Business 101: Telephone Etiquette...

For The Office

The popularity of e-mail in the workplace has certainly decreased the amount of business communication that takes place on the telephone, but good telephone etiquette is still essential. Although it is easy to be polite and professional on the telephone, the simple rules explained in this article are frequently overlooked or ignored.

First of all, the telephone should be answered promptly whenever possible. Multitasking in a business environment has become almost a necessity, but when a phone call cannot be answered promptly and given your full attention, it is often better to let it ring through to voice mail and returned as soon as possible. The caller will likely be able to intimate when you are feeling rushed or inconvenienced by the call, and that makes for a poor first impression.

When answering your office phone, you should give a greeting (such as ìGood morningî or ìgood afternoonî), your name, and your title when appropriate. Many offices also require you to thank the caller and state the name of your company. A good greeting or ìphone scriptî is very important for maintaining a professional image and eliminates any potential for confusion about with whom the caller is speaking.

When on a business call, the caller should be given your full attention. You should not be eating, chewing gum, reading or answering e-mail, or having additional conversations with your coworkers. Conversations should be kept at a reasonable volume, both for the benefit of the caller and any nearby co-workers.

If it becomes necessary to put a caller on hold for any reason, it is polite to ask if the caller is able to hold, rather than to simply tell the caller that they must hold. If a caller tells you that he is unable to hold, ask for a full name and phone number and tell the caller you will get back to him as soon as you have the requested information or have dealt with the interruption.

Keep your vocabulary and tone professional at all times. Slang terms, idioms, and foul language should be avoided without exception. You should also never sound irritated or annoyed when having a business phone conversation.

At the end of the call, you should always ask the caller if there is anything else you can help him with, and thank the caller for contacting your company. The phone should be hung up gently and with as little noise as possible. Nothing ruins a professional phone conversation quite as effectively and slamming the phone down.

Telephone conversations in the workplace should be handled with as much care and courtesy as any other interpersonal interaction. These few simple rules should help you make the best possible impression on anyone who needs to call your place of business.

By April M. Ardito

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