Your telephone greeting sets the tone for the call and can leave a lasting impression. The best phone greetings include a friendly salutation, your company name, and an offer of assistance. However, Watercooler reader Kisha brought up an interesting question: How do you phrase your greeting when your business is undergoing a merger? She writes:
Our company was just purchased by a larger company. We are trying to write a greeting that uses both the new company name and the former name for a transitional phase. Calling the company solely by the old name is inaccurate but using just the new name is scary since many callers haven’t received the “merge” letter notifying them of the change. How would you suggest doing this?
Going through a merger, re-branding, or other name change can be exciting — even Ruby started out ten years ago as “Worksource, Inc.,” a name that didn’t quite fit us. But it can also be confusing to customers or, as Kisha put it, downright scary.
Preserve customer confidence by easing them into the switch. Try including both company names in your telephone greeting:
Hello! Thank you for calling ABC Company and XYZ Industries. This is Ruby. How may I help you?
After a few months, once your customers are familiar and comfortable with the new name, feel free to drop the old name entirely!
Questions about how your company can make the best first impression over the phone? Ask away @callruby on Twitter!
