Telephone Etiquette

International Business protocol and Manners

Why is telephonic skill important ?

 When end user call helpdesk, YOU ARE THE SINGLE representative of your
Organization.
 Treat your telephone visitor as if he or she were present.
 When receiving calls
Answer promptly to show that you are courteous and efficient (with in three
rings)
 Listen carefully to avoid asking the caller to repeat
Telephonic communication effectiveness

17%

Words used
Tone of words

83%
Face to face communication effectiveness

7%

Words used
Tone of voice
38%
55% Body language
Curtesy Rules –Telephone skills

 Listen
 Empathize
 Apologize
 Problem solve and
 Follow up
Points to remember

 Take helpful notes such as

 To whom you are speaking to, time of call, purpose of the call
 Smile and greetings such as good morning
 Introduce yourself, This is mike ,may I help you.
 Acknowledgements
Don’t Say: Better words

Yeah or Okay Certainly

Wait a minute Do you mind waiting while I check

on that for you ?

Hold on or Hold the line Would you like to hold or may I call
you back ?

Just a minute One moment please,,,, I will find out

No problem You are welcome or my pleasure

Handling complaints through
telephone communication
 Remain calm and courteous
 Do not make commitments, stay neutral
 If there is a question you cannot answer forward to correct person or inform
them you will find out answer and let them know.
 Thank the customer and close the conversation naturally.
 Wrong words / Negative words
Don’t Say Better

You have to talk to Mr.Smith about Mr. Smith handles that.May I

that. transfer you.

I don’t know anything about that Good question, I will find out
answer and let you know.

You didn’t talk to me I am sorry Mrs. Jones, I will be glad

to take care of that for you.

You must .. Would it be convenient for you to

….
Who is this May I know to whom I am speaking
to
The Telephone and You

 Communication is the essence of management. Phone is an important

instrument in daily business
 Part of doing business means doing business over the phone
 Business communication language always keep it in professional manner.
 Ways to Sound as Good as You
 Alertness
 Show that you are wide-awake, ready to engage in a
conversation
 Pleasantness
 Put a smile in your voice 
 Naturalness
 Use, simple, straightforward lang.; avoid technical
terms/slang
 Distinctiveness
 Speaks directly into the phone; Use a normal tone of
voice, the louder you are, the louder everyone else
becomes
 Expressiveness
 Talk at a moderate rate and volume, but vary your voice
tone
 Your Phone Message Greeting – make it professional
Do’s

 Smile  (they really can hear it!)

 Speak Clearly and Concisely
 Be Enthusiastic
 Lower the Pitch of your Voice
 Talk in a Positive Mood
 Listen/Discuss
Presence of mind

 P – itch
 High or low? Low carries better and is also more pleasant
 I – nflection
 Use voice to express ideas or moods
 Don’t talk in a monotone
 The voice naturally rises on a questions or inquiry
 Voices fall at a “period,” decision or completion
Tone of Voice

 C – ourtesy
 Common, everyday applies the same as face-to-face conversation
 T – one
 Many times it is not what you say, but how you say it
 Voice should reflect sincerity, pleasantness, confidence, and interest
Keys to Good Listening

 Limit your talking

 Can’t talk and listen at the same time
 Don’t Interrupt
 A pause doesn’t always mean the individual is finished speaking
 Concentrate
 Focus on the conversation. Practice shutting out outside distractions and
personal concerns
Keys to Good Listening

 Take Notes
 Helps you remember important points
 Listen for ideas….not just words
 Get the whole picture, not isolated bits and pieces
 Interjections
 An occasional, “Yes,” “I see,” etc. shows that your listening. However, don’t
overuse them
Keys to Good Listening

 Take Notes
 Helps you remember important points
 Listen for ideas….not just words
 Get the whole picture, not isolated bits and pieces
 Interjections
 An occasional, “Yes,” “I see,” etc. shows that your listening. However, don’t
overuse them
Putting Callers on Hold

 Always ask for permission

 Examples
 “Would you holding while I get your file?”
 “Can you hold briefly while I see if Mr. Jones is available?”

 Always thank the caller for holding

Transferring a Caller

 Always transfer the caller to the desired person’s extension

 Limits number of transfers ,
 Saves the caller time from explaining issue again

 Tell the caller who you are transferring them to

 Announce the caller to the person you are transferring

Taking Phone Messages

 Phone Message should always include:

 Caller’s name and contact details

 Time and Date of call
 What the call is regarding (Short description of the issue ,read back and confirm
your understood it correctly)
 Speak SLOWLY and read back the phone number
 If a follow up or return call is needed
Last Impressions

 Before ending the call, always…

 Make sure you answered all the caller’s questions

 Always end with e pleasantry:
 Have a nice day
 It was nice speaking with you

 Let the caller hand up first

 Wrong number
 Don’t just hangup, apologize if wrong extension called.
 Be prepared for rejection – just apologize for bothering them and
graciously get off the phone
7 Tips
End
Thank you.