Deborah OConnor June 13, 2013

More and more business is being conducted today with only a mobile phone. In fact, almost half of all people in the US have only a mobile phone. Because of the casual nature of mobile phones, telephone etiquette is slipping through the cracks. If you are not conducting business properly, it can be costly to your business. With a quick review of phone etiquette, you can make sure you are always professional and businesslike.  There are certain etiquette points you should be aware of:

• Answer calls promptly on the second or third ring.
• Use a professional telephone voice, being careful to answer in a calm and respectful manner.
• Make sure you have a professional voice message when you cannot take calls.
• Answer in the business name when appropriate, i.e., “Successful Image, Deborah O’Connor speaking, how may I help you?’” Different businesses have their own moniker, be sure to use it.
• Smile when you answer the phone. Believe it or not, you sound more pleasant.
• Speak clearly and calmly and give your full attention to the caller.
• Don’t answer the phone if you have food in your mouth. This sounds very obvious, but you would be surprised how many people do this.
• You can turn off the caller ID feature in settings. This is a particularly good idea if you are about to make a very important business call and don’t want to subject your client to the incessant beeping.
• Be prepared to take a message with a pen and pad of paper at your fingertips.
• Stay positive. If you cannot accommodate the caller, explain why not in a calm voice, and offer a solution, such as, “I’m sorry, I don’t have that information at the moment. May I call you back as soon as I do?
• Take notes while listening, you’ll be surprised how much information you might miss and you won’t always be able to remember everything.
• Try not to answer “Hi” unless you know for sure it is not a business call.
• Avoid being negative. If you cannot help the person, tell them that you will get the answers they need and let them know when you will get back to them.
• If you cannot get the answers or information that your client needs, call them back and tell them so. Give them a new date that they can expect to hear from you. The worse thing you can do is not call them back.
• If someone calls to complain, be sympathetic with them. Tell them you will get to the bottom of the situation and make it right.
• Let the caller vent. Do not patronize them, simply listen and let them know that you will make sure the problem is taken care of.
• Don’t place blame on anyone. You are the one on the phone, tell the caller you will make sure that the right person will resolve their problem.
• Empathize with the caller and acknowledge their feelings.
• Empathy and kindness can go a long way to calm someone down.
• You can apologize, even if it isn’t your fault. Let them know that you are on their side.
• Make sure you end the call with a plan of action. They need to know what will happen next.
• Follow-up on everything. Notify whomever you need to and make sure it gets done.
• Make the caller feel special so that they hang up knowing that you understood and that you will follow-through.
• Make sure to follow through.
• The biggest advantage and disadvantage of using your mobile phone for business is that you can be contacted 24/7. Be selective when giving out your number.
• Remember, you can choose to answer business calls during business hours only, if you prefer. It’s also more professional.

Deborah O’Connor is a social strategist and founder and president of Successful Image LLC with offices in Columbia and Atlanta. She offerstraining and seminars on image management, workplace etiquette, andsocial skills necessary to succeed in life professionally andpersonally. Contact at:   [email protected]        www.successfulimage.biz