How many times have you called a telephone customer service line and been told to wait several minutes. When you do manage to get through, you felt like your complaint wasn't taken seriously? Disappointing customer service is not new. Now apply the same thing to the business you own or are running. Are your customers and clients getting quality telephone service from you and your staff? Do you put your customers on hold for a long time? Are your phone customer service representatives able to answer customer questions and respond to complaints or issues in an appropriate and timely manner? Even if you are primarily conducting your transactions and communications with customers and clients online, it is still important to have a quality phone customer service in place for most businesses. There are times when issues are much easier and more quickly resolved on the phone rather than online using e-mail, instant messaging or live chat programs.

Providing quality telephone customer service is essential to the success of any business. A lot of companies boast of having great customer service, but few actually do. Below are some ways you can improve and provide quality phone service to your customers. The overall principles of these points apply whether you manage an offline business or an eBiz.

1. Be friendly on the phone. Don't be rude with your customers and make them feel like they're wasting your time.

2. Don't put a customer on hold without asking them if doing so is all right. No customer wants to hear, "Please hold" as soon as their call gets through, even before they can say hello. It gives the impression that their call is less important than another call you are taking.

3. Even though customers can't see you, pay attention to how you conduct yourself over the phone. Be professional. The customer on the other end of the line can hear you if you're chewing, smoking, or drinking while on call.

4. Listen attentively to the customer. Don't make them repeat themselves. Let the customer finish what they have to say instead of interrupting him. Don't give your customers the impression that you are incompetent. It's not good if a customer has to repeat his problem three times to three different customer service representative before it can get resolved.

5. Again, customers can't see you or your telephone customer service staff on the phone, but they can detect if you are happy to hear from them. Thus, try to present a positive attitude when answering every call. It pays to smile too when answering a call because the customer can "hear" your smile over the phone.

6. If a customer is angry or upset, make them know that you understand their situation. Listen to them first before making any comments. When they're done, begin with something like, "I'm sorry to hear that..." or "I apologize if..." and then come up with ways to resolve the issue.

7. When you are talking to a customer about your policies and guidelines, do so in a clear and precise manner. Never assume they know what you mean at any time. It would help to stop every few minutes and ask the customer if everything is clear to him so far.

8. Always follow through with what you tell the customer you're going to do. For instance, if you say to a complaining customer that you'll call them back after two hours after consulting with your manager, call the customer back within two hours. The customer may have been angry about a prior service he received, but he will also remember that you did do what you promised to him over the phone.

9. If you are unable to resolve an issue with a customer, inform the customer that you are going to transfer him to another person who will be able to help him better. If a customer thinks that you are what's causing the problem or if he requests to talk to someone else, don't take this personally. Tell the customer that you can either transfer his call to another person or that someone will call him in an hour or so.

10. Have a telephone customer service plan that is easy to follow. You won't see good results when members of your staff have a hard time following a complicated phone customer service plan.

Successful businesses are those with an effective telephone customer service in place. These businesses are able to better manage customer expectations, deal with emotional customers and anticipate problems and issues from customers. Train your staff to anticipate the needs of your customers and resolve issues as quickly as possible. This is important whether you provide face-to-face, online or telephone customer service.