Make & Receive Telephone Calls

Unit Q107

Make and receive telephone calls

What you will learn  Understand how to make telephone calls  Understand how to receive and transfer telephone calls  Be able to make telephone calls  Be able to receive telephone calls

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

Introduction Being a skilled telephone user is essential in the modern office environment. In this unit, you will explore the techniques and skills that will help to ensure you are competent at making and receiving calls in the office.

Maintaining a professional image – both your own and the company’s – is also essential when dealing with people on the phone, and you will look at ways of presenting a businesslike image, which will help to inspire colleagues’ and customers’ confidence in you.

Unit Q107 Make and receive telephone calls

The unit investigates the correct procedures for identifying and dealing with problems which may arise with telephone systems, which will ensure that time lost to problems is minimised and that any problems are dealt with quickly and efficiently. You will be expected to follow the correct organisational procedures when using the phone at work, and the unit explains how this should be done.

Understand how to make telephone calls Developing your skills in making telephone calls will ensure you are able to contact people with ease. It will also make your day-to-day office role much easier, as you will frequently be required to make phone calls as part of your job.

In this section, you will investigate the key skills needed to make effective telephone calls in order to obtain the information which you require. You will also look at organisational procedures and requirements which you may have to follow when using the telephone at work.

Features of telephone systems and how to use them There are a number of different types of office telephone system. The one that you use will depend on the size of the organisation – larger businesses usually have high-tech equipment with a range of features, whereas smaller companies may have telephone systems not much different to those used at home.

A conference phone is often used to make calls involving a large number of people. This type of phone may be used to hold business meetings between people in different regions or even different countries.

A standard telephone used in most offices

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Make and receive telephone calls

Most standard office telephone systems come with the following features, which will enable you to deal efficiently with business calls.

LED display – displays a variety of information such as whether there is a voice message waiting for you, if you have another incoming call while you are on the phone and whether your voicemail is switched on or off.

Voicemail (inbuilt answer machine) – ensures missed calls can be returned and attended to.

A conference phone allows people to dial in to a meeting from other locations

Internal transfer of calls – allows you to pass on a call to a colleague. This is an essential feature when you need someone else to help attend to a caller, such as when you are unable to answer a particular query.

Divert calls – allows you to redirect an incoming call to a colleague when you are busy and cannot answer it yourself.

Memory – stores information on all calls made and received. This is useful for retrieving telephone numbers.

Portfolio task 107.1

Links to L01: assessment criterion 1.1

Write a short report which describes the different features of telephone systems and how to use them.

You may find it helpful to carry out an Internet search to locate two different types of office telephone systems. Bookmark any websites that may be useful for you, and use the information which you have found to produce a list of the key features of both types of telephone system.

Make and receive telephone calls

Caller display – allows you to see who is calling before you pick up the phone, which gives you time to prepare for the call.

Unit Q107

Call forwarding – enables you to forward calls to a colleague if you need to be away from your desk and cannot answer the phone yourself.

Identifying the purpose of a call before making it Before making a call, you need to take a moment to think about the purpose of the call. For example, is it: to arrange a meeting? to deal with a dissatisfied customer wanting a refund? to thank a customer for their order? to obtain updated delivery details for an order?

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

As you can see, there is a wide range of possible reasons for your call and they each need some preparation. For example, you should: have all the necessary information to hand make notes of any information which you need to get from the other person list any points which you need to tell the other person.

By following this simple set of guidelines, and by ticking things off your list as you go along, you will make the best use of your time when on the phone. This means that you will also save the other person time too, as you will not have to keep them talking on the phone any longer than is necessary.

Unit Q107 Make and receive telephone calls

Portfolio task 107.2

Links to L01: assessment criterion 1.2

Write a short report which gives reasons for identifying the purpose of a call before making it.

Start by giving two examples of different types of calls which you may have to make at work. For each one, say what it is that you would have to think about and prepare beforehand in order to achieve the purpose of the call.

Ways of obtaining names and numbers of people that need to be contacted There are several ways in which you can obtain the contact details of people whom you need to phone. The method you choose will depend on the type of systems which are in place in your organisation, but you may find the following useful.

