Answers:
You answer the phone and ask the person to hold (they can't see that you are busy and will get frustrated that they cannot get through if you don't answer the phone). Then you help the next few people in line...never let anyone wait on the phone for more then 3 minutes(and that is still a long time)
You should NEVER ignore the people on the phone! That is rude and will show that you are unable to multi task or prioritize.
why do you need help with this...are you an idiot?
<edit>
LOL!!
Multi task
ignore the phone and deal with the people in front of you first. Don't answer the phone and put them on hold because a person should never be on hold for longer than 30 seconds. They'll call back if it's important
just make that a little longer, explain why the ppl there are important in ur own words and what not.
Shout for help..?
Ask the person on the phone if they can please wait.
You answer the phone and ask them to wait on hold or else call back in 10 minutes.
Or you could suggest the person consult EduQnA.coms to see if they can resolve their question there.
Answer the phone and get the person's name and number and tell them you will call them back and give them an approximate time, say 20 - 30 minutes or in about an hour, etc.. Get rid of the line of people and then return the phone call.
answer phone; ask what they need- if it's something you can do fast, do it- if not ask to put them on hold and help someone in the line.
you just need to identify which task is the highest priority, and do that first.
or plan B, which consists of flipping the desk over, painting your face with a highlighter, and going 'Lord of the Flies' on everyone in the room.
i'd serve the people that are there because they can't spend their whole lives waiting in a queue. the people on the phone can leave a message or try later and also they are ringing in a comfortable environment, not stuck in a line getting very bored. i always empathise with people waiting in queues for some reason because i hate the darned things.
You cannot do all at once...
The ones in line will have to patiently wait their turn...phone has to be answered.
Stay calm.be curious.
If it was me i'd ask the waiting customers to excuse me and answer the phone. Theres nothing more irritating to staff and customers than a phone ringing, and remember your in a library - the golden rule is peace and quiet. Take the call and then appologise individually to the customers as you serve them. Good Luck.x
ask the people on the phone to call back and deal with the queue
say excuse me one moment to the person you are serving. pick up phone and say 'good am/pm, I am unable to deal with your query at the moment, please would you phone back in say 10 mins, thank you'. then leave phone off hook, or if possible ask switchboard to hold all calls for 10 mins or so. If there is any other assistant, ask the line to wait a moment while you get help to speed things through. Also they could answer phone.
I would answer the phone and very nicely ask them to hold for just a moment. I'd help 2 or 3 people (depending on how long it takes to wait on them) then go back to the person on the phone letting the next person in line know that you'll be with them in just a moment. It's all in how you handle it with the customers. If you're short or rude they're more likely to get impatient. If you're kind and apologetic they are more likely to be understanding. Also, you need to keep in mind that the people in line (because they are there) need to be taken care of as quickly as possible. If people call on the phone and you can't help them quickly ask for their number, let them know that you are very busy and alone and give them a call back as quickly as you can.
I would turn to the people in line (smile sweetly)and tell them I will be right with them. Answer the phone and quickly explain to the caller that you are very busy and that you will need to call them back as soon as possible. (make sure you ask for their name and #) Always stay calm and try to help everyone as quickly as possible. Your only one person.
Hi.
Oooooh thats tricky one Isn't it..
I would be inclined to say that firstly I would deal with the Telephone call as quickly & Efficiently as possible, considering your in a Library its not a good idea to have phone ringing while people are trying to concerntrate.
I would advise the customers waiting at the desk to just Bear with me for a moment & that I'll be right back!
I think the customers would be very understanding being that its a Library..
And just apologise for the wait...
Good Luck with your Interview
Always acknowledge the customers first, I hate waiting in a queue and being ignored. Just say to everyone, please be patient and I will get you sorted out as fast as I can. Take one call then one customer, but at all times make eye contact with the customers. When you do serve them apologise to them for the wait and then give them your full attention whilst you deal with them.
