Telephone Etiquette For Worker

What is telephone etiquette? It is the correct or professional manners or courtesies one should have when using the telephone.

Why bother with telephone courtesies? When you speak over the telephone, you are the voice of your company. To the caller, you represent the company. Quality products and services must be complemented with courteous and efficient services on the telephone. This is for building good public relations between your company and clients.

Unfortunately, we can be overwhelmed by the stress of the day and make these common mistakes when answering the telephone:
1.Allowing the telephone to ring for too long
2.Mumbling, speaking too fast and talking with food in the mouth
3.Putting on an ascent
4.No greetings
5.Rude, impatient and unfriendly reply
6.Shouting or raising your voice when you cannot hear the caller clearly
7.Not addressing the caller by his name
8.Holding two conversation at the same time
9.Making the caller wait unnecessarily
10.Failure to check the caller’s name and other details for return call
11.Taking complaints as personal criticism
12.Slamming the telephone down before the caller finishes talking
Simple steps, such as, answering calls promptly (within three rings), speaking with a clear and normal tone of voice, putting a ‘smile’ in your voice and being helpful to the caller, can be learnt quickly by anyone in your office. If you are feeling irritated or moody, try not to let it be reflected in your voice - take a deep breathe and count to ten (or less) before answering the call. Otherwise, take a break.

What are telephone techniques? This is an art of using the telephone correctly and effectively, to achieve one’s goals. Good telephone techniques pave the way for effective communication between our callers and us. It also helps to save time and achieve our objective in making the telephone call. Bad techniques may cause irritation, loss of business and reflect poorly on the company.

Build a rapport with the caller from the onset to ward off any feeling of uneasiness or anxiety when the call is made. Once the rapport is established, it would be easy for us to communicate the information required to the caller.

So, how can we establish this rapport with the caller? Well, it’s all in the person’s attitude. As this mode of communication relies on the message relay through our VOICE, having a positive attitude and speaking with the right tone of voice are essential for the caller to get the message correctly. Good posture will also help to control your voice. Start to practise these techniques and remember the golden rule: do unto others what you would like others to do unto you.

Telephone Techniques in the Workplace

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, never did he dream that his invention would create an unprecedented historical impact on how we communicate with one another. The telephone has become so much a part of our lives that it would seem incomprehensible to live without one! Most of our communication, whether personal or business, is initiated and conducted via the telephone. Whilst technology has since advanced greatly to allow us to send SMS or e-mails through various innovative gadgets, we can never downplay the importance of our telephone, whether PABX system, cordless or not.

One day, someone came to see of my bosses. As he was walking in, he was screaming into his handphone. It was awfully loud and disruptive to our concentration. Have you ever wondered how the person on the other end of the line would perceive you as a caller? Or you may have a bad day. As soon as you step into the office, you find your phone ringing incessantly and you pick it up and bark: “Hello, what do you want?” I would think that a bad impression would have already been formed in the mind of the caller, even though he may be your friend. In the workplace, this can translate to bad image for your company as a whole.

First impression plays a major role in determining whether you want to further the acquaintanceship or steer clear from that person. Likewise, in a telephone conversation, the first few words you utter will determine the ‘tone’ of the conversation. If you sounded cheerful, the caller would be equally receptive to talk and you may even find yourself an invaluable friend or client. It is critical that every time you pick up a call, you make a good impression. Good telephone etiquette is an asset, irrespective whether you are a receptionist or the CEO of a company.