Corporate E-Learning

In this growing electronic age, we often forget how important it can be to have simple telephone etiquette. Outside the realm of texting and emails, many people still use the telephone as a primary source of communication. Knowing the proper etiquette and procedures for speaking with someone on the telephone can show a great deal of professionalism as well as social knowledge.

Many people do not realize they have little or no phone etiquette. When they recognize this, they are often unsure about where to start. One of the first steps to gaining or improving a person’s phone etiquette is to know the different aspects of it, such as phrasing and listening skills. Learning this knowledge can be a great starter tool for many people and can help them feel more confident on the phone right away.

Every environment we enter requires a different form of ‘language’. For instance, we wouldn’t enter a team meeting with the same type of language we may use in the break room. The same is true for the telephone. Telephone language is different than our everyday language and can take some time to get used to its flow. But with the right tools, it can be easy to adapt in no time.

Distractions can be very common in an office environment. Since employees are not alone or isolated, we learn to adapt to the sounds of other people in the room, telephones or fax machines ringing or even the occasional visitor to our work station. However, if we let these distractions hinder our telephone etiquette, it will cause us to sound unprepared and unprofessional.

For many companies, inbound calls are a major part of the business. Customer call into the company for orders, consultations and even seeking general information. Inbound calls can seem intimidating at times since many times we don’t know who is on the other end of the line. But knowing the right tools, such as a proper greeting and key phrases, can help the telephone operator through any situation.

Outbound calls can be some of the hardest types of calls to make. They require the caller to be well prepared and be able to keep the ‘target’ engaged while trying to deliver a point. Feeling such as nervousness and a fear of rejection can make these types of calls seem daunting to anyone. But with some helpful techniques and a little practice, the caller will have no problems picking up the phone and dialing a number.

One of the hardest, and somewhat scariest, situations a telephone operator can handle is a rude or angry caller. Every company has them and any person that answers a company phone will encounter them at some point. Many times they can come out of nowhere and it can be difficult to keep the caller focused on what they need/want. But depending on how the operator responds can be the difference between saving and losing that customer.

When handling calls with the outside public, there is a set of guidelines and policies that the telephone operator follows. But when the calls are within the company, or within the same office, these policies and guidelines can shift a bit and become a whole new set of guidelines all their own.

Voicemails are a great tool to have in this age of technology, especially since the employee may not always be at their desk or may be busy taking calls from another customer. It is important to understand how to retrieve and deliver these messages efficiently so that critical information isn’t lost and the chance to build a professional relationship isn’t missed.

While having good telephone etiquette is beneficial, it will not do any good if it is not taught to the rest of the team. It is important to the company’s success that every employee is properly trained and able to demonstrate telephone etiquette before being let loose on the telephone. Every employee learns differently, so it’s helpful to have several methods available to allow employees to adopt these skills.

Poor employee skills can decrease productivity and damage company costs. The key is to address and handle the problem before it can affect the whole team. Poor telephone etiquette is no exception. Many employees may not realize that their etiquette may be inadequate, so it is important that there are several tools available to help them get back on track.

Although this workshop is coming to a close, we hope that your journey to better telephone etiquette is just beginning. Please take a moment to review and update your action plan. This will be a key tool to guide your progress in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We wish you the best of luck on the rest of your travels!