Telephone etiquette

Maximize your telephone etiquette

1. Telephone Etiquette Designed and Developed By Poulome Nath

2. Introduction Presenting a professional image, both in person and on the telephone, is very critical in the Hospitality Industry. Taking care of your customers over the telephone and making them feel well informed and appreciated is essential.

3. Telephone Etiquette Telephone etiquette means  : Being respectful  to the person you are talking with,  S howing consideration for the other person's limitations , Allowing that person time to speak , Communicating clearly  and much, much more .

4. Telephone Etiquette During a phone call, the following aspects cannot be seen by the person , at the other end of the line: Facial Expressions Gestures Eye Contact Reaction to the conversation

5. How to be effective over the phone Your voice must create a pleasant  visual impression  over the telephone . Smile while talking Choose your words carefully Intonate your message Control your pitch and rate of speech

6. What should never be done? While on the call, do not talk with your colleague beside you. Do not chew gum and talk Do not divert your attention here and there NEVER SHOUT at your customer Do not frown and talk Do not use an intimidating tone Never let the customer feel that you are mocking him/her

7. 5Ps of Telephone Etiquette Polite Use a soft tone Prepared Have all the relevant details (names, numbers, dates, etc) to the Point Don’t beat around the bush Perceptive Don’t waste people’s time by talking on irrelevant topics cooPerative Provide the information needed, if you can’t help, find someone who can, or tell the caller you will call back with the information. Follow these 5 Ps while on the phone:

8. Telephone Courtesies Check the number carefully & then dial it  correctly Allow it to ring long enough to give the called person  time  to get to the phone Don’t ask them to wait the  moment  that they answer Identify yourself  immediately. Don’t make them guess who is calling Ask them if it’s  convenient  to talk now. Are you interrupting anything?

9. Telephone Courtesies Talk  loud  enough directly into the phone to be heard - without shouting If you have dialled a wrong number,  apologise . Don’t just hang up You are talking to a person now,  not  a machine. So speak accordingly Observe  courtesies like “Hello, Please, Thank you and Good bye”

10. Making a call Be an  attentive  listener (don’t do other jobs at the same time) Don’t  interrupt  while the other person is speaking.  If they have to be put on hold,  ask if you can call them back rather than keep them waiting indefinitely on the line If they would like to  wait on the line get back to them every 30 seconds to update  them and give them another opportunity to be called back

11. Receiving a call Answer your phone promptly Greet the caller pleasantly. Take  messages  for others clearly and politely. If it is necessary to  transfer  the call, first TELL the caller that you are transferring the call and THEN do it Let the caller be the one to  end  the call first Remember to  farewell  the caller with, “Good bye” or something similar. Hang up the phone  gently

12. Receiving a call Answer your phone promptly Greet the caller pleasantly. Take  messages  for others clearly and politely. If it is necessary to  transfer  the call, first TELL the caller that you are transferring the call and THEN do it Let the caller be the one to  end  the call first Remember to  farewell  the caller with, “Good bye” or something similar. Hang up the phone  gently

13. Answering Machine Your Outgoing Message: Keep your outgoing message on your device  short yet polite There should be  no  background music or other noise recorded Look at it from the caller’s perspective: What would they need to know if you are  not available  to talk to them? When would you be  back? Who else could  help  them? Check  for messages immediately on your return Return the call the  same day;  immediately if possible 

14. Answering Machine Leaving Voice Mail Replies Don’t ask to be called back if you are merely conveying a  simple message  that does not require discussion Leave your FULL name and a short message  clearly If you need to leave your number, do so slowly  and  clearly. Repeat  it once  

15. How to place a caller on 'Hold' Do greet the caller politely or use your company standard greeting Do wait for a pause in the conversation to tell them you are going to put them on hold Explain the reason for putting them on hold Tell them you will return to their call in a minute

16. How to place a caller on 'Hold' Apologize for the inconvenience or thank the caller for holding when you return to the caller Take the person's phone number and call them back if you will be more than 60 seconds away from the phone or you need to put them on hold again Do use the caller's name frequently to add a personal connection to the caller

17. What not to do while on 'Hold' Don't interrupt the call to put them on hold Don't leave them on hold for more than a minute Don't put them on hold multiple times in one call Don’t make them call you back; you call them back Don't be rude no matter how mad a customer may be

18. Mute Use the Mute button, to cough or sneeze, or to sip water. It should be for a sec or 2 Don’t press the mute button, when the customer is abusing you. There is static when you press the mute button, hence the customer will always know!

19. Conclusion If you’re friendly, courteous and helpful, answering the phone should not present you with too many problems. Go ahead and answer those calls and increase your business!

20. For training, contact: [email protected]