By Nancy Friedman, Founder, President, Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, Customer Service Keynote Speaker

Had a super question emailed to me recently:

Hi Nancy: My question revolves around how my voice sounds on the telephone. I have recorded messages over and over and I can’t get that happy sound to come across as being natural and genuine. I do want my customers to know that the voice they are hearing belongs to me. So, my question is, what can I do to improve my voice quality? Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you. 

TONE OF VOICE raises its head a lot.

Which says to me there are other folks talking and thinking about this as well. One of the biggest complaints I hear is, “They didn’t sound happy, friendly, or eager to help.”

The short and easy answer is: SMILE!

The LONG answer is: When you’re not smiling you can come across as rude, uninterested, unfriendly and just plain not welcoming.

Sadly, many people don’t smile when they’re on the phone. They think they’re smiling, but they’re not.

And there are those who say and think, “Well, you can’t tell if I’m smiling or not.”

Ah, yes, but we can.

“A phony smile is better than a real frown: Works wonders (on the phone or face-to-face).

Yea, but I don’t feel like smiling, some say.

Who cares? The customer does! (And so do your coworkers.)

It’s so much nicer to talk with someone who’s smiling rather than someone who’s not.

Show me a picture of yourself that you don’t like and I’ll show you a picture where you’re not smiling.

We look better when we smile. And we sound better.

Old but good idea: Keep a mirror on your desk to be sure you’re smiling.

It boggles my mind when something is so simple and people don’t do it.

Want some help? GET YOUR COMPLIMENTARY SMILE STICK!  

We’ll even cover the postage…and your SMILE STICK is on the way. Send your mailing address to: nancyf@telephonedoctor.com.