Business Phone Etiquette

Courtesy is as important in speaking over the phone as in talking to people face-to-face. It is essential in career and for building good relations that we develop effective phone skills and are able to, for example, call to confirm an appointment or ask for an interview slot or speak with family/friends. Since we live in an age of information overload, it is difficult to predict how the person at the other end will react. Many of us have been through such kind of experiences. For example, when a caller is placed on hold, a minute seems like forever, this is a very common problem. Time is at a premium and people are stressed out. Given all this, no one wants to attend to that unexpected call during a busy day. But with little planning and preparation you can make a good impression through phone and achieve the objective of every phone call. Here are some specimens of feedback which can help you handle your calls in a better way:

Firstly, your tone of voice should be clear and sober. Try not to shout but speak distinctly. The person at the other end of the phone cannot see your facial expressions or gestures and the impression s/he receives depends on what he/she hears.

Second, always answer the call by saying “Hello”. “Hello” is the most proper way to answer a call.

These are the two main things which come to notice by the caller and would initiate his/her subject matter accordingly, not taking up the conversation in a hard way. Now going ahead with, here are a few steps which, when learnt, can do wonders to your communication.

·         Put off making important calls when you are too distracted or tired to give it your all. You have exactly one opportunity to make a great first impression and you will not make it, if you are not prepared.

·         Always ask whether it is a good time to talk when you are making a call. If not, ask when you can reach them again.

·         Try not to keep the other person on hold for a long time. If possible avoid it altogether. If you are making a call, you should have all the information readily available and do not keep someone on hold. If you can't help him/her right away, you can say that you will get back to her.

·         Open the call with a standard professional greeting depending on the time of the day. Mention your first name, organization, and the purpose of the call clearly and be as direct as possible. Don't beat around the bush; it can be very irritating.

·         It's a good idea to rehearse saying the person's name several times BEFORE making a phone call. This will help to avoid any pronunciation problems and also personalize the call.

·         Leave brief and clear messages on answering systems, providing your name, reason for the call and contact information. Do not forget to leave your phone number, even if the person has it, so s/he doesn't have to look it up.

·         Allow another person to take plenty of time to speak, and use prompt words such as "I see" and "really" (in a sincere tone, of course). This shows them that you are truly interested in what they are saying.

·         If the person you have called needs to get back to you with information, give him/her a variety of options such as e-mail, fax and voice-mail. The objective is to make it easy for them to get back to you.

·         Note: always put the telephone down during the conversation, gently.  DO NOT SLAM THE RECEIVER DOWN. The person at the other end may still have the phone close to his ear, and then a sudden sharp bang can be hurtful as well as rude.

Learning good telephone etiquette is extremely important and those who master it get a better chance of succeeding. Thus, go out there and sizzles up your phone calls and get more hands on it by enrolling at ELTIS.