Telephone Etiquette
Telephone Etiquette
A phone is ringing somewhere in your office. By the third ring the call should be
Answered. BUT… before you pick up that phone:
1. Clear your mind of all but the task at hand – responding to the caller.
2. Prepare your phone voice
3. Answers by the 3rd ring
4. Offer your standardized greeting.
5. Be prepared before you respond.
6. Treat the caller with respect; be efficient, effective, empathetic and responsive.
Clear Your Mind of all but the Task at Hand – Responding to the
Caller
There’s nothing worse than trying to carry on a conversation with someone who is reading their emails, looking at documents or distracted with something other than your conversation. You can always tell; there’s an extended pause in the conversation while you wait for a response but they have none because they were looking through a magazine while chatting on the phone. It’s frustrating, it’s rude, it makes you feel unimportant and they are likely to miss important information for lack of focus. BE PRESENT WITH YOUR CALLER
Being present requires FOCUS. Your center of interest should be on the caller and their conversation. Allowing distractions can result in important information being overlooked or worse, the caller identifies you as a poor provider of customer service and tells others.
Hints:
* Turn away from your computer and desk when you answer the phone * Put down your reading material. * Focus your attention on the caller * Take the gum out of your mouth * No drinking or eating during the conversation
Activity
Take an informal survey of the people you see talking on the phone. How
Many are focusing their attention on the caller? Pay attention when you are
Talking to someone on the phone, do you think they are giving you 100% of?
A phone is ringing somewhere in your office. By the third ring the call should be
Answered. BUT… before you pick up that phone:
1. Clear your mind of all but the task at hand – responding to the caller.
2. Prepare your phone voice
3. Answers by the 3rd ring
4. Offer your standardized greeting.
5. Be prepared before you respond.
6. Treat the caller with respect; be efficient, effective, empathetic and responsive.
Clear Your Mind of all but the Task at Hand – Responding to the
Caller
There’s nothing worse than trying to carry on a conversation with someone who is reading their emails, looking at documents or distracted with something other than your conversation. You can always tell; there’s an extended pause in the conversation while you wait for a response but they have none because they were looking through a magazine while chatting on the phone. It’s frustrating, it’s rude, it makes you feel unimportant and they are likely to miss important information for lack of focus. BE PRESENT WITH YOUR CALLER
Being present requires FOCUS. Your center of interest should be on the caller and their conversation. Allowing distractions can result in important information being overlooked or worse, the caller identifies you as a poor provider of customer service and tells others.
Hints:
* Turn away from your computer and desk when you answer the phone * Put down your reading material. * Focus your attention on the caller * Take the gum out of your mouth * No drinking or eating during the conversation
Activity
Take an informal survey of the people you see talking on the phone. How
Many are focusing their attention on the caller? Pay attention when you are
Talking to someone on the phone, do you think they are giving you 100% of?