Screened transfers

A receptionist that screens before it transfers: a real reason, a matching teammate, a whisper and press 1 to accept, and a message if nobody picks up.

Putting every caller through defeats the point of a receptionist; putting nobody through loses the customer whose system is down. Here a separate screener decides each transfer against your team directory, the teammate hears who is calling and why before they say hello, and if they cannot pick up, the caller still leaves with a message taken.

Who works here

Each teammate writes their own directory card and decides whether to take calls and where to ring. The screener and receptionist do the rest.

In one sentence each

• Screened transfers · A separate screener decides every transfer: it needs the caller's name, a specific reason and a matching teammate, asks one clarifying question when things are vague, and takes a message otherwise.
• Team directory · Each teammate writes one or two sentences on which calls are theirs, and chooses whether the receptionist can put calls through and where to ring them.
• Whisper and press 1 · Before a teammate says hello they hear who is calling and why, they press 1 to take it so voicemail never answers, and if they do not pick up the receptionist takes a message.