I always told trainees that they would pick it up quicker than they realized and shouldn't feel embarrassed to tell a client, "I don't know, I'll get back to you". But admitting that you don't know has this way of planting a seed of doubt in your mind. Will they think I'm unqualified? Incompetent? Just plain dumb?
Here's the thing that I have to remind myself, the people on the other end of the phone weren't born knowing everything either. Some of them would like to think that they did, but most of them are completely open to a follow-up call or email.
Case in point, I was handling a rather technical call on my own today and quickly realized that while I understood his questions, I was oblivious to most of the correct answers. I decided to own up and tell him that I would have to follow up, because I was only two months in and these details weren't things that came up in my daily routine. Wouldn't you know it, he was in the same boat. Trying to figure out the answers to things that are totally outside of his wheelhouse.
So, we had a good laugh about the blind leading the blind, came up with a list of follow-ups, and plans to sync up tomorrow. And I didn't even have to spend the whole call feeling incompetent.
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