21:38:30 +0000

The holiday season is here, which means businesses near and far are prepping for the inevitable rise in customer communication. If you’re using an answering service to help with phone orders, or you’re hiring seasonal order takers in-house, we’ve created a spreadsheet to help you evaluate each transaction. The form includes what questions to ask when taking orders over the phone and key evaluation metrics like were the order details documented properly and did the order taker show a knowledge of the product catalog.

In addition to the spreadsheet, see below for a detailed explanation of each evaluation point.

Correct assessment of call reason: When customers call your business, each call has the possibility to be different. People could be calling for product issues, returns, new orders, questions, etc. So, it’s important that your agents are able to adequately assess the reason for the call and handle appropriately.
Correct documentation of first and last name: Documenting the correct first and last name of your customer is important, as it makes the customer feel valued, and it helps give your business a personal touch. For example, sending an email that says “Thank you for shopping with us, Ashley!” looks a lot better than an email that says “Thank you for shopping with us, asheley!”
Correct documentation of phone number: If there is an issue with an order that the agent is unable to work around, documenting a call back number is helpful. That way your staff can contact the customer back and help troubleshoot the issue. Without a valid phone number, you may have to rely on email communication, which could prolong the interaction and possibly affect the outcome of the sale.
Correct documentation of email address: Since there isn’t a tangible receipt that can be printed and given to the customer when processing orders over the phone, they rely on an email confirmation to verify what they’ve purchased. Without correct documentation of your callers’ email addresses, your customers could become irritated when they don’t receive their confirmation, and you could wind up doing extra work trying to correct all of the errors.
Complete understanding of product catalog: When your agents are knowledgeable about the product catalog they are processing orders for, they are able to adequately assist callers. They may even be able to sell more as they would be able to recommend other products that would compliment the item that is already being ordered.
Accurate answers were provided: Usually when people call to order a product, they may also have some questions. If your agents are unable to answer basic questions, they are less likely to lock in a sale.
Correct documentation of item details: From the item number, to the size and quantity, it’s important that the agent gets the entire order correct.
Agent attempted to up-sell or cross-sell: In addition to gathering the essential information like name, number, email, and the item itself, some other ways a call center agent can maximize a sale is with up-selling and cross-selling. If you think we just made those words up, here’s what they are:
- Cross-selling: The act of selling an additional product or service to a customer at the time of sale. For example, an operator taking orders for a hover board infomercial might try to cross-sell a set of knee pads and possibly a helmet. It’s almost always a related or similar product.
- Up-selling: The act of selling a higher-end product or a larger quantity of a product at the time of sale. For example, when taking an order for a bottle of perfume, a call center agent may try to up-sell the customer on purchasing a larger bottle, or possibly 2 bottles instead of 1.
Appropriate quotes and applicable fees were applied: Between coupon codes and shipping fees, the agent should always apply the correct coupons, and quote the correct shipping fees.
Correct credit card information was documented: If your agents are unable to collect and input the correct credit card information, then you might as well kiss your sales goodbye.
Agent did not place the caller on hold: The more often your agents have to place callers on hold to ask questions, the less knowledgeable they seem to your callers. When agents seem unfamiliar about a product, callers are less likely to go through with placing an order.
Brand was represented well: Overall, the person handling your phone calls (whether they are your own staff or your call center agents) should be able to represent your brand perfectly.

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Do Answering Services Need To Be PCI Compliant to Take Orders?

Gabby R. — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 13:08:18 +0000

The holidays are almost here. Hooray! While people may forget to wash their hands after going to the bathroom or forget their anniversary was yesterday, there’s no doubt they’ll remember to call your store about that Hatchimal shipment, or to find out why their next-day-air package hasn’t arrived. Seriously, where is that package!?

Whether you operate an old fashioned brick and mortar business or you run an eCommerce shop, you need to start getting your communication channels in order ASAP so you can showcase your jaw dropping customer service come Black Friday. Outsourcing your calls to an answering service is a great way to shine while alleviating some of the pressure on you and your staff. However, if your answering service isn’t PCI compliant, your business is at risk! Worried? Don’t be. Sit back and hit that Egg Nog while we break down what PCI compliance is, when your answering service needs to have it, and what probing questions to ask to make sure they are certified.