Search the company’s internal contacts database.

Use your telephone’s memory facility to retrieve contact numbers, if you have phoned them previously.

Check a business contact’s company website to find their phone number.

Search your email contact list if you keep one (it would be a very good idea to start doing this if you do not do so already).

If none of the above methods enables you to find the contact details you need, ask your colleagues to help – they may already have the details you require.

Otherwise, you can search for people and businesses using a directory service such as ‘The Phone Book’, or one of the online versions of this.

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Make and receive telephone calls

Activity 1

Business searched for

Results and comments

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Portfolio task 107.3

Links to L01: assessment criterion 1.3

Write a short report which describes different ways of obtaining the names and numbers of people that need to be contacted.

Give two examples of different types of people whom you may need to contact.

For each one, say how you would go about locating their contact details.

How to use a telephone system to make contact with people inside and outside an organisation Most office telephones allow you to contact an internal colleague by simply dialling their extension number from your handset.

When contacting an external customer or client, you normally have to press a number on your handset first – usually 9, although this number may vary – in order to be transferred to the external telephone system. Once you have an outside line, you then dial the contact telephone number in the usual way. Remember to dial the area/country code, if the person you are calling is located in another region or country.

Portfolio task 107.4

A version of this table, ready for you to complete, is available to download from www.contentextra. com/businessadmin

Make and receive telephone calls

Website address of directory

Unit Q107

Carry out research to identify some of the online directory services which you could use to find contact details for people or organisations. Try doing an Internet search for ‘online directories’. Make a list of four directories and practise trying to find a business of your choice in each of them. Summarise your results in the table below.

Links to L01: assessment criterion 1.4

Describe how to use a telephone system to make contact with people inside and outside an organisation.

Start by giving one example each of a person inside the organisation and a person or business outside the organisation and, for each, outline the steps you would need to take to contact them using your office telephone.

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

The purpose of giving a positive image of yourself and your organisation When you are dealing with people on the phone at work, you are representing your company. This is an important responsibility since the way in which you speak to them will leave a lasting impression. A poor telephone manner can annoy callers, and if they are not happy with the way in which they are treated on the phone, the business may lose important customers. It can also give the company a bad reputation. It is important, therefore, always to use your best ‘telephone manner’.

Unit Q107 Make and receive telephone calls

Ways of being professional on the phone When making calls: Begin by saying who you are, the company you are calling from and the reason for your call.

Always maintain a businesslike manner in your speech (do not use slang).

Listen carefully to what the other person is saying so that you can answer any questions which they may have.

Never talk over anyone or contradict them (even if you disagree with what they are saying), especially if they are upset. Instead, wait until they have finished speaking and then – calmly and politely – reply to them.

Always end calls by thanking the other person for their time and wishing them a pleasant day.

Portfolio task 107.5

Links to L01: assessment criterion 1.5

Explain the purpose of giving a positive image of yourself and your organisation.

To complete this task you need to write a short summary which outlines the reasons why you think it is important to present a positive image of yourself.

You should also include a paragraph on why it is important to give a positive image of your organisation.

The purpose of summarising the outcomes of a telephone conversation Imagine that you have been on an important call to one of your most valued clients for half an hour. You have discussed a number of different things and it is time to end the call.

If you do not keep a record of what was discussed and agreed, it is likely that an important piece of information may be forgotten and this could cause problems for you – and for the business – afterwards. To avoid this happening,

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Make and receive telephone calls

Links to L01: assessment criterion 1.6

Write a short summary which explains the purpose of summarising the outcomes of a telephone conversation before ending the call.

Remember to think about this from the points of view of both the business and the customer.

How to identify problems and who to refer them to From time to time, problems will arise at work. It is important for you to be able to spot these and to take action to resolve them. Sometimes you will be able to solve problems yourself. At other times, you will need to refer problems to your line manager or to another departmental manager. More serious problems should always be referred to a more senior member of staff.

Activity 2 Imagine that one of your customers keeps forgetting to fax the paperwork containing their signature authorising you to despatch a large order to them.

