Telephone: Answering CallsIf your company has a long name, come up with a way to shorten it and never combine a long identification with a long follow-up. Keeping your telephone answer to fewer than 10 words can prevent the caller from tuning out or becoming irritated.
Don't blatantly base your availability to talk on the identity of your caller. You are either in or out, available or unavailable. However before the phone rings, you always have the option of telling your assistant whose calls you'll take.
Answering the phone with a clear, pleasant voice conveys that you are both professional and personable. When you speak on the phone, the vocal and verbal components of your demeanor become exaggerated because the visual component of your professional presence is missing.
The 1st call always takes priority. If another call comes in when you are on the phone you should put the original caller on hold only long enough to take the 2nd caller's message and if you must terminate the original call, make sure it is, for instance, your CEO wants to have a word with you.
Before putting people on hold or transferring calls, it's courteous to ask the person if he/she wishes to. Get back to the person on hold every 20 or 30 seconds to let the person know what's happening. If you're transferring the person to the appropriate, give the person the extension before you make the transfer in case she/he gets disconnected.
When you are away from the office make sure that your coworkers have the accurate information on when you will return so repeat callers won't get different versions of the best time to reach you.
If a person isn't there while returning the call, remember to leave a message. Never delay returning a "bad news" call, the sooner you tell the person and explain what difficulties you've encountered, the sooner the person can move on to other alternatives, which is doing a favor to the caller.
Messages do sometimes go astray. When that happens, it's gracious to admit it and return the call explaining why you failed to return the person's call in time, apologizing for the delay, and asking if your assistance is still needed.
Telephone: Placing Calls
When reaching the wrong party, don't just hang up, ask the recipient if you reached the # you planned to dial, which keeps you from reaching the wrong party again. If you must leave a message or ask someone to call you back, make sure you leave your name, number, and the information on the best time to reach you.
Sales personnel can send out a will-call letter, outlining the basic proposal that a prospective client can digest at his/her leisure before a follow-up call is made. Once you've reached the person, structure the phone conversation by stating the purpose or problem then outlining the options & their ramifications, and ending with some sort of conclusion.
While calling for request or a favor, be careful about "You" statement such as "you forgot", "you neglected", or "you must" can sound accusatory on the phone even when said in a moderate tone. Instead, put your comments in the form of a question: "could you get that done within today?", "did you complete the report on that project?" or use "I" statements: I need it to be done within today or I'll be in big trouble if the report is unfinished.
