Communicating by Telephone
When all you have is your voice and words — make them count.
The Ring of Business
It’s estimated that 75 percent of business is conducted over the telephone. That means an awful lot of business can also be “undone” by telephone!
Did You Know?
Eighty-eight percent of your callers who are placed on hold prefer listening to a customized message that reflects the benefits of doing business with you. People spend an average of one hour a week on hold!
Answering, Transferring, and Placing a Person on Hold — Professionally
I know a lot of smart people who repeatedly make basic mistakes when using the telephone.
In this lesson, we’ll discuss the telephone basics: how to properly answer a call, put a caller on hold, and transfer a call. These standards are based on consumer research about what callers say they want in a business telephone transaction.
Answering the Phone
- Answer by the third ring, but not before the second. Customers say that if a call is answered on the first ring, it seems too abrupt. But anything after the third ring and the caller is hanging up because the wait is too long. The most preferred time to answer a call is on the second ring.
- Demonstrate an enthusiastic tone
- Use a welcoming statement such as “Good morning” or “Thank you for calling”
- Give your company’s name
- Give your name
- Get the customer’s name
- Offer assistance
A sample greeting:
Thank you for calling ABC Company, my name is Jane Janssen. May I have your name? (Joe) Thank you. Joe, how may I help you today?
Placing a Caller on Hold
- Explain how long the wait will be
- Explain the reason why you must put the person on hold, including a benefit to the customer such as “Laura is our expert in this area, if you can hold for a moment while I connect you — she will be glad to answer all your questions.”
- Ask for permission
- Wait for an answer
- Place on hold
- Check back if longer than promised
- Thank the customer for holding
Example:
Mr. Anderson, I’ll have to check the fax machine to see if your letter came through. If it did, we can start the confirmation process right away. The fax machine is in the other room and it’ll take me about two minutes. Would you like to hold for that time, or would you prefer I call you back?
(Mr. Anderson says he’ll hold.)
Thank you, Mr. Anderson, for holding.
Transferring a Caller When You Know the Person You Are Transferring to Will Be In
- Steps 1 – 4 of HOLD technique
- Tell the caller to whom you are transferring them
- Provide the connectees (or the receiver of the call) number and extension number to the caller for future reference
- Call the connectee and greet
- Give your name
- Give the caller’s name
- Explain the reason for their call
- Ask the connectee to let you know when you may transfer the call
- Connect the call
Example:
Ms. Whinley, let me check to see if Mr. Donovan is out of his meeting. It will just take me 15 seconds to check. Would you like to hold for that time?
(Caller agrees to hold.)
(Call Mr. Donovan’s office. He is in.)
Mr. Donovan, this is Amanda in Marketing. I have a caller — Ms. Whinley — on the line, who would like to know more about the Internet promotion we’re running. Can you take the call now?
(Mr. Donovan says he can.)
Let me know when you’re ready to take the call.
(Mr. Donovan gives the go-ahead to transfer the call.)
Ms. Whinley, thank you for holding. I have Mr. Donovan on the line now and he will take your call.
This technique may work well when the other person is available. But what about when the other person isn’t available? Basically you follow the same procedure as outlined above for transferring. The only difference is that when you come back to the caller (after checking if the conectee is in), you:
- Give the caller options.
Would you like Mr. Donovan’s voice mail, or would you like me to take a message?
- Thank the caller for calling
Thank you for calling Ms. Whinley, I will give Mr. Donovan the message as soon as he gets in.
What Are Your Callers Hearing?
Ninety-four percent of the average marketing and advertising budget is spent getting people to call a business, while only 4 percent is spent on handling them.
The average hold time is 30 to 45 seconds. A business that receives 100 calls a day for 260 business days has customers on hold 200 hours a year!
It’s Not My Phone!
In some office situations, employees are expected to answer the phone of absent coworkers. This can breed some resentment by the person who has to answer someone else’s phone. Unfortunately, in many cases this resentment is conveyed to the caller.
If you do have to answer someone else’s phone:
- Give your company name
- Give your department name
- Give the name of the person whose phone you’re answering
- Explain that the person isn’t in
- Offer to take a message
Example:
Drexel Corporation, design department, Alex Jackson’s phone.
If a receptionist has already answered the phone and identified the company before transferring the call, you can simply say, “Design department, Alex Jackson’s phone.”
Phones, Phones, Everywhere
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 80 million people in the U.S. alone were using cell phones at the start of the year 2000.
More Telephone Statistics
Seven out of 10 calls are placed on hold. Approximately 90 percent of callers will hang up within 40 seconds when listening to silence.
The average businessperson spends an average of 15 minutes per day, or 60 hours per year, on hold.
Cellular Phone Rules
Forget road rage. The hip rage now is cell phone rage.
More and more cities across the U.S. are passing laws against cell phone usage in automobiles. And more businesses are encouraging customers to do their talking outside. One Chicago restaurant even has signs posted telling customers that the restaurant is a “Cell Phone Free Establishment.” Anyone caught using a cell phone in the restaurant is politely asked to leave.
Here are some etiquette tips for cell phone usage:
- Use your cell phone in public only when absolutely necessary. Keep it off or in vibrate mode in restaurants, theaters, government buildings such as the post office, and at other social gatherings.
- If you must speak while others are around, speak softly and keep the conversation short.
- Turn off your cell phone before going into a meeting. If you must have it on, explain why in advance.
- Don’t ask to borrow someone else’s cell phone if a public phone is nearby.
- When driving, take the few minutes it takes to make a call and pull off to the side of the road or into a parking lot. You’ll be able to concentrate more fully on your call and be a lot safer to other drivers.
Message Mishap
A worker at Ameritech in Chicago received this handwritten phone message from his coworker:
“John. The Joy of Sex called; your gasses are ready.”
In actuality, the company that had called was The Joy of SPEX, and they were calling to let John know his GLASSES were ready!
Taking a Message
This topic may seem sophomoric, but I have heard so many workers complain about missed messages or incorrect messages that it bears mentioning in a course on business etiquette.
When taking a message for someone else:
- Get the name and number correct. Repeat this information back to the caller. Ask for the correct spelling of the name.
- Ask for the name of the caller’s company.
- Note the date and hour.
- Add your initials to the message.
Where Do You Go From Here?
As you probably have learned from this course, intelligence and good sense are not enough to carry you through every business situation, plus they offer no guarantee against embarrassment.
Whether you took this course just to brush up on your business etiquette skills, or to gain tips and techniques for specific business situations, you have no doubt gained some information that will help you increase your professionalism. But, like any good piece of information, the tips in this course must be used consistently if you are to make a more positive impression on those around you.
Good luck. And thanks for taking this course. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed having you as a participant.
Assignment: Communicating By Telephone
Read Chapter 23 (“On the Telephone”) in your course text, The Etiquette Advantage in Business.