Headsets allow you more freedom while you are talking on the phone

Make and receive telephone calls

Portfolio task 107.6

Unit Q107

always make notes of important discussions while you are on the telephone.

Type them straight into the computer for maximum efficiency. You may find it easier to work with a telephone headset in order to do this. At the end of the call, run through the list of points which you discussed with the client and go over what was agreed. Any errors can also be corrected immediately, while you still have the client on the phone. You could also follow up this telephone summary with an email to your client outlining the main points raised in the call. This way, each of you will have a written document to refer to in the future.

Because you have not received their signature by fax, you are not allowed to release the order for despatch. Now, the same customer has phoned you to complain that the order has not arrived. What would you do in this situation?

Write a brief summary saying what you would do and why.

In situations where a colleague or customer is persistently uncooperative despite your best efforts, you must refer the matter to another person, usually your line manager. It is then their responsibility to sort out the problem.

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

Portfolio task 107.7

Links to L01: assessment criterion 1.7

Write a short summary describing how to identify problems and who to refer them to.

Begin by stating two examples of problems that you might experience when using the phone at work. For each problem, say who you think would be the correct person to refer the issue to.

Unit Q107 Make and receive telephone calls

Key term Organisation structure – the way in which the staff within an organisation are grouped together into teams and departments.

Organisation structures and communication channels within the organisation Organisation structures An organisation structure shows how the employees within an organisation fit together in the different departments. It also shows who reports to whom.

Structures are usually displayed in the form of an organisation structure chart, like the one shown in Figure 107.1. In the chart, you can see how the company is organised into three departments – production, marketing and IT – with a manager in charge of each. The departmental managers each have employees who report to them. In turn, the departmental managers report to the managing director. Notice how the personal assistant to the managing director only reports to the managing director, but no one reports to the personal assistant.

Managing Director

Personal Assistant

Production Manager

Production Team Leader

Figure 107.1: An organisation structure chart showing the reporting relationships in a company

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Production Workers × 10

Marketing Manager

Marketing Executives × 2

IT Manager

IT Support Executives × 2

Make and receive telephone calls

There are two main types of organisation structures: flat and tall. A flat structure is one where there is one manager and many people report to them – see, for example, Figure 107.2. A tall structure, on the other hand, is one where there are many layers of managers in the company and only a few people report to each manager – an example is shown in Figure 107.3.

Employee

Employee

Employee

Employee

Employee

Employee

Employee

Figure 107.2: A flat organisation structure

General Manager

Production Manager

Production Team Leader

Senior Production Operative

Junior Production Operative

Senior Production Operative

Junior Production Operative

Marketing Manager

IT Manager

Marketing Team Leader

IT Team Leader

Marketing Executive

Marketing Assistant

Make and receive telephone calls

Employee

Unit Q107

Managing Director

IT Support Executive

IT Support Assistant

Figure 107.3: A tall organisation structure

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

Key term Communication channels – methods used to pass information to staff within the organisation.

Examples include email, the telephone and company meetings.

Communication channels There are two main types of communication channel – formal and informal.

Formal Formal communication channels include: emails bulletins company or departmental meetings one-to-one meetings between a manager and an employee internal company newsletters

Unit Q107 Make and receive telephone calls

company conference calls.

All of these channels are official methods used by the managers within a business to inform staff of essential company-related information.

Informal Informal communication channels are all of the other ways in which staff hear about what is going on within the business. These include: off-the-record chats between colleagues to discuss recent changes or developments general chat among employees the grapevine – where rumours can flourish, especially when the formal channels are not providing staff with sufficient information.

Every organisation has its own informal methods of communication. These are more widespread during times of anxiety such as when job losses are expected or when company-wide changes are being announced through formal channels.

Informal channels are often the method whereby staff air their honest opinions which can sometimes be difficult to do using formal channels.

Information flow Information should flow down the organisation structure from the top to the bottom through meetings, emails, bulletins and company newsletters.

