Business Telephone Etiquette
The telephone plays a great role in many of your personal and business transactions. People, young or old are holding on their phones, mobile or otherwise, no matter where they are to keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues. Most business deals become successful through telephone negotiations. It is thus important to set up a program that will teach your staff proper business telephone etiquette.
Proper etiquette when using the phone mostly requires "common sense" but you need to learn some skills to become effective when it comes to using the telephone for business purposes. If your business is reliant on people skill and customer relations to become successful then you need to invest in a training program, seminars or workshops that will teach your employees the proper way of answering the business telephone.
Your staff may have grown in a culture where telephone calls are answered in a friendly but informal manner. To train your staff, you can avail of the services of a communication centre or schools that specialize in training employees to become effective speakers. Phone etiquette is easily learned and it only requires you to invest a little time and effort to be able to master the skills that can win your clients' confidence even on the telephone. You can even set up an award system to encourage and motivate your staff to answer business calls the proper way.
The first thing to remember is to formulate a standard greeting which your staff can use when answering the office phone. Answer the telephone and identify yourself and your company instead of just saying "good morning" or "good afternoon" and then asking the caller's name. If you are answering a colleague's phone line then make sure you identify not only your name but also mention your colleague's name so that the other party would not think he has the wrong number. If you are the one making the call then make sure you exercise proper telephone etiquette especially when talking to the gatekeepers or the secretaries of the people you are calling. Gatekeepers are very influential people and they can make a difference if you want to reach the big boss even when they are about to leave the office. If you are regularly calling an office then it would be a good idea to be familiar with the names of the secretaries or the receptionists to make them feel important. Once you have been connected to the proper party you have to remind them of the subject of the call and not presume that they know what you are calling about. It is always polite to ask the other party if he has time to take your call especially if the call is unexpected. If the other does not have enough time to take your call then just state the purpose of the call briefly and ask the other person the most convenient time for him to take your call. It is important to take down notes of a telephone conversation and to reap the conversation to be sure you and the other party are on the same page. This will avoid misunderstandings later on especially when it comes to dates and time of meetings and other appointments. It is always polite to end the call on a positive note because you never know when you will have to speak to the same person on the phone again. If you want to get a head start in your employment then you need to learn the proper business telephone etiquette. If you are too busy to attend seminars or workshops then choose a book on proper telephone etiquette and get some helpful tips.
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