Telephone Etiquette

In most phone conversations, the listener typically cannot see you … your message is communicated by your voice!

Proper telephone etiquette in a professional business setting begins by stating the company name first followed by a greeting and the name of the individual answering the call. EXAMPLE: “Nordstrom, Good Morning, this

is Kelly”

If the organization does not require the use of the company name in the greeting, the person answering the phone should identify themselves. EXAMPLE: “Good morning, Jessica Madden

speaking” or “Jessica Madden speaking”

If someone else is answering a phone other than their own, the proper etiquette is to answer with a greeting followed by the name of the person for whom the phone is being answered. EXAMPLE: Good afternoon, this is Elizabeth

Smith’s office, how may I help you?”  Remember that international phone calls may

have a lag between the time when someone speaks and the listener can actually hear what was spoken. Be patient and make sure that you allow time for the speaker to finish speaking before you try to speak.

If you place someone on speaker phone, you should inform the individual that he or she is on speaker phone before continuing with a conversation!

1. Take note of your voice. Speak clearly.

2. Do not be eating and talking at the same.

3. Always be courteous and respectful. Use please and thank you, and avoid interrupting while the other party is speaking.

4. Avoid answering the phone if about to cough or sneeze.

5. Do not raise your voice.

6. Keep personal phone calls out of the office- and keep your private cell phone calls private. Avoid personal calls and discussions in the office!

7. When you are making a call, it is good business phone etiquette to always identify yourself to the first recipient "This is Mary-Kate, May I speak to Nicole Richie please?"

8. If you answer the phone it is not good telephone manners to say "She is not in" without giving a reason. Instead, say something such as, “He is in a meeting, may I please take a message?” OR, “She is out of the office at the moment but I will be happy to leave her a message or put you through to her voice mail.”

Students draw upon their personal experiences and list an example of the following poor customer service experiences they had on the telephone with a business. Give one example for each and briefly state how it made you feel as a customer and how you think the situation SHOULD have been handled.

1. Put on hold for a long time2. Employee did not properly identify the business or

themselves when answering the phone.3. Tone of voice of the business representative was

unpleasant or rude.4. You had a difficult time hearing the business

representative or understanding what they were saying.