21 Business Telephone Etiquette Tips for Professionals
Shamim Ansary
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Business telephone etiquette is an art that needs professional tips. Every one of us can talk over the telephone, but how many of us can do it appropriately? Are we sure we can bring a win-win outcome through having a phone call? People should think of much about business phone etiquette.
Business telephone etiquette tips
In this article, I am going to talk about business telephone etiquette tips.
Business phone etiquette
What might be considerable and can set up benchmarks for a successful telephone conversation? What are modern telephone etiquette tips for professionals? This article intends to provide a complete guide to office phone etiquette as business, office, and personal skills. We will see what business telephone etiquette tips are.
This business phone etiquette described here is applicable to mobile, telephone, or any other audio conversation through any other medium.
What is telephone etiquette?
Telephone etiquette is a way of proper communication to achieve a specific objective of business, office, customer service, call center, and personal life, in the shortest possible time. Telephone etiquette means unwritten mutual consent between two parties to intentionally talk together in a clear-cut way of communication. Business telephone etiquette derives an invisible visual impression between the communicators through an amicable audio response.
Basics tips of telephone etiquette cover showing due honor to the person you are communicating with. Proper telephone etiquette is a decent way to represent your voice as your level of personality that should impress the other person. Telephone etiquette includes demonstrating attention to the other person's probable limitations, as well as the democratic right to deliberately speak out.
Importance of office phone etiquette
The importance of office phone etiquette is so magnanimous that the success of many businesses, professions, and offices directly or indirectly depends on it. Proper telephone etiquette is a vital facet of communication since you represent not only yourself, your goal, business, or department lay behind you.
Appropriate office phone etiquette training is the ground of practice and attention. In a telephonic conversation, each other can't see the gesture, body language, or facial expressions of the opposite. Therefore our words, tome, and time should be so selective that the other party doesn't feel miscommunication and inferiority in any way.
We should be caring about any unintentional rudeness and indifference that might cause plenty of losses, which include, fail deal, misinterpretation of information, and permanent breach of relationship, among others. This demands proper attention to the importance of telephone etiquette.
Perspectives of telephone etiquette
At the outset, we have to understand the perspective of the telephone (or mobile phone) communication. Office phone etiquette is not that much easy an issue to just pick up the handset and say "Hello".
Different situations deserve different telephone etiquette for their success. Answering a business call is far more different from that of a personal telephone call. Call at night and during the pick hours deserve a different approach and tone. A phone call for selling a refrigerator and asking for an installment return are not the same or even similar
The tone, language, approach change in situations. Some offices, like a call center, customer care, or reception desk of a posh organization employ professionals who are equipped with a higher level of communication skills and a decent track record.
By considering the following telephone etiquette rules, you can make sure you are in the driving seat of communication:
1. Plan
Think through exactly what you plan to say and discuss BEFORE you place a call.
Know whom are you talking to, to make sure to talk to the right person.
Rehearse what you are going to talk about.
2. Introduce yourself
The right introduction is one of the basic parts of office phone etiquette. Introduce myself and the organization always at the beginning of all calls. A person should obtain healthy habits in order to be polite and professional.
3. Ask permission to talk
Ask permission if the recipient has time to talk, 'May I talk..'
Clarify the purpose of the call at the beginning of the connection.
Ask permission if the phone call needs a recording.
Ask before putting the caller on hold.
Politely put off receiver asking ‘I will call you later in case any collision might be taken place.
4. Talk clearly
As we discussed earlier, your voice is your representation in a phone call for successful business phone call etiquette. Speak out in the right tone, clear voice, and moderate pace. Pay attention to your accent and approach. Your message should clearly be transmitted to the recipient.
5. Ask permission for calling back
In case the receiver doesn't allow you to talk right now, ask for a time later on. It is a common business phone call etiquette.
6. Greet
Greet properly, humbly, respectfully, politely. Because the recipient will definitely love it. The greeting is an identity of humans, and obviously an important office telephone etiquette.
