29 - Good Telephone Etiquette
Overview: Demonstrating
a professional image, both when meeting in person
and
on the telephone, is vital to your own professional profile, as well as the
profile
of the project you are responsible for and your own organisation. While we
are
all human and can have our ‘moments’ on the telephone, there are some key
points
to note with respect to good telephone etiquette. This Fact Sheet provides
some
quick tips to help you get the most out of your telephone activities.
Tips for Answering Calls.
Find
out if there is a standard protocol for answering phones in your organisation –
this may provide a guide for you. In the event that there is not a guide,
here’s five quick tips:
1.
Speak clearly and confidently when you answer the phone.
2.
Sound welcoming – state your name and ask how you can be of assistance.
3.
Focus on the caller so that you can listen carefully to their request for
information or action. If taking a message, ensure you record the correct name,
contact details and message – repeat back to the caller if you are unsure.
4.
Remain patient and helpful – even if you have had a ‘trying’ day.
5.
Avoid multi-tasking while on the call (eg. there’s nothing more ‘revealing’
than the sound of the keyboard while on a call) – be present.
Tips for Making ‘First’ Calls.
How
you make phone calls, especially when you are calling for the first time, sends
an important message to your intended recipient. A phone call can be a very
personal and effective way of making contact, so here’s five quick tips for
making the ‘first call’ to another person or organisation:
1.
Have a goal in mind – what do you want to achieve with the call? Remember to
consider the call from the other person’s point of view – be able to answer
this question: ‘What value can I deliver for the other person?’
2.
Where possible, research
the person or organisation prior to the call –
find out some background information.
3.
Identify a clear opening
statement – note this down to guide you if
useful. This should include:
a.
State clearly who you are
b.
Where you are calling from
c.
What you are calling about
d.
How much time you’d like of the person
4.
Note down any important
information or details during the call.
5.
Use an approach that sends a message that you are professional, yet friendly.
General Tip
If
you are in a project role that requires you making contact with individuals or
organisation
with the aim of engaging them in your project, then consider putting
together
a process of how you go about making this first call. This is a great way to
ensure
that you have a ‘systemised’ approach.
8 Telephone Etiquette Tips
Whether at work, at home, or on your mobile phone,
here are 8 solid telephone etiquette tips everyone should be displaying at all
times.
1. Always identify yourself at the beginning
of all calls.
A) When in the office, always answer a telephone by
saying: “Hello/Good Morning, Accounting Department, Syndi Seid speaking.”
B) From a cell phone, either simply say Hello, or
state your name, Hello, Syndi Seid here. Do not answer by using words
such as “yeah” or “yes.”
C) When placing a call, always state your name along
with the name of the person you are calling. Example: “Hello, my name is John
Doe from XYZ Corporation. May I please speak with Ms. Jane Smith?”
2. Be sensitive to the tone of your voice. Do not sound overly
anxious, aggressive or pushy. It is important your tone conveys authority and
confidence. Do not lean back in your chair when speaking on the telephone.
Tip: Sit up in your chair or stand during the
conversation. When at home, use a personal tape recorder to privately record
your own conversations. You will then hear how your sound to others.
3. Think through exactly what you plan to say
and discuss BEFORE you place a call.
Tip: Jot down the items you want to discuss
and questions you want answered. In other words, anticipate and expect
you will be placed into a voicemail system; plan your message to be as direct
and specific as possible, asking the person to respond to specific alternatives
or questions. Do not say, “Hello, it’s Syndi, call me back.” At
least state the subject about which you want the person to call you back about.
4. Do not allow interruptions to occur during
conversations. Do not carry on side conversations with other people around you.
The person on the telephone takes precedence over someone who happens to walk
in your office or passes by while you are on the phone.
Tip: If you must interrupt the conversation, say
to the person, “Please excuse me for a moment I’ll be right back.” And
when you return, say, “Thank you for holding.”
