Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
This Extension training sheet was developed by Don Broshar, Extension Training and Development Specialist, for
use by office assistants. December 2009
The telephone is an important tool in Extension. It can be the office assistant's best friend or biggest frustration.
Office assistants are professionals and their use of the telephone is essential to their effectiveness. Below are
several ideas on the professional use of this necessary tool.
In order to help you improve your telephone skills take two actions:
1. Tape record your voice, and only your voice, as you talk on the telephone. Tape your voice at different times
throughout the day. Listen to the recordings and learn from what you hear.
2. Use a telephone log sheet to analyze the calls you receive. The log sheet should include:
Time of call
Who called
Nature of call
Comments on how you handled the call
When using the telephone remember the seven Cs of effective service:
1. Caring -- toward the customer, toward your organization, and toward yourself.
2. Confident
3. Considerate
4. Commitment
5. Creative
6. Control our emotions
Take anger professionally, not personally
7. Contagious enthusiasm
First impressions are formed within the first 10 seconds of the call. To make a good impression:
Hint: When the caller is emotional, listen with your left ear to stimulate the right side of the brain. If the caller is
giving lots of information, listen with your right ear.
If you need to put the caller on hold, ask the caller if that is all right and wait for an answer. Then thank
the caller for holding. When the caller is on hold, check back every 30-45 seconds. If you need to look up
some information and it will take some time, ask if you can call the person back in a certain length of
time with the information.
If you need to transfer the call, give the reason for the transfer and ask the caller if that is all right. Wait
for the answer. Before you transfer the caller, call the department or person and let them know you're
transferring the call.
This will enable you to give the caller the name of the department and/or the person to whom the caller
will be speaking. Also give the caller the telephone number and say for future reference, here is the
number. Never speak of being disconnected.
To get the caller's name, give yours. Or have the caller fill in the blank, "My name is and yours is
________________." Another way is to directly ask for the caller's name, organization, and telephone
number.
Ask him or her, "What is the nature of the call?"
Telephone Tag
(Only one of three calls is completed the first time.)
Say he or she is not available. Then give a time when they will be available.
Don't say the person is on vacation, on break, or at lunch. That is no one's business.
Call Screening
Say I need to know the nature of your call so that I can transfer you to the appropriate department or
person.
State that you handle the office when the person requested is absent.
State that you do not have that information, but that you can transfer the caller to the person who does.
Hint: On the first call, business first and small talk second.
Use the caller's name and say, "I need to interrupt you so that I can transfer you to ______________.
Or, so that I can find out the exact nature of your call.
Angry Callers
Other Suggestions
Take notes during the call. Record the date and time on your notes. Keep all your notes in one place.
When you call back and get an answering machine, do not hang up. Leave a complete message. Leave
your name and telephone number.
If the caller uses profanity, tell the caller the organizational policy, if one exists. You do not have to listen
to it. Let them know this, and if it continues, hang up the phone or walk away if the person is in the office.
If a person threatens you, say that behavior is not tolerated and you will call the police if he/she
continues. (You also may want to excuse yourself and locate another staff person.)
Resource
Here is a resource that may be useful:
Dealing With People You Can't Stand by Rick Brinkman and Rick Kirschner. It is available in most book stores
and from McGraw-Hill, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.