The person on the phone cannot see how busy you are, so answer the phone, say to the waiters excuse me, deal with the phone call, leave it off the hook for a while and get rid of the customers, put phone back on.
well, sounds like a shitty question (i mean to be asked at an interview), but personally, if i'm waiting in line, and the customer service person answers the phone instead of helping me, it really pisses me off. i think it's much more important to help the people standing right there then answer the phone -- the answering machine can pick up and you can take care of those calls later, and think about it, it's a library, what could they be calling about? how to get there? wanting the hours? maybe to reserve a book? i'd help the folks right in front of you, but that's me.
Deal with the queue.
Make the comment that under those circumstances it would be a good idea to be able to turn the phone over to a voice message which will inform the customer ringing that the staff are currently busy - and to either suggest better timeframes for ringing or take a message. This would stop the rest of the (quiet) library being driven nuts by the phone and allow the important people in front of you to be dealt with.
put the call on hold
and say can I help the next person in line.
You must be able to multitask and prioritize at the same time.
Continue with the person in line who you are helping and as soon as you can break away without jeopardizing the service you are currently involved with...answer the phone. Explain the situation, listen to their question, judge the urgency and ask if they can call back or if you can call them back. If it is something that can be answered quickly do so...
I would say to the first person in the line excuse me one moment pick the phone up and politely ask the person to phone back in 10 minuets please then get back to the line. it can not take to long to stamp some books can it
If it's not from my cells, I will answer it. By the way,I don't have the habit of keeping my cell on while I'm at work. People in line anyway are still under control. You just don't know what's happening at the other end of the phone. If the phone calls are not important, you can cut it short and ask the caller call back later.
This has happened to me. I queued at the library for ages then when it was finally my turn the phone rang and the person behind the desk answered it and dealt with that person. I was so cross as it was MY turn. And the person on the other end of the phone hadn't been waiting as long as me. So I would say deal with the customers first.
It is a library so the person calling does not have an emergency, the customers however may have a bus to catch, or children to collect from school, or need to get back to the car within a certain amount of time (according to how much time left on their ticket) or may be elderly or infirm and unable to stand for long periods... They must be the priority then.
I would ask the Interveiwer if they have a voice answering machine in the library, which you could put on at busy times.
The customer's could then leave their details and you could get back to them.
If the library was on-line, you could perhaps suggest a message on the voice-machine to direct the customer to the on-line service.
Most library's I think would have this type of technology.
I think I would ask the people in the line to excuse me, answer the phone and take a message to reply to later. When its busy in the office where I work, or I am the only one there, I find it really difficult to talk to people when the phone is ringing - I get abit flustered! If the phone rang again though, I would let the queue take priority and deal with them first. I think you just do whatever feels right at the time. (Also depends how grumpy your customers are!)
I would answer the phone, apologise to the person on the other end and explain that there is a line of people waiting and ask if you could take their phone number and call them back.
Then I'd serve the customers.
When the line of people had all been served I'd ring the other customer back.
Have you ever stood in an enquiry queue when the phone is ringing and the assistant just ignores it? Didn't you think: "for god's sake answer the thing"...
Anyone in a queue can see you're busy and will make allowances provided you're working hard and efficiently (but not if you're gossiping with friends). The telephone enquirer can't see this, so needs reassurance that they have been noticed.
In the situation you pose, my advice would be to smile nicely at the waiting queue and say to them in general "I am sorry, I'm here on my own, please would you excuse me a moment while I answer the telephone enquiry". Answer the phone politely, explain you are dealing with another query at the moment and ask the caller for their number saying you will call them back. Then thank your queue for waiting and deal with them asap. Then, even if it's your break time, make the call back and deal with that enquirer.
The point of the interview test question is to determine that you understand two things: time management and dealing politely and efficiently with clients. There is not really a "right" answer (there rarely is). But showing that you have thought about the problem from a customer service perspective will impress.
This article contents is post by this website user, EduQnA.com doesn't promise its accuracy.
More Questions & Answers...