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Proper business phone etiquette can give a positive impression to your business.
However, good business phone etiquette demands professionalism at all times, more than just knowing what buttons to push on your telephone system. |
Does your business has what it takes to have great business phone etiquette inside the corporation?
Business Phone Etiquette
Etiquette is about proper conduct and presenting of yourself favorably. Demonstrating good business phone etiquette is important if one seeks to have a good communication with the calling or the called party, especially when the other party is your clients or business partners.
A deal can be make or break just by a phone call, so it is wiser to always have good business phone etiquette, and make it a culture in the whole business organization.
According to Neil Payne of Cross Cultural Training, there are 7Ps when it comes to business phone etiquette:
1. Preparation
2. Purpose of call
3. Particular intention behind the call
4. Pass on information
5. Professionalism
6. Privacy and security
7. Patient
If you are making the call, it is always good to be prepared so that you won’t overshoot the conversation or left out important points to convey.
Always greet the receiver before starting any conversation, and once permission granted to start conversation over phone (especially when it is something of privacy), tell the purpose of the call and mention in particular the intention behind the call.
Remember to pass on relevant information professionally. Avoid informal speech or personal questions when speak to someone you don’t know or not so close. And be patient and stay calm even when things go wrong, so that you are still in control of the conversation and not making any stupid verbal assault to the other party.
Even though the other party may not be seeing the body language over the phone as in nonverbal communication in business, it is always recommended to be in good manner at all time as long as the phone conversation is still on.
This is essential in building a good business phone etiquette.
Business Phone Etiquette
Besides the above mentioned 7 key points, there are some additional tips listed below to be noticed and practiced in a good business phone etiquette:
* A warm greeting once connected over the phone.
* Write a well thought out and high-quality script to give your callers the service they deserve if you are using automated attendants in receiving calls.
* Create an after-business-hours greeting for your automated attendants. Inform your callers up front that the business is closed, include your normal hours of operation and ask them to call back during business hours.
* Do not answer calls if you are busy, eating or in a rush, unless you still have time to inform the caller that you are going to call back once you are done with your on hand jobs.
* Call back as promised, if you said so.
* Ask for permission before putting a call on hold, remember to thank the other party if they allow for on holding the call.
* Never interrupt the other party when he/she is talking.
* Avoid arguments over the phone.
* Do not call a patient, customer or client’s personal number before 8:00AM or after 9:00PM, unless you had been given permission to do so.
* A courtesy end of call with a positive note by thanking the other person for their time and express an interest in speaking with them again (if possible).
As summary, treat your callers in a way that you would want to be treated when it comes to business phone call. A good business phone etiquette will sure add marks to your overall corporate image.
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