Smile when you answer the phone. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Listen to the caller and make sure you understand what they need and how to help them or redirect their call. Act by confidently answering the caller's questions, connecting them to the person they're seeking, taking a complete message, etc. Lost calls or rude responses are lost business.
Some bosses turn up their noses at the mention of employee incentives .
Smart managers, on the other hand, have found that cash or gift awards for good work make sense. These incentives can come in all shapes and sizes and are best keyed to regular time periods, like monthly and quarterly, or at the end of a significant project. Look at your operation and seek ways to reward the best effort. Spell out the terms in advance and make sure that the bonus is a solid motivation. Make the offering time-limited to speed its use.