Term Definition Introduced in:

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1 Professional Telephone Skills Key Terms Term Definition Introduced in: Acknowledge Recognition and acceptance of the listener's ideas; ask questions that demonstrate understanding of the caller's position Module 2 Active listening A communication technique where the listener is engaged and entirely focused on the speaker; also known as empathetic listening Module 2 Alternative choice question A question is framed to offer multiple choices for the answerer to choose from Module 3 Assertiveness A communication style where one is confident and expressive; regards the feelings of others and self; typically an individual with respectable self-esteem who avoids needless conflict Module 4 Body language Gestures and physical movements used to consciously and unconsciously communicate with others Module 1 Closed question A question that only requires a yes or no answer Module 3 Emphasize Continuous reaffirmation when speaking that stresses importance and can acknowledge how another feels Module 2 Hear The ability to listen intently and understand the meaning of what is heard Module 2 HEAT An acronym used to positively manage telephone calls; Hear, Emphasize, Acknowledge, and Take control Module 2 Hypothetical question A question posed with established facts that prompts the answerer to provide an opinion or decision based on those facts Module 3 Leading question A question that implies a premeditated answer Module 3 Open question A question that requires careful, thoughtful analysis and an answer beyond a simple yes or no Module 3 Specific question A question that is used to clarify a point Module 3 Take control The action of using active listening techniques in order to direct the conversation where you want Module 2 Glossary Page 1

2 PROFESSIONAL TELEPHONE SKILLS MODULE 1 - MAKING A GOOD IMPRESSION Female: Module 1, Making a Good Impression. The caller receives an impression within the first few seconds of the telephone being answered. And that impression is essential to the future relationship that you have with either that individual or their organization. So it's very important to get it right, and make sure that the impression is a positive one. When you make or receive a business call, your business telephone manner provides your caller with an image of yourself and your company. In a face-toface meeting you can pick up extra information from a person's body language or facial expressions. You know roughly what age they are and what they look like. And while you are forming an impression of them, they're also doing the same with you. But when holding a telephone conversation, you don't get this extra information, and it's way too easy for people to jump to the wrong conclusions. Even if you're busy and the telephone has interrupted your task and your day has started off on the wrong foot and hasn't gotten any better since then, don't you want to present the impression that you're a professional, and that you and your company are willing to help the caller? I'm willing to bet that you do. If the way that you answer the telephone give a caller the impression that you're in a hurry, that you have better things to do, and that you're not particularly interested in them or their concerns, you could easily put the caller on the defensive, and may lose an important contact or sale for your company. Page 1

3 Most of a caller's impression of you is based, not so much on the words that you say, but on the way that you say them. Whatever word you say, you should say them in a positive, friendly, courteous manner. You should spit out your gum, put down your drink, and turn your chair away from your computer terminal, and sit up straight before you answer the telephone. Focus all of your attention on your caller. If someone comes into your office while you're on the telephone, put your hand over the mouthpiece and tell your visitor that you'll get with them later, or if absolutely necessary, you could ask your caller if he or she would mind being put on hold briefly, and then make good on your promise to be brief when you're talking with your visitor. You should speak clearly and not so fast that your caller can't understand what you're saying. Now, I'm sure you'll all heard the telephone tip, put a smile in your voice. The way to do that is literally remind yourself to smile when you pick up the phone. Your smile will be reflected in your voice. Let's give that a try right now. I'm going to first say a greeting in my normal speaking voice, then I'll repeat the same greeting while I'm actually smiling. Good morning. Welcome to this career track audio conference. And now I'm going to smile. Good morning. Welcome to this career track audio conference. Did you hear the difference? All right, so we've talked about how you could use your voice to greet callers in a positive way. Now let's talk about what you might want to say. Page 2

4 You need to learn the best greeting to make that positive first impression and what it takes to advance that first impression into a positive lasting impression. Unfortunately, there's no one greeting that is going to work for everyone for every telephone call. Now, some companies have a standard formal greeting that every telephone answerer is supposed to use. And that's not a bad idea at all. A businesslike greeting would include good morning or good afternoon, followed by the name of the business and the name of the person answering the call. For example, could be, good morning, Western Business, this is Sara Smith, how may I help you? Did you hear the smile in my voice? But you should be careful not to get too wordy. I remember years ago when I worked for the Marine Corp in the retired pay unit, we were instructed to answer the telephone with a script that I can still remember. Good morning, you're reached the Marine Corp Finance Center in Kansas City, Missouri, Centralized Pay Division, Retired Pay Branch, this is Mrs. Cromley, may I help you? By the time we got all of that said, our callers could easily have forgotten why they called in the first place. And many of my coworkers hurried so much to get through that greeting that it was hard for the callers to understand what they said. And so in trying to give the caller a lot of information, sometimes our poor callers got no information at all. But on the other hand, I also still remember that the reason that management came up with a standard greeting idea in the first place was that many, Page 3