What does it mean to be PCI compliant?

The Payment Card Industry and the Data Security Standard, better known as PCI DDS, was founded in the early 2000’s to combat the increased rise in security data breaches. In order to be PCI compliant, a company needs to either complete a yearly self-assessment or pass a quarterly security scan. Plus they get a super cool certificate to show off.

Do answering services need to be PCI compliant?

It depends! If an answering service is processing payments on a customer’s behalf, then they are required to be PCI compliant. If they aren’t, they don’t need to be.

How do I know if my answering service is PCI compliant?

For starters, you can ask them for their Certificate of Compliance. This will show what assessment body they were certified by, what category their certification was, the conditions of issuing, the validation length, the signature of the qualified security assessor, and the certification date. Here’s a few of the more important conditions they would have had to meet to be certified:

Secure Building Entry: In order to access a building, the answering service service will have secure points of entry. For example, employees may be provided key cards with identification or a unique code for access. This ensures that Joe “Identify Thief” Smith can’t wander in off the streets and access any personal data.
Secure Credit Card Documentation: If your answering service records calls, the feature would the ability to be turned off while credit card numbers are being documented.
Say No to Papers: All virtual receptionists would be required work in paperless environments and without their cell phones, so they don’t have the ability to write down any CC information they’ve gathered for later nefarious use.
Secure Online Portal: If your answering service has a portal and are logging credit card information as part of the message, that information can’t be accessible indefinitely. Credit card data, if stored, should be purged after 30 days, and CVV codes never stored.
Completing the Appropriate Tests: In order for your answering service to maintain PCI compliance, specific tests and assessments need to be completed routinely. Some tests include the Qualified Security Accessor (QSA) and the Self Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ). With the SAQ, there are 4 assessments, broken down into A, B, C or D. Depending on how a business operates and how they are handling payments, they may need to complete different forms. For example, if your answering service accepts payments and then stores credit card information for further purchases, they would be required to fill out the SAQ D form, which is the longest, whereas an answering service that is just accepting payments and not storing them for future use would just need to fill out SAQ A, which is the shortest form.
Having Protected Systems: All systems where data is stored should require credentials for access, and all credentials should be individualized to each employee.

What happens if an answering service accepts payments, but is not PCI compliant?

If your answering service is accepting payments without being PCI compliant, that’s a major oopsie. According to the PCI Compliance Guide, payment brands “may fine an acquiring bank anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 per month for PCI violations. The banks could pass this fine along until it reaches the merchant, and they may terminate their relationship or increase transaction fees.”

While these repercussions would only affect the answering service itself, your brand could still be at jeopardy. For example, if the answering service you’re using got hacked and leaked data, you would need to let your customers know what happened and how their personal information was affected. Basically, it’s not a good look.

How do I choose the right answering service?

Choosing the right service with respect to PCI compliance really depends on your needs and what you’re having the service do on your behalf.

Your answering service doesn’t need to be PCI compliant if:

They are just taking messages about orders and passing those messages to you
They are answering shipping questions and not accessing any sensitive data
They are generating quotes or estimates without any payment exchange

Your answering service needs to be PCI compliant if:

They are processing orders on your website and taking payment information
They are processing orders via their merchant account

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Learn how a bad receptionist made a baby cry.

Nick D. — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 17:55:06 +0000

Imagine that you are speaking with a customer service representative to place a balloon order for your kid’s first birthday. Everything seems to go smoothly, so you hang up, certain that the order will be delivered just in time for little Joey’s big day. All the guests arrive, the party starts, and instead of balloons, the delivery guy shows up with a new toilet. Little Joey bursts into tears, and the upbeat, party vibe quickly deflates. What went wrong?

Whether you’re a customer calling an answering service or the client who hired an answering service, every interaction needs to be flawless. Don’t flush your business down the toilet with a bad call handling.

If you don’t want to turn a perfect balloon moment into an unexpected toilet delivery, try Specialty Answering Service for free, and give great customer service a whirl.

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