Theme 4 telephoning

Introduction. Nowadays, even with e-mail and the Internet, the telephone is still the most common means of communication in business. Telephone is very important in modern business operations.

What makes a ‘good’ phone call? From a business point of view, a good phone call has a clear aim; for example, it keeps the customer happy, or succeeds in persuading the customer, or allows information to be passed on accurately. Both interlocutors contribute to this process. However, in business, a phone call should not be allowed to fail just because the other persons’ telephone skills are poor. So a telephone call must be managed in order to achieve the business aim.

Advantages of the Telephone

• It is fast.

• It is cheap.

• It saves travel time.

• It is convenient. It allows people to converse even when they are unable to meet;

• It is a great focuser: it removes the social and emotional distractions of a face-to-face encounter.

• It gives the facility of audio- and videoconferencing.

• A telephone conversation is often as effective as a face-to-face meeting.

Telephone problems

The telephone has the power to convey a poor impression of the efficiency of individuals and organizations and create confusion and irritation.

Telephone calls do not necessarily save time – and in business time is money. We have all suffered from the irritating waste of time caused by bad telephone manners:

• Trying to get a line;

• The person required not being available and having to listen to their message before we can give one;

• Being left hanging on (albeit to the sound of Mozart or Dave Brubeck!) by an operator who appears to have gone to lunch;

• Being passed from department to department in an effort to find someone who can answer the query;

• Wrong or engaged numbers;

• A caller who seems to have all the time in the world to chat when we are busy.

Any one of these time-wasters can take longer than it takes to write or dictate a letter.

First impressions count

Frequently, the first contact a caller has with an organization is with the person who answers their first call. That person can create a bad impression of the organization either through a lack of courtesy or lack of knowledge about the organization.

The faceless voice

Although the standard telephone allows oral communication, most do not yet transmit visual communication. Facial expressions, gestures and posture not only help to convey the real meaning of words, but are often the principal means of feedback in face-to-face conversation, allowing misunderstandings to be instantly corrected. Without visual communication and consequent feedback the following typical problems occur during telephone calls:

• Words are missed

• Words are misheard

• The message is misunderstood.

With the lack of visual communication, messages are received incorrectly; it can also cause messages to be transmitted incorrectly.

Many people have developed a positive dislike of the telephone because they cannot see the person to whom they are talking; they lack the confidence to make and answer calls clearly and efficiently. The proliferation of voicemail and answering machines has, for many people, made this fear even worse.

Basic telephone rules

1. Be brief. But not at the expense of making yourself clearly understood or being abrupt and discourteous.

2. Be courteous. Especially when you don’t want to create a bald impression, which is so difficult to correct. Your tone of voice is crucial in conveying a courteous, cheerful impression as are the words you use. Remember too, that even if you are not yet using a video phone, your facial expression affects the tone of your voice. Smile!

A smile can be heard – in the tone of voice, which will sound pleasant and interested. If you scowl or frown, your tone will be unfriendly and uninterested.

3. Be resourceful. Always think of how you can be most helpful. If you are taking a message for someone else, suggest helpful ways of getting the caller and the recipient of the message in touch with one another.

4. Speak clearly. Enunciate and articulate your words particularly clearly. When giving names and numbers use the phonetic code used by all emergency services and some call centres to clarify messages.

A for Alpha B for Bravo C for Charlie D for Delta E for Echo F for Foxtrot

G for Golf H for Hotel I for India J for Juliet K for Kilo

L for Lima M for Mike N for November O for Oscar P for Papa

Q for Quebec R for Romeo S for Sierra T for Tango U for Uniform

V for Victor W for Whisky X for X-ray Y for Yankee Z for Zulu

5. Speak more slowly. When you are talking on the telephone, slow your speech down. When your voice is being mechanically transmitted, the words seem to move together faster. That is the reason television announcers often speak at a slower rate than is normal in everyday conversation. This particularly important when speaking to an answering machine. Don’t rattle off your phone number at a rate of knots – remember the poor person on the other end trying to write it down.

6. Building a positive telephone personality. How do you come across on the phone? What sort of personality do you convey down the line?

Check-point: Building a Positive Telephone Personality Focus your concentration on what you’re saying and what’s being said to you. Use as much (or as little) body language as you wish. Mirror positive feelings in your facial expressions; if you smile while you speak, you’ll put a smile in your face. Try to relax; stretch to loosen you muscles and breathe evenly – tension can feed straight into your voice and create a negative image. Remember, when you tell a lie your voice rises involuntarily; on the phone this is easily detected. Punctuate your conversation with ‘you’, ‘your’ and occasionally the person’s name. Replace some of your body language (head-nods, quizzical expressions) with verbal equivalents: ‘Yes’, ‘Of course’, ‘I’m not sure I understood that last point. Could you…’

Telephone etiquette

When speaking on the telephone, proper etiquette is just as important as when you meet someone in person.