5 many different greetings that my coworkers and I came up with on our own, including my personal favorite from the coworker who sat next to me who answered every phone call with, hi, this is Cher, which was not the image that our Marine Corp managers wanted us to present. So how best to answer your business phone depends on several factors. So before we can decide what's best for you and for your organization, let's ask a few questions. Is this your personal phone or are there several people likely to answer the same phone? If several people answer the same telephone, it would be a good idea to have that standard greeting so that everyone who calls your organization is answered in the same way. I worked in a very large office, and one that we used to call a cubicle farm. And the phone lines were shared by several people. There could be up to seven or eight people assigned to one phone line. The office name of my division was Marine Corp Technology Services Organization Systems Management Division. Well, with no standard greeting, people were answering the same phone line with a wide variety of greetings. Some people just picked up the phone and said, systems. Some people said, TSO, this is Chuck. Some of our contract employees answered the phone with the name of their contracting company, and say CSC, this is Roger. Some people answered using the name of their particular system, database, this is Margaret. Page 4

6 And the Marines usually said something like, Marine Corp Technology Services, this is Sergeant Taylor, how may I help you, sir or ma'am? Only they'd say it so fast that even I didn't know what they were saying, and I worked there. Remember this was the same telephone line. By this time I was in a position to be able to change this. Although I wasn't able to get anymore telephone lines, I sent a message to all the people in my division that we would answer the phone by saying, Marine Corp Systems Management, this is Pam, can I help you? Next question to answer is do you have caller ID. If you're able to tell when you're receiving a call from in-house or within the organization, you can change your greeting to a more informal one. Usually you can just say your department name and then your name, such as, accounts payable, this is Grace, may I help you? My advice is that for most businesses who receive calls from clients or customers, a good greeting would be to say at a minimum your company name and then your name. For example, Alton Box Company, this is Lynn, may I help you? And then you can let the smile in your voice let the caller know that you wish them a good morning or a good afternoon. /// /// Page 5

7 PROFESSIONAL TELEPHONE SKILLS MODULE 2 - CALL MANAGEMENT Female: Module 2, Call Management. Because you have had years of experience talking on the telephone, you probably think that your telephone skills are pretty good. But knowing how to operate the equipment doesn't mean that you know how to use it effectively. We've talked about making a good first impression with your voice and with your greetings, but that's not all there is to it. To make a positive lasting impression, you need to be skilled in managing your calls. First, it shouldn't be any surprise that the telephone may ring and that you may be called upon to answer it, so you should be prepared. Make sure that your workspace is set up so that you can reach the telephone and get frequently requested information at the same time. If you need your hands free in order to access information, you might want to consider a hands free headset for your phone. Make sure that your phone is in a convenient location. If you have to move away from your computer to answer the phone and most of your callers need information that you can only get from your computer, you will waste time with every phone call, and it will give a negative impression to your caller. If your office phone is a cordless phone or a cell phone, make sure that it always gets put back in the same place whenever a call is ended. I have actually seen people walking around, searching for a ringing telephone in businesses that make their living from being able to make appointments by phone. And that's no way to conduct a business professionally. Page 1

8 Keep a pen and paper next to the phone for messages. Again, it should not be a surprise if you need to take messages. And fumbling around for a pen or paper is not professional. We'll talk more about taking messages in another module. Next, learn how your telephone works. You should know how to place a call on hold, how to transfer a call, how to use the speakerphone, how to organize a conference call. I've heard many people blame the telephone for dropping calls, but the truth is that the telephone usually do what they're supposed to do. When a call gets dropped on transfer, there's usually some kind of operator error involved. Whenever possible, answer the phone within four rings. After four rings, a lot of people hang up, thinking that the business is closed. So try not to let your phone go to voic , if you can help it. Now, nobody likes being put on hold, but we all know that sometimes there isn't any choice. If you man several phone lines in a busy office, you often have more than one caller at a time. When you put a caller on hold, remember to ask the caller, do you mind holding or may I put you on hold before you do so. And if you ask your caller to hold, be sure to listen to the response. Don't just say, can you hold, and then click the phone. When you have a caller on hold, try to check back periodically, at least once a minute. Give them the option to continue to hold if it will take longer to find their information or offer to call them back. When you return to a caller that's on hold, be sure to thank them for waiting. If your caller can't hold, offer to take a message. Offer to transfer the call to another party or arrange for them to call back at a certain time. Page 2

