Telephone Etiquette

3. Telephone Etiquette

Telephone is a medium of communication that no business organisation can do without. Use of the telephone makes communication faster, expedites work, increases productivity, and helps in clearing misunderstandings. But one has to follow certain principles of conduct in order to be able to use the telephone fruitfully. We should try to follow the following rules while using the telephone:

Receiving a call

1.     Be quick to respond. Do not keep the caller waiting.

2.     Hold the mouthpiece an inch away from your mouth while talking on the phone and the earpiece close to the ear in order to be able to listen clearly.

Greet the caller or the person you are calling cheerfully before you proceed with the conversation. Say hello; or good morning or good evening according to the time of the day.

3.     Always be polite to the person on the other end under all circumstances. Be liberal in using the markers of politeness like please, kindly, thank you, you are welcome etc. You cannot achieve the purpose of the call if you are rude or audacious.

4.     Have a message pad, pen and appointment book close at hand in order to take down any important information. Do not depend on your memory. Nobody has a perfect memory.

5.     Confirm the correctness of the information before you write it down by repeating it. Be especially careful with telephone numbers and other facts and numerical data. Similarly repeat the information to the person on the other end who is taking it down.

6.     Do not shout. Nor is it right to speak in too low a voice. Speak in your natural voice. It may be necessary to speak loudly sometimes in long distance calls but even then one should try to avoid shouting.

7.     Speak clearly. Do not mumble or run words into each other.

8.     Always be willing to give the information that the caller wants to have. If you do not have it with you immediately, tell the caller to call again after some time and get the required information in the meantime.

9.      Ensure that the information is correct. Never give wrong information. If you have any doubts, confirm it before passing it on to the other party.

10.            If you are making the call, introduce yourself and the organisation you represent before you proceed with the conversation. Similarly, if you are receiving a call, ask the caller to identify himself and his organisation before you give him any information.

11.            Do not give any information to anybody without first knowing who he is. The information fall into wrong hands and be used to harm the interests of your organisation.

12.            Do not waste your own time and that of the other person by indulging in unnecessary conversation. Time is precious and it costs.

13.            Treat every call as important. Give the caller the impression that he is being taken seriously and attended to. Do not let him feel that you take him lightly or casually.

14.            Give as much importance to inside calls as to outside ones because people in the organisation are equally important and they may also need the information urgently.

15.            Have all the sources of information about your organisation within easy reach so that you may be able to give the required information to the caller without any delay.

16.            Sometimes, the caller may want to talk to somebody other than you. If so, tell the caller to wait and inform the person who is wanted if he is available. If he is not there at the time, let the caller know when he will be available.

17.            You may sometimes be required to transfer a call. Do it without delay. And keep the caller informed of what is happening if it takes longer than usual to connect the call. Do not keep him waiting and guessing whether he is being attended to or not.

18.            If the caller wants to leave a message to be communicated to somebody in the organisation, note the message down and then remember to deliver it to the person concerned as soon as possible. Take down the phone number of the caller as well as his name and address and the number at which he can be contacted. Try to deliver it personally and not entrust the job to somebody else.

Making a Call

19.            Do not call at a time when it would be inconvenient for the receiver to attend to your call e.g. at meal times or too early in the morning or too late at night unless there is an emergency and it is absolutely necessary.

20.            In case you do not get the response, repeat the ring once because the called person may not be close to the phone to take it up immediately. But do not go on repeating if he does not respond even the second time.

21.            Do not recall if the person called cuts it off. It means he is not in a position to take the call.

22.            Try to make a call at a time when the rates are low if the call is not very important and if the time is not inconvenient to the receiver.

23.            You may sometimes have to deal with difficult callers. Be extra-polite and try to calm them down. Feel sorry or express regret if necessary. Assure them that what they wanted to be done will be done as soon as possible. If it is not possible, explain it to them and tell them why it cannot be done. But do not get annoyed and disconnect the phone. This gives them all the more reason to feel offended.