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Good manners are
good for business, while great manners can set you apart. If you're under stress
or in a hurry, it's easy to let your guard down and fail to observe the basics.
But if you take a deep breath before you call, good manners can actually get you
the results you want - faster. Here's a rundown of some quick tips to brush up
on your phone manners and phone style.
Phone
strategy
- Treat the call as
if it were a meeting - have a purpose, and an agenda.
- Decide what you'll
do if someone answers other than the person you're calling. Would you prefer to
leave a message, go to voice mail, or call back later?
- If you're on a
scheduled call, be at your desk at the appointed time.
- Learn the names of
the people who answer the phones at the numbers you call most frequently. Speak
pleasantly to them, and if you talk to them very frequently, send them a card or
gift on their birthday or over the holidays.
Do's and
don'ts
- Don't type or
shuffle papers while you're on the phone - it suggests that you're not listening
to the caller.
- If you have to put
the phone down, do it gently to spare your caller's ear.
- Rid your mouth of
food, gum, cough drops, or candy before talking on the phone - the receiver
amplifies your noshing.
- If you have to
sneeze or cough, turn your head and cover your mouth - and the receiver.
- Speak directly
into the receiver - don't bury it in your shoulder or neck.
- If you dial the
wrong number, explain yourself and verify the phone number so you don't repeat
the call. Don't hang up; that's just rude.
- Cut down on the
background noise when taking or making a call. Radios, televisions, and even
computer bings and bleeps can be distracting over the phone.
Taking messages
- Record the time
and date the call came in.
- Verify the
caller's name, company name, and phone number.
- Initialize the
message, so if the person who received the message has any questions, he or she
can contact you.
- Get a short
statement about the caller's intent.
- Regina M.
Robo, News Editor
Resources and
related reading
Letitia Baldridge - Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette
Judith Martin - Miss Manners Guide for the Turn of the Millennium
Peggy
Post - Emily Post's Etiquette
Peggy Post and Peter Post -
The Etiquette Advantage in Business
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