9 When you transfer a call, it's very important that you don't make your caller feel that they're being pushed off or dropped. First, tell the caller the reason why they're being transferred. Then ask if it's all right with them to make the transfer. Ideally, you should call the person or department where you're transferring the call and make sure that they are available to take the call. Give them the person's name, their request, and any other information, and then return to your caller and give them the name of the person they're being transferred to, the department, and the telephone number in case their call accidently gets dropped. If the person being transferred to is not able to take the call, return to the caller and ask if you can take a message. If it isn't feasible for you to make sure that the person is able to take the call before transferring, you should, at the very least, give your caller the name of the person and the telephone number that they're being transferred to in case the call is not answered or is dropped. You can also give your name and number as a reference, in case the appropriate party does not get in contact with them. Another aspect of managing telephone calls is illustrated by the pneumonic HEAT, H for hear, E for emphasize, A for acknowledge, and T for take control. First we'll talk about hear. In order to really hear what your caller has to say, first you have to listen. And listening is a skill that can be developed and improved with self-awareness, discipline, and practice maintaining concentration, one of the main barriers to effective listening. And this is especially a problem when talking on the Page 3

10 phone. Because your sense of sight is not being fully used, it can stray and bombard you with distracting information. How often have you been distracted from a telephone call by something more interesting that's going on in the office or outside the window? Next, stop fidgeting. You can't listen to someone effectively when you're fiddling with something, fidgeting or constantly changing your sitting position. The caller will know that you're not giving them your full attention. Also, don't tidy your papers or rearrange the items on your desk while you're on the phone. All of that can wait till after you're done talking on the phone. Use active listening techniques in order to make sure that you understand the meaning of what's being said. Ask questions for clarity, and repeat back what the callers says in order to make sure that you understand completely. Remain focused. Don't get bogged down in the small details. Tune in to what the caller is trying to put across. Effective listeners hear everything that's being said, not just the part that they agree with. If your caller has an accent or an unusual verbal habit, it's important that you overcome this obstacle with tact and diplomacy. Don't pretend that you have understood what has been said if you have not, just to get yourself off the hook. It's much better to apologize and then ask the caller to repeat what's been said more slowly. Page 4

11 E for emphasize. Hearing and even active listening are only part of the professional telephone skills. You also need to emphasize with your caller. When you emphasize, you show that you know how the other person feels. You need to be sensitive to what your callers are saying. Be aware of what they imply, but don't say. Try to put yourself in their place and understand how they feel. Listen to how the words are being said, not just the words. Assure your caller that you'll take action on their concern, and summarize the points of the conversation. Keep track of what the caller has said. A is for acknowledge. Assure your caller that you're listening by using verbal acknowledgements. Assure your caller that you're receptive to your ideas, and ask questions that show that you understand the caller's position. And T, take control. Using active and emphatic listening techniques allows you to control the conversation and lead it to where you want it to go. If your caller has difficulty sticking to the point, you can focus the conversation back in the right direction. If your caller is upset or angry, your calm, patient, emphatic manner can defuse the situation. If your caller doesn't have a good grasp of exactly what it is that he wants, your questions in summarizing the conversation points will help you to discover not only the problem, but the solution. /// /// Page 5

12 PROFESSIONAL TELEPHONE SKILLS MODULE 3 - CONVERSATION TECHNIQUES Female: Module 3, Conversation Techniques. So far we've talked about using your voice to make a good impression, professional greetings, and managing calls. Let's move on with some conversation techniques. First, you need to find the right speed for talking. If you talk too fast, you'll give your caller the impression that you are impatient or that you feel that the call is an unwanted interruption. And if you remember the way my Marine answered the phone; Marine Corp Technology Services, this is Sergeant Taylor, how can I help you, sir, or ma'am? You'll see that if you talk too fast, people might not understand what you're saying. If you talk too slow, you seem like you are disinterested, that you don't have the energy to deal with the caller's concerns. So you have to strike a balance. Don't talk so fast that you're not speaking distinctly, but don't talk so slow that you show a lack of a positive energy. The best way that I know of to find out of your talking speed is good is to ask. Ask your coworkers or your friends and family. If you are sincere in asking for advice, and if you let them know that you are fully open to constructive criticism, they can be honest and let you know if your speed is too fast or too slow. You really do have to be sincere and open to constructive criticism, because if you're not, you won't get any advice. Instead, your coworkers or family and friends will placate you by telling you that you're doing fine even when you're not. Page 1

