Points to remember when receiving a call

Excellent telephone communication can make the difference between winning or loosing a contract. One lost contract will loose the vital word of mouth recommendations and that could lead to the loss a potential ten other clients.

Here are a few points to bear in mind when your telephone next rings:

How long was it before the call was answered?
Never leave a phone ringing for more than four rings

How was the call answered?
Make clear who you are and who the company is. Create a welcoming atmosphere straight off

Was there any distractions?
If someone is on the phone never interrupt. Leave a small message or wait. If you are the one receiving the call, avoid doing other tasks at the same time. Concentrate on the caller!!

If the call was transferred, did you send it to the right person?
Know your office departments and the people within them. Have a list on hand with departments, names, extension numbers and specific job titles. Never pass a client from one person to another.

Did I put them on hold? How long?
Never leave a caller on hold for long periods of time. If you are going to take time to help a caller ask for their telephone number and call them back when you are able to help.

People form impressions about you over the phone. It could be based on how you sound, the way you talk, your accent, or your tone. Whatever it is, you have to be very ethical and polite. Introduce yourself to the person before requesting to talk with someone else.

Speak clearly. You don’t know if the other end is getting good reception of your voice. So to be sure, speak clearly and audibly. Don’t talk to someone else when you’re on the phone. And if the person asks you to spell some words you said, do so politely.

Watch your tone. A lot of people are very sensitive about the tone other people use when talking to them. To avoid being judged as ill-mannered, check your tone. Avoid sounding monotonous or high-pitched. Talk formally but with a casual vibe to come across as friendly.

Say your purpose. People usually ask you what you’re calling for. If it’s not confidential, say why you need to talk to the person. If it is confidential, tell the person you have to deliver a personal message.

There is a way to know if you are ethical in phone conversations, aside from asking your friends. You can record your phone calls and see for yourself how you talk to people on the phone. Listening to yourself will tell you where you have to make improvements so that you can make your phone calls very professional, ethical, and effective.

