Talking over the telephone is still one of the most common ways to communicate these days. Perhaps it’s even more popular nowadays, especially since just about everyone has a smart phone.
For a business, talking over the phone represents an opportunity to enhance the company’s image. It’s not just a convenient means of sharing information with the person at the other end of the line. You also want to convey that your business is absolutely professional and courtesy is a hallmark of professionalism.
When you or your employee is talking to a customer on the phone, here are 5 rules to keep in mind:
- Answer the phone on the second or third ring. Answering the phone too quickly may startle the caller. Letting the phone ring more than three times, however, can make a caller impatient. It may even give the impression that your business is inattentive, or that the people in your office are too lazy to answer the phone.
- Always greet the caller with a pleasant tone of voice. One very common trick is to smile when you are on the phone. For some reason, the smile can be detected through your voice. It doesn’t matter if they can’t really see your smile; they can hear it when you speak. Remember to use your name; ‘thanks for calling XYC company you’re speaking with Gilbert’. By saying your name at the end of the greeting it will most likely be remembered compared to the start. Also obtain their name and continue to use it in context of the call.
- Do not chew gum or put anything in your mouth when you are on the phone. For one, this can lead to mispronounced words and lots of confusion. And the smacking noises you make when you chew are not only unpleasant to hear, but it’s very rude. It gives the impression that you just don’t care about how you sound at all, and this speaks volumes about your professionalism, or in this case, the lack of it.
- Use commonly used polite words. Say words good morning, please and thank you. Etiquette is all about rules which everyone expects others to follow, and these polite words can assure callers that you want the conversation to be pleasant. So say good morning at the beginning of the conversation, please when you ask the other person to do something, and thank you when they provide the information you require. Oh and don’t forget to thank them for calling.
- Never, ever, give the impression that you are in a rush. You shouldn’t talk very quickly, and you shouldn’t interrupt the other person when they are speaking. It implies that you find the phone conversation unpleasant, and it also implies that you don’t really want to talk the other person on the line. It’s as if you think of the call as a chore that you are forced to deal with. This will not only make the caller feel annoyed, it will also discourage them from calling you again or doing business with you.
Etiquette is the set of rules and guidelines that assures a smooth interaction between two or more people. You and your employees should follow these telephone etiquette tips if you want to make a lasting positive impression on your customers.