13 The next technique is asking the right questions. Using effective questioning techniques, allows you to get the information that you need. And it also helps you to stay in control of the conversation. When you are confronted with difficult situations, use the different types of questions to help you diffuse the situation. The different types of questions are open questions, specific questions, closed questions, alternative choice, leading questions, and hypothetical questions. Let's take a brief look at each type of question. Open questions request information in a way that it requires a fuller answer than a simple fact or a yes or no. As a result of asking open questions, we should be able to gain enough information to give the caller a solution to a particular problem, or at least be in a better position to help. For example, some open questions are, how may I help you? What information were you given by my colleague when you spoke to him yesterday? And please tell me what exactly happened and when. Specific questions help to clarify points. There are two types of specific questions, those which request a piece of information and those which simply require a yes or a no answer. For example, specific questions could be, who was it that you spoke with yesterday? What is your daytime contact number? Mr. Jones, have you received confirmation of your appointment? And, can you always be contacted at this telephone number? Page 2

14 Closed questions will usually produce a yes or a no answer. They can be useful in the closing minutes of a conversation to confirm all of the small details and to make sure that you've covered all that you need to cover. Examples of closed questions are: Have you confirmed this information with my manager? And is there any other information that you need at this time? Alternative choice questions provide alternatives for the caller to choose from. These questions can be helpful when dealing with difficult callers, which we'll cover in more detail a little bit later on. In Alternative choice questions, you ask the caller what they would like you to do for them, but provide them with choices that also suit you. For example, I could find out this information for you and telephone you with an answer by lunchtime, or would you rather I fax it to you later in the day? Would you like me to get Fred to call you or can I help you? In both of these cases, you've given the caller two choices. And it seems likely that they'll probably pick one or the other. Leading questions help speed up interactions. At times we seem to deal with people who find it difficult to make a final decision. Leading questions should help your caller to confirm the information in an easy way. Examples of leading questions could be: You would like to receive that information on a monthly basis, then? And so you would agree that a delivery on Tuesday if I can get your a discount? Page 3

15 Hypothetical test for a possible reaction from your caller. When used in a calm, conciliatory tone, they can be useful questions to test the water in a conflict situation where you're trying to suggest a solution. For example, if we're able to agree to this, how long would it take to set up the system? Another hypothetical question would be, if you want me to send this information, would you be able to submit the details by tomorrow? When we talked about managing calls, we talked about taking control of the call so that you can lead the conversation where you want it to go. That's one of the most important techniques that you can learn. You should assume the initiative and act like you are the one in charge of the conversation. When you answer, don't let your answer hang out there incomplete and begging for the caller to ask other questions. For example, if the caller says, is Bob available? don't just say Bob isn't here right now and then stop. Anticipate the caller's needs and go on to say, I'm sorry, Bob is out of the office. Can someone else help you or can I take a message for Bob? You can learn professional and diplomatic ways to respond to callers' questions. For example, when you mean he is out, tell the caller he's out of the office right now, would you like to leave a message on his voic ? When you mean I don't know where he is, tell the caller, he stepped out of the office, would you like to leave a message on his voic ? When you mean he's gone to the restroom, tell the caller he stepped out of the office, would you like to leave a message on his voic ? Page 4

16 When you mean he hasn't come into work yet, tell the caller I expect him shortly, would you like to leave a message on his voic ? When you mean she took the day off, tell the caller she's out of the office for a day, can someone else help you or would you like to leave a message on her voic ? When you mean he does not want to be disturbed, tell the caller he's unavailable at the moment, would you like to leave a message on his voic ? And when you mean she's busy, tell the caller she's unavailable at the moment, would you like to leave a message on her voic ? Can you see the common thread in these questions? You can see that in each of these cases, you'd be telling the caller the exact truth, but without giving them too much information. You're being tactful, while at the same time you're giving the caller the best option that you have to get in touch with the person that they want to communicate with. Giving unwelcome news requires a great deal of professional telephone skills. Sometimes you will need to give bad news to someone over the telephone, or you just have to tell the caller no. You should make the statement as brief as possible with a simple apology, if appropriate. For example, unfortunately, we will not be able to make the delivery on Thursday, or I'm sorry, that will not be possible. You should always acknowledge the caller's feelings and point of view. For example, I'm sorry to let you down on such short notice. Page 5