Information should also flow back up the organisation via feedback, results, performance reviews and one-to-one discussions with managers. In this way, the business can act on the information it receives from its staff and this creates a platform for effective decision making.

Portfolio task 107.8

Links to L01: assessment criterion 1.8

Write a short report which describes organisation structures and communication channels within an organisation.

Begin by briefly saying what you understand by each of the terms. Then outline the organisation structure and communication channels which exist in your organisation. Try to find a copy of your company’s structure chart to include with your work for this task.

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Make and receive telephone calls

Understand how to receive and transfer telephone calls How to identify callers and their needs When receiving incoming calls, you must first identify the caller. This is important for a number of reasons.

You may have to pass the call on to another colleague who will need to know who it is they will be speaking to.

A quick guide to identifying your customer Asking the caller to give you their customer reference number is the best way to establish their identity, no matter how tricky their name is to spell. Failing this, if they do not have their customer reference number to hand, look them up on the customer database by searching for their postcode. Cross-reference this with their name and address to double-check that you have located the correct customer records on your computer.

Portfolio task 107.9

Links to L02: assessment criterion 2.1

Write a short report which describes how to identify callers and their needs.

It may help to state the questions which you ask callers when you first answer a call.

The purpose of giving accurate and up-to-date information to callers

Make and receive telephone calls

If there is more than one customer with the same surname, you need to confirm that you have identified the correct customer.

Unit Q107

You will need to access the caller’s file to be able to help them – you cannot do this if you do not know who they are.

One of the main reasons for callers phoning a business is to ask for information. Imagine what would happen if you gave out last year’s price list for your products by mistake. This would cause problems between the business and the customer when they received the invoice – they might even take their business to a rival, thinking that your company is unprofessional or even underhand. For this reason, you need to double-check – with a colleague or your manager – that all information is accurate before you provide it to customers.

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

Portfolio task 107.10

Links to L02: assessment criterion 2.2

Write a short report which explains the purpose of giving accurate and up-to-date information to callers.

Include an example of when accurate and up-to-date information is important. You could use an example taken from your own work experience.

Key terms

Unit Q107 Make and receive telephone calls

Confidentiality – keeping information secret; not telling colleagues or friends what you have heard.

Security – keeping information safe, ensuring that it is accessible only to those authorised to see it.

The purpose of confidentiality and security when dealing with callers The reasons why you need to maintain confidentiality and security when dealing with callers is to protect their privacy and ensure that sensitive information is not divulged to people who have no right to see it.

Portfolio task 107.11

Links to L02: assessment criterion 2.3

Write a short report which explains the purpose of confidentiality and security when dealing with callers.

Remember to talk about protecting the caller’s privacy and also the company’s privacy.

Types of information that could affect confidentiality and security Sensitive information can include such things as: credit card details bank account information passwords personal contact details.

Information relating to these should be handled with care, which means not leaving papers lying on your desk where other people could see them. This is part of your job responsibility when looking after customers. Imagine it was the other way round and you were giving sensitive personal details over the phone to a business contact – you would expect them to keep your information safe and secure.

Portfolio task 107.12

Links to L02: assessment criterion 2.4

Write a short report which describes the types of information that could affect confidentiality and security and how to handle these.

In your report, give two examples of types of information that you or your colleagues deal with at work which must be kept confidential and secure.

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Make and receive telephone calls

Ways of identifying the appropriate person to whom a call is transferred Sometimes you will be speaking to a caller but will find that you are unable to deal with their queries. The correct thing to do in this situation is to transfer the caller to a colleague who is better able to help them. Before doing so, you must get a good understanding of the query or problem. For example, it could be: a sales query an accounting query

Once you know what the call is about, you can identify the correct person to deal with it. It is important that you only transfer the caller once, so ensure you take care with routing the call. Imagine how frustrated you would be if you phoned a business with a query and were then transferred to two or three people before it was dealt with, or, even worse, your call was left on hold and forgotten about.

Portfolio task 107.13

Links to L02: assessment criterion 2.5

Write a brief summary which describes ways of identifying the appropriate person to whom a call should be transferred.