5. Especially when leaving messages, speak
clearly and slowly. Do not use broken phrases, slang or idioms. Always, always leave your
return telephone number as part of your message, including the area code . . .
and S-L-O-W-L-Y, including REPEATING your telephone number at the end of your
message.
Tip: Practice leaving your number, by saying it
aloud to yourself as slow as you have heard an informational operator say it.
6. Build the habit of always turning off your
cell phone ringer when entering a meeting, restaurant, theater, training class,
or other place where the purpose of your visit would be interrupted or others would
be disturbed by hearing your cell phone ring.
Tip: If you are expecting an important call,
inform the caller you will be in a meeting during certain times and state you
will monitor your message indicator for when it illuminates you will excuse
yourself to leave the meeting and return the call.
7. Always speak into the telephone receiver
with an even and low tone of voice. Especially when speaking on
a cell phone out in public, be sure to monitor how loud you may be.
Tip: Move the phone ear piece just slightly away
from your ear and listen to yourself speaking. Discover whether you are
speaking too loudly or too quietly for the other person to hear you.
8. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by
other activities while speaking on the telephone, such as rustling papers,
chewing and eating, working on the computer, or speaking with someone
else. Most importantly, do not use a hand held cell phone while driving.
Get a headset or speaker phone for the car.
Tip: Always treat every caller with the utmost
courtesy and respect by giving him/her your undivided attention.
Question: What other items do you
have to add to this list? Do let us hear from you by locating this
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Happy Practicing!
8 Phone Etiquette Rules Every Professional Should Know
1. Announce your name when picking up the phone.
When answering your phone, use a
proper greeting and announce your full name, says Pachter. Using your first
name alone can sound too informal for every professional call and using only
your last name can sound too abrupt. The best thing to say is: "This is
Brittany Jones speaking," or, "This is Jake Jones."
2. Be aware of your speaking volume.
Some people just don't know how
loud they are, especially when their attention is focused on the person on the
other line.
"People still need to
be reminded to speak in a quiet, conversational voice," says Pachter.
"If the people around you are glaring at you, chances are, you need to
lower your voice." You should also be aware of your surroundings because
you never know who's paying attention to your conversation.
3. Don't answer your phone when meeting with others.
At a
meeting or meal, if you answer a call, you're basically telling the person
you're meeting with that someone else is more deserving of your time than they
are, says Pachter. If you are expecting an important phone call during your
meeting and there's no way you can reschedule it, then make sure to let the
person you're meeting with know ahead of time.
This isn't the best
scenario, but if it happens, you can say "I have to answer this" and
briefly explain why before taking the call.
4. Don't place your phone on the table when meeting others.
Pachter says this is another
way of showing the person you're meeting that they're not worth your time.
"How does this look
to the people with whom they are meeting?" writes Pachter. "That the
phone fanatics are so ready to drop them and connect with someone else."
Even if you don't actually answer the phone, it can be distracting.
5. Respect quiet zones.
If you're in the middle of
a meeting or a conference, it's rude to have your phone go off and disrupt the
speaker and everyone in the audience. The easiest fix is turning on the vibrate
button on your cellphone.
6. Choose a normal ring.
Do you really want your colleagues
to hear Kanye West's latest single blasting on your cellphone while you're
fumbling to silence it? Hopefully not. You need to consider what you use as a
ringtone and think about how other people are going to react to it, says
Pachter.
7. Let the other person know when you have them on speaker phone.
If you must put someone on speaker
phone, make sure you immediately let them know who else is in the room with
you, advises Pachter.
"There are many
horror stories of callers not being told, and then criticizing someone in the
room," she writes.
8. Don't leave long voicemails.
"Saving time is one
of the major reasons people give for not listening to their messages," says
Pachter, so when they do, don't leave them long-winded ones. Make your message
quick and straight-forward, just like you
would an email.
"Say what you have to
say succinctly. Speak clearly, and let the person know why you called,"
writes Pachter. "And if you leave your number, say the numbers slowly. It
drives people crazy when they have to replay the message numerous times in
order to get the right numbers."
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