17 You should listen to their response and acknowledge it, exploring solutions or alternatives wherever possible. There are some things that you should never say in a professional telephone conversation. I'll give you some tips on some things that you might want to say or do instead. That's not our policy. Well, this is just a tired excuse to avoid taking action on complaints or requests. It's not only rude, but it can be damaging. Your caller is not likely to care about your internal policies. Think about it. How can any company policy rationalize cutting off or even hanging up on a customer? If you don't have the authority to fix a problem, you should consult someone higher up the chain for advice or to be given authority to find alternatives. That's not my department or it's not my job. Everyone and anyone working for an organization should be prepared to at least get a telephone number and have the appropriate person give a call back. Could you call back? We're really busy right now. I really hope that it would surprise you to know how often employees say this. There is no excuse for saying anything even close to this. My computer is down or we're having trouble with our servers. This is not the caller's problem. And it isn't a reason for you to not take action on a request. You should apologize for not being able to help, and then take a detailed message so that you can get back to the caller with the information as soon as possible. Page 6

18 I was waiting to get more information before I called you back. Well, this is a transparent attempt at an excuse, and it doesn't fool anyone. It's insulting to your caller by letting him know that his original call was not a priority. Wait a second, I'm putting you on speakerphone. You should never, ever put someone on speakerphone without asking permission. I'll make sure he calls you back. You should only promise to deliver the message. Don't promise something that you can't guarantee. If the return call never happens, you've created unnecessarily disappointment. Your call is very important to us. When this is said in person, it only sounds insincere. When it's a recording, it sounds even worse. And you should avoid these five forbidden phrases. I don't know. You should say instead I'll find out for you. Instead of saying I can't do that, much like that's not our policy, I can't do that is a conversation ender. You should say this is what I can do. Instead of saying you'll have to, don't sound like you're giving your caller orders. Instead say I need you to. Don't say just a second. We all know that you won't be back in one second. You should give an honest estimate, and then give the caller the option of having you call back when you have the information. And try not to say no. You should find a way to make that no a positive statement. /// /// Page 7

19 PROFESSIONAL TELEPHONE SKILLS MODULE 4 - DEALING WITH DIFFICULT CALLERS Female: Module 4, Dealing With Difficult Callers. In order to help a difficult caller, it's important that you keep control. However angry or frustrated the caller might be, he or she wants you to solve their problem. You should be assertive about getting results in a way that you're both happy with. Assertiveness is about achieving equilibrium in the fastest time. If you're communicating on a calm, adult level, then anxiety is reduced, an agreement or compromise can be reached. Both parties feel okay. Each person is aware of the other's feelings, and so is able to see both sides of the story. I have another pneumonic for you to remember when dealing with difficult callers. This one is LEAPS, L-E-A-P-S, listen, emphasize, apologize, be patient, and solve. Listen. When you receive a call from someone who is unhappy or dissatisfied with something that you have said or done, or something that they think you might have said or done, you must first show them that you have listened to what they have said. The easiest way to let your caller know that you are listening, is to use your active listening techniques and paraphrase what they have said in a positive, nonjudgmental way. Any criticism real or implied will cause a breakdown in your communication. Next, emphasize. Once you have the caller's attention, you can then tell them what you can to do help. Let your caller know what further action you are Page 1

20 prepared to take to help the situation. It's important that you show understanding for the caller's feelings and accept their right to have those feelings. Treat the caller as an individual with an individual problem. The caller must be able to feel that they can trust you and that you will do what you say that you will do. Next, apologize. You should acknowledge that the caller may have a point and apologize. You should remember don't take it personally. Learn to accept criticism without becoming defensive or reacting to someone else's anger. You should respond to the words that are being said and forget about the emotion in the tone. An emotional outburst loses its power when the recipient does not react. When the outburst does not reach its target, it often goes away. Next, be patient. Dealing with difficult callers can try anyone's patience. You should remain calm. Again, don't take the caller's emotions personally. When people are upset or frustrated, they can become angry, abusive, difficult, and unreasonable, particularly on the telephone. You need tact and patience to handle both yourself and the others in these situations. Use all of your skills to project professionalism and sincerity. And last, solve. All of the empathy and patience that you have displayed won't be effective for the long haul if you don't come up with a solution to the caller's problem. Remember this is not about winning. It's about coming up with a workable compromise. This means that taking the needs of both parties into consideration and Page 2

