Sample Telephone Self-assessment Checklist

Student's Name:
Date:
Person Spoken To:
Reason for Call:
1. Was I polite and professional?
2. Did I identify myself immediately?
3. Was I prepared with notes and a note pad?
4. Did I attend to the listener?
5. Did I show respect for my listener?
6. Did I keep the call brief and on topic?
7. Did I double check my facts?
8. Did I follow up on the conversation with a note or letter?

Social Tips

Speaking on the telephone:

DO

DON’T

plan the call thoroughly. Have clear objectives send an e-mail before you call when necessary anticipate what the other person will say. Prepare your responses. have all necessary information to hand consult your notes for essential phrases e-mail ahead to allow the person time to prepare smile when you phone. Be polite and agreeable check that your respondent is free to talk be efficient. You are representing your company use questions to identify key issues. be concise, time is money listen actively. Confirm regularly that you understand. stand up. It gives you more authority speak clearly and slowly allow people to finish what they are saying handle complaints politely. avoid complex language. check the other person understand. take notes during a call. Write them up after. send a follow-up e-mail to confirm. finish with a positive phrase.

call if you are unprepared assume your respondent is available to talk when you call lose control if someone becomes aggressive forget that you represent the company on the phone waste time pretend to understand assume the person has understood everything interrupt rely on your memory for important details forget to write down important details put the handset down too quickly. It can seem rude leave your mobile phone switched on in the theatre

Practice

Activity 1. Test your telephone skills

We all cannot imagine our future job without making contacts with people and making calls to prospective clients. But sometimes we can find that it's not so easy. We want to propose you to test Your Telephone Effectiveness and then we'll tell you some important steps to make it easy to phone for you.

And now try to find out if your phone practices are winning or losing customers.

If your customers aren't impressed by you on the telephone, they can switch businesses by merely hanging-up and dialling the competition. So, your telephone skills can have a significant impact on your business and your career.

To find out how you are perceived, take this telephone test.

1. How long does it take you and to answer the phone?

1. 5 rings or less

2. 3 rings or less

3. under 3 rings

2. Do you answer your phone with any of the following?

1. "Hello."

2. "(Company name only)"

3. "(last name only)"

4. "Good afternoon, this is (your full name), how can I help you?"

3. Have you ever said, "Please hold" to a caller?

1. yes

2. no

4. How long: does it take a person on hold to become annoyed?

1. 2 minutes

2. 30 seconds

3. 1 minute

4. 17 seconds

5. When you're talking on the phone while a visitor walks in, who gets priority?

1. the visitor

2. the caller

6. When receiving a call for a co-worker, how are you most likely to respond?

1. "Susan's not in right now, so I'll have to take a message."

2. "Susan's still at lunch. Can I take a message?"

3. "Susan's should be back soon. Could you call back in about 15 minutes"

Answers

1. After two rings, callers are wondering what's going on. Your phone should be answered in-person by the second ring or by your voice-mail system by the fourth ring.

2. All of these greetings have flaws. A, B, and C are too abrupt and don't provide enough information. D is too wordy and dissuades callers from identifying themselves because it encourages them to get to the point rather than saying their name. A better greeting is, "Thank you for calling ABC Company. This is John." If you are taking a call that's transferred to you, then always identify yourself as you wished to be addressed.

3. Never put a caller on-hold without asking for their permission, and then waiting for their response. Putting customers on hold without their consent is a sure-fire formula to lose customers.

4. Studies show that after only 17 seconds, callers on hold become annoyed. The exception is when the greeter explains why the caller is being asked to hold and provides the estimated time required. Knowing beforehand how long they can expect to wait reduces the chance of annoyance, particularly among long distance and cellular phone callers. Another option to prevent frustration is to offer the caller the option of either holding or hanging up and having their call returned within a brief, specific time period.

5. The person who made the effort to show up in-person gets priority. That means you need to interrupt the caller. The quickest way to get that caller's attention is to call their name. "George, I have someone who just walked in, can I ask you to hold for a moment?" Wait for their agreement. Then acknowledge the visitor, tell them you'll be in a moment, and wrap-up your telephone conversation. If you're talking to a customer in person when the phone rings, then get someone else to answer the phone, or use voice mail.

6. All of these statements have flaws that make the greeter sound unhelpful and unprofessional.

1. The statement, "I'll have to take a message," makes it sound like an inconvenient chore. Instead, change two words: "I'll be happy to take a message." The bonus is that you don't work any harder but you convey the impression of someone with a terrific customer service attitude.

2. It's completely irrelevant that the co-worker is at lunch. It's also irrelevant whether your co-worker is "in a meeting" or "with a customer" or "busy". The only relevant information is they're not coming to the phone. Therefore, "Susan is not available right now" is the most appropriate response, followed by, "I'd be happy to take a message."

3. asking a caller to phone back later gives the impression that you're too lazy or disorganized to take a message.

Activity 2. Telephoning Polite Language Review 

Find more polite ways of saying these things

1. What do you want?

2. I want to speak to someone in the marketing department

3. Give me your name

4. Wait

5. He’s speaking to someone else on the phone now

6. Let me speak to Mr. Thatcher

7. Wait

8. No, I have to speak to only him

9. Tell him to call me back

10. Give me your name and telephone number

11. And?

12. Nothing more

13. Again, I must speak to Mr. Thatcher from the Marketing Department

14. Is he free?

15. Tell me your name again

16. Very sorry

17. Give me your message

18. Quickly!

19. Wait

20. Do you want the number of his mobile phone?

21. Tell me if this is the right number

22. Speak loudly

Test each other in pairs, then role play whole conversations. The person who can contact someone the quickest is the winner.