Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some opinions please.
where I work,the cashier also answers the phonesWhen I have a paying customer in front of me, and the damn phone rings, my protocol is to answer the phone, then finish with the customer at the register. I think this is wrong, we have that customer in front of us wiht their wallet in hand, and generally has already waited in line too long already. Why should the customer ringing in be first? espeially when ourphome system supports voice mail?

Hi ms hd,

I agree with you. Giving priority to the phone is essentially allowing another customer to 'cut in line'.

In your case, i would use the voice mail system to explain that you are 'unable to help because you're helping another customer right now, but please leave a message and we we'll ge back to you as soon as possible.'

It would be most preferable to have someone who is not working the cashier as the designated phone answerer, but in shops this isn't always possible because of few resources.

Just my opinion.

Kind regards,

Erwin Steneker
http://www.customerservicepoint.com

Wow, get rid of the phone at the Register !! That is a no-no !! Get a Cordless phone so you can have someone else grab it.

It's a rock and a hard place, but circumventable.

A customer in line is money in the register. A phone call is potential money on the horizon. They both are priorities.

As a customer in line, I detest being bested by a phone call. As a potential customer on the phone, I detest not getting through to a person.

As a customer in line and as a customer on the phone, I can happily handle:
Thank you for calling ABC. I'm currently serving a customer who has been patiently waiting here, may I ask you to hold for a few minutes or should I call you back?

Most of the time most people will understand.

On a related note, when I am at the counter and the rep is currently on the phone, I very much appreciate a nod and a smile from the rep that at least acknowledges my existence.

Hope this helps,
Karen