21 giving them equal weight. Compromising on a solution to a difficult situation need not compromise your self-respect. Let's take a look at some of the most frequent complaints from telephone callers. They complain that the telephone rings for a long time before it's answered. What you should do is try to answer your calls promptly. If you're in a meeting or some other situation where you can't answer the phone, try to get someone to cover your calls. Even if that person only greets a caller and offers to forward them to your voic , it's better for the caller to have talked with a live person. I have a lot of meetings in my office rather than booking a conference room. And I never answer the phone when I'm in a meeting. But I always get someone to cover my phone during meetings so that the callers can hear a live voice, and so that in cases of true emergency, I can be called out of the meeting. Another frequent complaint is they put me on hold for what seems like hours. If you find yourself putting many callers on hold, write down the name of the caller and a brief description of what they are calling about. If the caller has been holding for quite a while and you know they will be holding for even longer, pick up the line and say, I'm sorry, but the person that you want to speak to is still unavailable. Do you want to continue to hold or would you like me to send you to their voic ? Another complaint is their line is always busy. Try to keep your calls short. Don't stay on the phone any longer than absolutely necessary. Keep the line free from personal calls. Page 3

22 Today with nearly everyone having a cell phone, they should not be using business phone for personal calls. Back in the day before the prevalence of cell phones, personal calls were a big problem. You couldn't make a zero tolerance policy for personal calls, because people had to be able to use the phones for emergencies, and it just wasn't possible to keep some of those folks off the phone. But today personal calls should be a much more manageable issue. Another complaint is they are rude and offensive when asked for their full name, and sometimes they even refuse to give it. You should try to stay pleasant. Callers are not asking for too much information when they ask for your full name. They just want to be able to completely answer the question who told you that if it comes up. If all they know is that Mary is the person that they talked to, they might not be able to track the person down that gave them the information. Another complaint is they let me talk on and on before I found out that I was talking to the wrong person. What you should do is politely interrupt the caller if you're unable to help them. Don't waste your time and theirs by listening to a long story before you transfer the call. When transferring a call, remember to ask them if it's okay to transfer the call. If you don't know who can help the caller, put them on hold and ask the people in the office. If no one knows who can help, you have no choice but to apologize and let the caller know that you're unable to help. Page 4

23 Another complaint is they don't listen clearly to what I need before they transfer me to the wrong person. And what you need to do is listen to the caller carefully. Before you transfer, make sure that you understand what the caller wants. Repeat what they said back to them, and give the caller a chance to clarify the situation. Remember to treat each caller as an individual, and don't jump to conclusions. Another complaint, sometimes they disconnect me when transferring my call. On this one you need to be careful. Remember we talked about how important it is to know how to use the equipment. Before you transfer, make sure you give the caller the name and the number of the person that you're transferring to so that if the call is accidently disconnected, then the caller can call directly. Next, they told me to call back, but they never told me a name, or a number, or a division to ask for. If you tell a caller to call back later, you need to tell them what number to call, even if you give them the same number that they just called. And the last complaint that we're going to talk about is they answered the voice in an aggravated voice like I was disturbing them by calling. After you've completed this audio conference, you should not hear a complaint like that. You will know better and it won't happen again. /// /// Page 5

24 PROFESSIONAL TELEPHONE SKILLS MODULE 5 - MESSAGES Female: Module 5, Messages. We've spent our time so far talking about professional telephone skills in terms of conversations that we have on the phone. But there's another area of telephone skills that's just as important to your business; dealing with messages. Have you ever hung up the phone after taking a message and realize that you forgot to take down the caller's number? We've all done it, usually when we were frantically busy with other things. But it illustrates the importance of taking comprehensive messages. The failure to take a correct message could, at the very least, lead to frustration, and worse, a loss of business. Remember, have your workspace set up in a way that's conducive to taking messages. Have a paper and pen ready. To help you better take messages, make a checklist out of the following items and post it where you can easily see it while you're on the phone. You want to take the name of the caller, both first and last, and ask for spelling if it's unclear. Verify the telephone number of the caller. Then you need to write the message. Ask for clarification until you're sure that you understand what it is that the caller wants. Page 1