1. How you conduct yourself on the telephone tells others as much about you as face-to-face interactions.

2. Always try to return your calls on the same day.

3. Keep business conversations to the point.

4. Do not keep someone on hold more than 30 seconds.

5. Always leave your phone number if you ask for someone to call you back.

6. Listening is essential whether in person or on the phone.

7. Make sure your voice mail is working properly.

Telephone etiquette

Making a call

Before

1. Make notes of what you want to achieve, the main points you must include and any dates or facts you may need to refer to.

2. Have ready any files, correspondence and so on which you may need in the course of the conversation; don’t keep your receiver waiting while you ferret around for the relevant papers or turn your computer on and find the right screen.

3. Have ready a plain piece of paper for your own notes.

4. Know the name of the person to whom you need to speak.

5. Dial the number carefully; wrong numbers are the most common cause of frustration and time-wasting, but are usually the fault of the caller.

During

1. Give a greeting (‘Good morning’, etc.); state your name (and organization) and the name of the person to whom you want to speak.

2. Wait patiently to be put through; you may be put through to a secretary or the department telephone, in which case you will have to go through Step 1 again.

3. If you are cut off, replace the telephone receiver, wait a few seconds and ring again.

4. Keep it short: most calls can achieve their purpose in 20 seconds.

5. State you subject/query clearly.

6. Refer periodically to your notes.

7. Pause occasionally to get feedback that your message is understood.

8. Spell names and addresses; repeat any numbers.

9. Take notes, especially the name and number of the person to whom you are speaking.

10. Summarise main points of a long conversation at the end and always conclude by confirming any action required or date to be met.

11. Be polite: thank the receiver for their help, even if you haven’t got the information you wanted – fostering goodwill is not just part of being courteous, but will help future relations.

13. Telephone etiquette officially requires that if you are the caller you decide when the call ends.

After

Immediately, before you forget:

1. Fill in your notes so that they will be comprehensible at a later date.

2. Date the note and file it.

3. Write any letters or e-mails now, if possible, while the matter is clear in your mind.

4. Pass on the results of your call to anyone concerned with the matter.

Answering the telephone

Before

1. Never answer a telephone without a pencil and paper. Keep near your own telephone a pencil and massage pad, an internal telephone directory, an appointment diary.

2. Stop talking to anyone else and reduce any other noise before picking up the telephone receiver.

During

1. Think about the needs of the receiver and give them everything they need to know, for example, announce your name and department (in a cheerful voice!).

2. Be prepared to answer the query, or take a message for someone who can, or transfer the call.

3. Listen carefully what the caller has to say and take notes; they will form the basis either of your action or of a message. Check that you have the right facts in the message.

4. Don’t hesitate to ask the speaker to slow down or to spell names and addresses if they are unclear, and always read them back.

5. Compensate for the lack of visual communication: the nods of normal conversation must be replaced by verbal equivalents, for example, ‘Yes, I see…’, ‘Fine, I’ll let him know…’, ‘I’m not sure I agree with that…,’ ‘Really?’ But avoid using over-familiar or slang expressions like ‘You’re not serious!’, ‘Yeah’, ‘Good God!’

6. Avoid saying the caller to ‘hold the line’ while you go on a paper chase; offer to call back.

7. Jot down your own reactions as well as points of hard information.

8. Before the call ends, repeat back the main points of the conversation and always read back any names, addresses, numbers, dates and times, to give the caller a chance to correct any errors or omissions.

9. Telephone etiquette requires that since the caller is paying, they should be the one to decide when the call ends.

Dealing with difficult calls (complaints)

Things to remember Always volunteer to help rather than to be asked. Always let the caller let off steam without interruption until their anger is spent. Always show you are taking a serious interest by playing back the details of the complaint in your own words. Always encourage callers to voice all their complaints before starting to deal with any of them. Always offer sympathy to the caller (I can understand how annoying that must have been’) but without overdoing it.

Things to avoid Don’t attempt to reason with someone while they’re still angry. Don’t suggest or agree to a solution (or take the blame) until all the facts have emerged. Don’t take the complaint personally; be as objective as you can and avoid getting angry yourself. Don’t agree to do something you are not in a position to deliver; if necessary, offer to call the customer back after you have taken advice.

Mobile phone manners

1. Never use a mobile while driving a car – the distraction, both physical and mental, caused by operating the phone causes accidents.

2. Always switch your mobile off when in a cinema, theatre or social gathering.

3. Always switch your mobile off when in hospital, surgery or in a plane – several plane crashes have been caused by interference to flight control systems.

4. If you must keep the mobile on in a public place or on a bus or train, turn the ring tone down or preferably switch it to vibrate rather than ring.

5. Don’t shout. Why is it that people seem to assume that their words are not being transmitted with the aid of a microphone? And even at normal volume, be aware that people can overhear you. Use discretion when discussing personal or sensitive business facts or conversation on public transport or in a public place. Otherwise, at best you could appear very foolish and at worst you may be betraying secret company information.

6. Don’t pay too much attention to your mobile, especially on a date or in the company of others. Accepting calls or spending the entire time with your eyes firmly fixed on your mobile as you red or send yet another text message is extremely rude.

7. And finally, take care using your mobile in the street to remember to look where you are going!

Summary – good telephoning

Remember! When you speak on the telephone, the efficient reputation of both you and your organisation is in your hands.