Guidelines of Etiquette for Phone Skills in the Workplace

Your company image is everything -- it can make or break your success as well as your business reputation. The telephone is the first point of contact for your customers, applicants, clients and vendors. Consequently, your receptionist, secretary or customer service representative should demonstrate professionalism and decorum during every telephone call.

Formal Greeting

Your business should have a formal greeting, and for some businesses, a scripted version for answering telephone calls. A businesslike greeting includes a "good morning" or "good afternoon" followed by the name of the business and the name of the department or the person answering the call. For example, "Good morning, Business Communication Central, Susan Martin speaking. How may I direct your call?" Experienced receptionists, secretaries or call-takers are accustomed to answering business phones and can script a greeting that's both pleasant and professional.

Answer Promptly

Callers don't like to wait too long for the phone to be answered, otherwise they may assume your company is closed for the day or that you're too busy to tend to customers' needs. As you set guidelines for answering calls, make it your company's goal to answer telephone calls by the third ring. If you must, have an automated call system put the caller on hold. However, don't let callers linger on hold forever. The call-taker should monitor the lines continuously to ensure calls aren't holding waiting for someone to answer.

Unpleasant Noise

Don't answer telephone calls when you're chewing or drinking. Chewing is an absolute no-no, and no caller should ever hear you eating while on the telephone. Likewise, drinking should be kept to a minimum and using a straw to get the last ounce is an atrocious sound, whether on the telephone or in person. Demonstrating the same proper etiquette and graciousness on the telephone that you would in person sets the proper tone for handling professional telephone calls.

Conflict Management

Unhappy clients have been known to take out their frustrations on the first person they encounter when they call to complain about a product or service. The key to maintaining excellent customer service is to refrain from responding in-kind to a rude customer. Providing training on conflict resolution and interactions with irate customers is an effective method to providing call-takers with solutions on how to handle disgruntled callers.

Messages

Transcribing messages is a critical aspect of professional telephone etiquette. A complete phone message should include the caller's name, the person he is calling, a briefly stated reason for the call and a number where the caller can be reached. This goes for voice-mail messages and written messages. If you're leaving a message for someone, follow similar guidelines. Always speak clearly and slowly when you're recording numbers on a voice-mail greeting, and repeat the number so you give the listener a chance to jot down the number.

Additional Tips and reminders:

Make sure you speak clearly and are smiling as you answer the phone; also identify yourself.

Never argue or put the blame on the customer.

Never tell a customer something that you are not 100% sure of.

Before placing a caller on hold, ask their permission first and thank them.

It is better to return a call than to keep someone on hold too long. If the phone rings back to you, you’ve kept them on hold too long.

Do not forget to return the call as you promised.

Do not permit the phone to ring into the office more than three times.

Always use a pleasant, congenial and friendly tone.

Never interrupt the person while he/she is talking to you.

Never engage in an argument with a caller.

Do not handle an unhappy caller’s concern openly at the checkin/checkout desk.

Do not make it a habit of receiving personal calls at work.

Do not answer the phone if you are eating or chewing gum.

Do not give the impression that you are rushed. It is better to return the call when you can give the person the time they need to handle the reason for their call.

Learn how to handle several callers simultaneously with ease and grace.

Return calls promptly that have been left on voice mail.

Always get the best number (and an alternate) and the best time to have a call returned to the caller, especially if a manager or another team member must return the call.

Do not ever leave a message with someone else or on an voice mail regarding details of a delinquent account. Instead, leave a message asking the person to call the “Accounting Department.”

Always make collection calls in private and away from the patient flow or public areas.

If possible, provide a telephone for patients/customers/clients to use. An area providing privacy is preferred.

Do not call a patient, customer or client’s home before 8:00AM or after 9:00PM, unless they’ve given you permission to do so.

When hanging up the phone, make sure the caller or person called hangs up first if the phone is slammed on the receiver. Otherwise, always hang up the phone, gently.