25 Next, read back what you have written. Assure the caller you will deliver the message promptly. Then write your own name and phone number on the message. Then, last, do what you said you would do; deliver the message promptly. I cannot even tell you the number of times I've come into my office and found a post-it note stuck to my computer terminal that said something like call Steve. That's it; call Steve. Nothing to say who took the message. Nothing to say which of the half a dozen Steves that I'm acquainted with called or what it was that he wanted. And no one to ask for clarification. Taking a good message is as important as a professional telephone skill as speaking on the phone. It isn't hard, and it pays off many times over than the trouble that it takes to accomplish. Now that you can take excellent messages, let's move on to voic . Voic is another one of those technological innovations designed to help people that work that has succeeded in generating frustration, irritation, hostile behavior. Although the invention itself is brilliant, it's implementation and use often doesn't measure up. In its simplest form, voic is a glorified answering machine. Yet, as common as answering machines and voic are, most people still hesitate to leave messages. The idea of talking to a machine makes some people self-conscious. Yet, if it's properly used, it's really a great business tool. But most callers don't know how to use voic well and most organizations don't have a suitable voic policy. Page 2

26 How often have you called someone, expecting them to be there, only to be put through to voic ? The departure from what was expected, you expected another human on the other end of the telephone, immediately takes us aback, and depending on the reason for the call in the first place, will often cause irritation or annoyance. How often have you heard a message that says I'm in the office today but away from my desk at the moment, so please leave a message at the tone? This is a meaningless statement. If you do leave a message, it might be reasonable to expect a return call in, say, half an hour? And when your call is not returned, you might call again only to hear the same message. And this time you probably will just hang up, frustrated. Another common but vague message is I'm away from my desk for half an hour, so leave a message or call me back later. Well, at least they said a timeframe in this message, but the question that this message raises is half hour from when? Now, or half hour from 20 minutes ago? You should use some common sense on your voic messages. Think of the person who's listening to the message and anticipate the reaction that your message might provoke. If someone calls, they usually want something that could well be vital to their plans for the rest of the day. Whatever the reason for the call, your message should be clear and should not irritate. And always use specific times in your message. You should say this is Sara Smith's voic on Tuesday, May 1st. I'll be away from my desk until noon Page 3

27 today, so if you'd like to leave a message, please leave your name, number, and a brief message after the tone. Or you can give the caller an alternative contact. This is Sara Smith's voic on Tuesday, May 1st. I'll be out of the office until Wednesday, May 2nd. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, or call Pat Hall at extension Both of these messages give specific information to help the caller. Although it's frustrating not to be able to talk to you right there and then, at least the caller will know when you're available. They can then make a choice. I'm going to finish up our hour with a summary of some of the things we talked about. Here are some professional telephone skills tips. Be prompt. Answer the phone within three or four rings. Make sure that you find the right speed; not too fast and not too slow. Smile when you answer the phone. It shows in your voice. Make sure that your greeting is positive and professional. Make your greeting a verbal handshake by announcing your company name and department, as well as your own name. Show empathy. Build a relationship with your caller by using a warm, friendly tone of voice. Establish the needs of your caller immediately by asking how may I help you. Page 4

28 Use open questions to find out facts and information, and also closed questions to clarify and check understanding. If you can, answer your caller's questions promptly and efficiently. If you can't help, tell them what you can do for them. Use continuity sounds to show the caller that you're listening. For example, say I see, or that's right. Repeat names, telephone numbers, fax numbers, and dates back to the caller to make sure that you've gotten them right. Make notes and record all necessary information. Double check all information by reading back in summary what you have discussed. Instead of passing callers around between departments, take their name, number, and a brief message, and reassure them that it will be passed on to the appropriate person. Give the caller your full attention. Nobody can hold more than one conversation and retain a hundred percent of the information in all of those conversations. Keep focused on the subject at hand, and don't interrupt the caller with pointless questions. Remember that both people engaged in a call have the right to know who they are talking to. Page 5

29 And the last tip, finish off your call on a positive note. Check your caller has asked all of the questions that they need to, and has all of the information that they need. /// /// Page 6