WHETHER at work, at home, or on your mobile phone, here are 7 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, John Bull speaking.”
(B) From a cell phone, either simply say, “Hello,” or state your name, “Hello, John Bull 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 Bull from XY2 Corporation. May I please speak with Mrs. 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 learn back on 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 you 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 to answer. In other words, plan you 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 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 out side talk or 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. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 handset or speaker phone for the ear.
TIP: Always treat every caller with the utmost courtesy and respect by giving him/her your undivided attention.
