Why is the way my receptionist answers the phone so important to practice culture? Because that first step sets the tone for everything that follows. When the greeting is done right, it puts your team member into the correct mindset for the whole call, listening, guiding, closing. When it is done wrong, the rest unravels. I notice this as a consumer too. Call almost any business and the opening tells you whether there is a real system behind the voice or just a person winging it, and the winging-it calls almost never go well. The rare business that nails the greeting [...]