Text D

Telephone Manners

Although email and instant messaging are quickly becoming standard forms of office communication, the telephone still plays an important role in business. Just like a face-to-face meeting, telephone conversations are expected to and should follow certain rules of etiquette to help make the experience pleasant and productive for all those involved. It's easy to forgo manners when talking over the phone. Distractions abound, from impromptu meetings or email notifications blinking on your computer screen. Remember that a conversation over the phone carries just as much weight as a face-to-face meeting, as it is a great opportunity to communicate in real time. If your job requires being on the phone most of the day, remember it usually takes a few hours for the human vocal cords to fully warm up after a night's sleep. Eight hours of rest usually leaves them a little rusty. Practice enunciation in the bathroom mirror while you get ready for work, or do some vocal exercises in the shower. Singing in the shower does wonders for a day of cold calling - but make sure you're not disturbing someone else's slumber with your warbling. Deep breathing exercises help condition your stomach and throat for a day's worth of talking, as well as gently clearing your throat and blowing your nose. If you drive to work, you can also sing along with the radio in the car. When making a business call, be sure to first identify yourself and your company. If you're routed to a receptionist or operator, also include the name of the person you're trying to reach. A simple, "Hello, this is Mary Robert from Off the Wall Productions. May I please speak with Mark Grand?" will do. Be prepared with a one or two sentence explanation of the purpose for your call. When you are connected with the person, state the purpose of your call and then be sure to ask if you are calling at a convenient time. This is one of the most overlooked areas of phone etiquette, and allows the person you're calling the opportunity to better address your needs at a later time. Don't fib about how long your call will take - if you know it will take longer than five minutes, don't say, "It'll be quick." Let the person know what they are getting into at the start of the conversation. If you get shunted to a receptionist and he or she asks why you are calling, give a concise but informative statement that can be easily relayed. Do not, however, assume that your message will be communicated; when you speak directly with the person you are trying to call, repeat your message in your own words. Don't be insulted if you're asked to leave a message or call back later - previous engagements do take priority. People make business phone calls for specific reasons. Very rarely do vendors or clients call just to catch up. Telephone calls usually lead to some action to be taken, so make sure your first vocal impression is a good one by trying to answer the phone as pleasantly and professionally as possible. Identify yourself and your company when receiving an incoming call. While it's not impolite to say, "Off the Wall Productions, Mary Robert speaking," it might be easier on the listener to say, "Thank you for calling Off the Wall Productions. This is Mary Robert. How may I help you?" Variations on this theme can convey your greeting quite effectively. If you work at a large corporation with many departments, it may also help to include your department or section name, "This is Mary Robert, accounts receivable. How may I help you?" The hold feature is generally considered a double-edged sword in telephone etiquette. No one is usually available at the exact moment of a phone call, and being on hold simply must be tolerated. However, there are many things the caller and the person taking the call can do to make the experience a pleasant one. If you must put someone on hold, ask first and - most importantly - wait for their answer. If someone expresses reservation about being put on hold, calmly explain why it is necessary. Perhaps the person they are calling for stepped out of the office and needs to be tracked down, or is on another call. Callers like an explanation for their inconveniences, but don't give away too much information. If Bill from distributing is in the restroom, just tell the caller he is away from his desk. Remember to keep the person on hold updated on the status of his or her call every 30 seconds. A simple "She's on another call" or "His meeting is running a little late" is sufficient. It's okay to hang up after three minutes on hold. Call back and ask to leave a message instead. If you have to leave a message or voice mail for someone, make it short and to the point. Speak clearly and slowly and leave your name, phone number, and a brief message. Say your name and number at the beginning and again at the end of the message, especially if you don't know the person you're calling. If the voice mail system allows you to play back your message, consider taking advantage of that feature to make sure your message is clear and communicates your needs. Returning messages promptly is always appreciated. It's customary to return telephone calls within 24 hours. If you cannot attend to the caller's needs within that time, briefly phone the person to say when you will be available. The message you leave as your outgoing message is an important business tool. Information is critical. The best messages communicate several key things to the person calling you: your name, the organization and/or group you're in, the current date (this tells them you are checking your messages), whether you are in the office or not that day, when to expect a call back, whom to contact if the call is urgent, and how to get to that person. This seems like an enormous burden, but it just requires a little discipline first thing every morning or last thing every night. If you've ever called someone and gotten a generic voicemail, you know how disconcerting it can be. Is the person on vacation? Will I get a call back? When? So it's especially important for people who travel frequently to attend to outgoing messages. Of course, you can simplify the approach and perhaps change your message once a week providing an update of the days you'll be out of the office that week. Any useful information in your outgoing message will make your caller feel more comfortable that the message is important and you will respond. Be sure to respond. Text D Some More Phrasal Verbs Phrasal verbs are especially abundant when people start speaking about money they have spent, or money they have saved, or money they are going to earn, etc. Below are some phrasal verbs dealing with the topic of money. Study them and then translate the text paying attention at the meaning of the phrasal verb in the sentence. Spending Money: lay out - to spend money. especially a large amount splash out - to spend a lot of money on something you don't need, but is very pleasant run up - to create a large debt fork out, fork over - to pay for something, usually something you would rather not have to pay for. shell out - to pay for something, usually something you would rather not have to pay for. cough up - to provide money for something you do not want to Having Just Enough Money: get by - to have just enough money for your needs scrape by - to manage to live on very little money Helping Someone with Money: bail out - to help a person or organization out of a difficult situation tide over - to help someone with money for a period of time until they have enough Paying Debts: pay back - to return money owed to someone pay off - to finish paying all money that is owed Saving Money: save up - to keep money for a large expense in the future put aside - to save money for a specific purpose Using Saved Money: dip into - to spend part of your saved money break into - to start to use money that you have saved Well, last week I finally dipped into that money that I had been putting aside for the past year and a half. I decided that I should really enjoy myself so I splashed out and had a great meal at Andy's. Next, I went to Macys on Saturday and laid out $400 for that suit I'd told you about. Of course, I used a great deal of what I had saved up to pay back that bill I had run up on my Visa card. It feels great to finally have some money after all those years of scraping by. Thanks again for tiding me over during that long winter of '05. I don't think I would have got by without your bailing me out.Unfortunately, I also had to cough up about $250 in insurance costs. Oh well, I guess shelling out the cash for those things is just as necessary as anything else...