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By: Allen Schurdell. Importance of Telephone Etiquette. Answering the Phone Efficiently. Start of with a good initial greeting. You should thank the caller for calling and greet them with a good morning or afternoon.
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By: Allen Schurdell Importance of Telephone Etiquette
Answering the Phone Efficiently • Start of with a good initial greeting. You should thank the caller for calling and greet them with a good morning or afternoon. • You should then tell them what organization you are from. In our case you should tell them that you are calling from United Pharmaceutical. • After telling them where you are calling from you should now tell them who you are by giving them your name. • Last you want to let them know that you are willing to help them with finding the person they need for further assistance.
Creating Appropriate Voice Messages • When creating an appropriate voice message you want to make sure that the person calling knows who they are leaving the message for. This means you will want to say your name so they will know. • Next you will want to give them assurance that you will get back with them as soon as possible. This means you will want to tell them that if they want you to contact them back that they leave the appropriate information to allow you to get back in contact with them. • You may also want to leave another way for them to contact you if you are going to be away for a while. • Last you will want to end the message on a positive note with a Thank You or something of that nature.
Handling Incoming Calls • You need to be able to think and prioritize as you are speaking to your customer. • You must also be able to summarize and paraphrase to keep all of your phone calls on track. Try to keep the phone calls focused on the point that you are trying to follow. • Be sure to close the phone call with a summary of whatever action you and the caller decided to take to make sure that everyone in the conversation understands what is going on. • Make sure that you having something to write with and to write on close to your phone in case there is information that you need to write down will talking to the caller.
Handling Incoming Calls Continued • Make sure that you having something to write with and to write on close to your phone in case there is information that you need to write down will talking to the caller. • Give your callers other options to get in contact with you such as emails.
Placing Effective Calls • You should first gather all of the necessary information that you will need before you make the call so that you are not scrambling around trying to find everything you need while on the phone with the customer. • Think about what you are trying to accomplish with this call and make a note of it so that you don’t lose concentration while on the phone. • If something happens and you are starting to feel a little nervous or uncomfortable you should take a few minutes and visualize the conversation and take a few deep breaths.
Tips for Telephone Success • Start off by trying to make a the caller feel that you are feeling pleasant and relaxed. • Make sure that you listen attentively to the person that you are speaking with. • Let the person you are talking with finish what they are saying before you respond. • Use some open ended questions to try and get people to speak more freely. • Try to match the speed of your customer whether they are speaking fast or slow.
Tips for Telephone SuccessContinued • Try to phrase your words in a positive manner for best results. • Avoid leaving voice messages unless absolutely necessary. If you have to leave a message make sure it is clear what you are calling for. • Plan your telephone presentation in advance so you get an idea of what may take place. • If you need to tape yourself for self-improvement. • And last, make an action plan and focus on one area at a time.
Bibliography • Kirby, J. A. (2005, May 10). 10 Tips for Telephone Success. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from Ezine Articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?10-Tips-for-Telephone-Success&id=34976 • Melodie, D. L. (2009, September 29). How to Make Effective Business Phone Calls. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from Wikihow: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Effective-Business-Phone-Calls • Phone Answering Skills. (2010, March 15). Retrieved March 15, 2010, from The Phone Coach: http://www.thephonecoach.com/PhoneAnsweringProcedures.htm • Ward, S. (2010, March 15). Time Management Tips for Inbound Calls. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from About: http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/timemanagement/a/telephonetips2.htm