TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE

The need to communicate immediately, growing competition, long distance relationships between people and places have all contributed to making communication through telephone an art. A telephone call can make or break a relationship, help you gain or lose in business or at work.

Some Dos and Don’ts while using the phone

• Always use the left hand to pick up the receiver. Keep the right hand free to take down messages.
• Never keep the receiver close to your mouth while speaking. It’s unhygienic. If you are using a public phone it’s better to wipe the mouthpiece before using it.
• Keep the receiver a little away from your mouth while speaking. The telephone is a sensitive instrument and it can catch sounds easily.
• Keep a scribbling pad and a pen / pencil near the phone to take down messages. Don’t keep the person holding for a long time while you go searching for a writing instrument.
• Close the mouthpiece when you have to talk to others in front of you while taking the call. If you don’t the other person at the other end can hear what he is not supposed to hear.
• Keep the caller informed about the status of the call – whether it is being put through, or if the person he wants to speak to is on the way, or if you can’t give the information he / she wants. Problems in an organization arise because of poor handling of telephone calls. People hate listening to the electronic music for hours on end.
• Remember that every telephone call is an opportunity – to improve contacts, get more business, improve relationships and above all enjoy better rapport.
• Just as you greet a person when you meet him/her personally, make it a point to greet the caller first depending on the time of the day. Sound cheerful – be it morning, afternoon or evening. The caller must hear your smile. In personal interaction a person gets o see your facial expressions, body language and understands the context better. In a telephonic conversation there is heavy dependence on the tone of your voice. It conveys all.
• Most telephone calls follow certain pattern:
1. Opening greeting
2. Warming up
3. Giving the message
4. Closing greeting
5. Rounding off