Be submissive, because the recipient will love positive-minded people. We will not be dominating whatsoever. It belongs to modern telephone etiquette tips for professionals.
7. Smile
Keep a 'smile in your voice'. It means your voice and tone should be so impressive that the other person welcomes you from her heart. Rejoice yourself, to rejoice the other person. Showing a smiling voice is a part of successful business phone call etiquette.
8. Use the right language
Your wording and language are important to win your purpose. All words, language, and accents are not suitable at every place.
Do groundwork before you call. Know the pros and cons of the person as much as possible.
When you have called a customer who just has lost her mother, 'how are you, I hope everything is well' is not the right language.
9. Listen
The other person may also have something to say. Listen and take notes. The more you will listen, the better you have chances to win her heart. It is taught in telephone manner skills. The same rule applies to business Voice Over IP phone.
10. Converse short
Say only necessary talks, when you talk much, the recipient might lose the core message. Less is more, so show your office telephone etiquette properly for a successful ending.
Keep the talk short, the telephone is not a way to gossip
11. Answer a call soon
It is a good practice if you pick the phone soon while it is ringing, preferably within 3 rings. You should not keep the other party waiting for a long, it's not proper office telephone etiquette.
The person who has called you has the most attention and respect up to that time.
12. Break the ice
Develop a relationship with the recipient through some ice-breaking sentences. Telephone manner skills will make a comfortable conversation ahead.
Your caring approach will break the uncomfortable wall.
13. Pick the right time
Not all the time of a day is the same to call a person. Consider time as a part of proper office telephone etiquette.
You can't call a damn busy businessperson during the pick time, or a virgin client at the deep of night.
14. Use the right tone and voice
Make sure the voice must create a pleasant visual impression over the telephone, as its a crucial business phone call etiquette
Be sensitive to the tone of your voice. Because the listener won't see your face.
Speak into the telephone receiver with an even and low tone of voice.
Speak clearly and slowly, especially when leaving messages.
15. Control your volume
The phone is not a medium to speak at high volume, neither at low volume. Maintaining the perfect volume is a part of business phone call etiquette.
16. Improvise
You might have to improvise in some cases, when all the pre-plan may not work as per expectation.
The best way to make a habit of improvisation is to consider yourself in the other person's place.
Think before you call, what might be the options.
17. Show courtesy
Not to allow interruptions to occur during conversations. Do not carry on side conversations with other people around you.
Build the habit of always turning off your cell phone ringer when entering a meeting, restaurant, theater, training class, or another relevant place.
Don't allow yourself to be distracted by other activities while speaking on the telephone because you cannot pay full attention.
We do not recommend rustling papers, chewing and eating, working on the computer, or speaking with someone else during your talk.
Answer the telephone as quickly as possible while it's ringing.
It belongs to modern telephone etiquette tips for professionals.
18. Show honesty
Be honest when you really don't know what to answer. Speaking truth is the best way of a business phone call etiquette. Telephone manner skills tell you to have to be diplomatic answering a phone call.
19. Recap core message
Before concluding, it is a good idea to recap your core message to the other person. A decent summary of the phone call will spur the other person with a call to action.
20. Conclude decently
Make time for a proper ending. It is proper business phone etiquette.
Don't drop the phone suddenly, because it will cause a negative impression.
Summarize, paraphrase, and close.
21. Practice
Keep practicing the whole process regularly. It will give you the confidence to transform much better a performer every time.
Write down the script.
Talk in front of the mirror.
Make mock calls as tests among your colleagues and friends.
The takeout of telephone etiquette tips
These are some basic rules for telephone manner skills and business phone etiquette. Everyone can talk, but smart people can create an impression. The smarter you are, and the purposeful is your business telephone etiquette. These are some business telephone etiquette tips for professionals in the present time. It should be one of the very useful ingredients to convert failure into success in life.