Telephone Etiquette for Business

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Even in a world of email, IMing, and YouTube, much of your contact with people in a business setting will be on the telephone. And this phone connection is often the first time a person "meets" you.

Remember to smile when you speak on the phone.

Even though the other person can't see your smile, this physical act increases the pleasantness of your voice. If you don't believe this, try it out on your friends. See if they can tell the difference as to when you're smiling and when you're not.

Introduce yourself by name while speaking clearly and slowly.

If you reach someone on the telephone, first say your name. Then immediately ask if the other person has time to talk or would it be better to call back at another time. If the reply is to call back, ask when that better time would be. (And, of course, call back at that time.)

And what about taking phone messages if you answer the phone at work? All those cell phone conversations you have with your friends are not good preparation for answering the phone in a professional manner.

Here is a sample phone script. (The company at which you are interning or working may have its own script.)

PHONE SCRIPT:
You: Good [morning, afternoon, evening]. Office of Phyllis Miller. This is [your first name].
Caller: Can I speak with Phyllis?
You: Who is calling?
Caller: It's James.
You: What is your last name?
Caller [getting annoyed but that's okay]: Yeah, it's James C~~~~ [you can't quite hear]
You: Can you spell that?
Caller [even more annoyed but don't let it get to you]: James Conrad!
You: Just a moment, I'll connect you.
YOU PUT CALLER ON HOLD
You: Phyllis, I have James Conrad on line 1.
YOU DON'T HEAR ANYTHING AND THE LINE STILL BLINKS RED
YOU POKE YOUR HEAD IN THE DOOR -- PHYLLIS HAS ON HEADPHONES
You: Phyllis, you have James Conrad on line 1.
Phyllis: Okay. [she starts shuffling papers around but doesn't pick up the phone]
YOU PICK UP THE PHONE ON HER DESK
You: Phyllis will be with you in just a moment.
Caller [calm and happy now]: Thanks.
PHYLLIS ANSWERS THE PHONE
OR IF PHYLLIS ISN'T AVAILABLE [because she is away from her desk, on another line, or tells you she can't talk to James Conrad right now]
You: I'm sorry, Phyllis isn't available. [never say why] May I have her call you back?
Caller: Yeah, thanks. [about to hang up]
You (quickly): What would be the best number to reach you? [caller tells you] And what company are you with? [caller tells you] I'll let her know.

One more thing: It's perfectly acceptable to ask the caller to repeat his/her information and to ask for the spelling of a person's name or company name. It is much better to ask the caller to repeat the information than to get the wrong information.

If you are unsure of a spelling and don't want to ask for the person to repeat the spelling to you, instead you can spell the person's name back to him/her. If the person says yes to your spelling, then you have the correct spelling. It the person corrects you, you will now have the correct spelling.

Always make sure you have the correct information.