Use an example of a call which you have transferred at work and say how you decided who to transfer it to. If you have not had to transfer a call, explain how you think you would do so.

Information to be given when transferring calls or leaving messages When you need to transfer a call to a colleague, or leave a message for them about a call, there are certain key pieces of information which you must ensure you get from the caller before you pass them to your colleague to deal with.

These include:

Make and receive telephone calls

a returns query.

Unit Q107

a delivery query

the caller’s name their telephone number, so they can be called back if necessary the reason for the call.

By providing your colleague with this information, it will save them time and enable them to deal straight away with the caller’s query.

Portfolio task 107.14

Links to L02: assessment criterion 2.6

Write a short report which describes the information to be given when transferring calls or leaving messages.

Remember to include all of the key information that another person would need to know before they made contact with the caller.

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

Office life Rishi’s story

My name is Rishi Haria. I’m 19 years old and have been working as an office administrator at Exel Electrical Manufacturing for three months, having completed my Level 2 NVQ in Business & Administration last summer. I spend a lot of time on the telephone, either taking incoming calls from – or making calls to – customers and distributors.

I really enjoy my job, but I am concerned that this incident has made me look bad, not only in front of my colleagues, but also my manager. My manager has asked me to come to a meeting with him tomorrow to discuss the incident and I am worried about what to say.

Ask the expert lot of time using the telephone system at work but I am Q Ifinding spenditadifficult to transfer callers to colleagues. As a result, one of our main clients has complained to the company and my manager wants to speak to me about it. What should I do? with your manager, offer to apologise personally to the A Atclienttheinmeeting question. This will show that you take your responsibilities seriously and are professional. You should also ask your manager to arrange a training session for you, so that you can become skilled and competent in all aspects of operating the telephone system. This will enable you to work on the phone with confidence and it will also make sure that situations such as this do not arise again.

Top tips

Unit Q107 Make and receive telephone calls

I am finding it difficult to work with the telephone system – sometimes I lose callers when trying to transfer them to a colleague. Recently, one of these callers turned out to be the managing director of one of our major distributors and he rang back to complain about what he described as my ‘unprofessional behaviour’.

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It is important for organisations to provide the necessary training for new members of staff to learn how to operate the telephone system. This will ensure that all staff quickly become highly skilled in making, receiving and transferring calls using the system in the correct way. It will also present a professional image to callers if all calls are handled efficiently and quickly.

Make and receive telephone calls

How to identify problems and who to refer them to Sometimes you may encounter an unexpected problem when receiving a call.

Here are some examples.

The caller is angry and taking out their frustration on you.

The caller will not stop to listen and is shouting at you.

Portfolio task 107.15

Links to L02: assessment criterion 2.7

Write a brief summary which describes how to identify problems with phone calls at work and who to refer them to.

Include two examples of problems which you have experienced and say to whom you referred them and why. If you have not yet experienced problems when receiving calls, speak to your assessor about the best way to approach this task.

Organisational procedures when making and receiving telephone calls The first thing you need to do in order to make sure your use of the phone is in line with your company’s procedures is to obtain and read a copy of them. It is a good idea to highlight any areas in the procedures which you are unsure of, and then ask your manager to explain them. Only when you are perfectly happy that you fully understand your company’s procedures for making and receiving phone calls should you embark on any phone conversations with customers. In some businesses, staff undergo phone training before they are allowed to speak to customers on the phone.

Make and receive telephone calls

It is important not to take calls of this type personally but to know what to do in such a situation. Problem calls must be referred to your line manager – or another senior member of staff if your manager is not available – and make sure you let the caller know that you are treating their issue with due regard.

Unit Q107

There has clearly been a serious mistake on the part of the company – and the caller is complaining about it.

Your organisation’s procedures for making phone calls may well include an introductory line which staff must say when they make a call to a customer.

For example: ‘Good morning/afternoon/evening, Sir/Madam. My name is ___________ and I am calling you from ___________. The reason for my call is ___________.’

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

Activity 3 Re-read the example of an introductory line above. Give two reasons why you think it is a good idea for callers from businesses to tell customers their name when calling.

Your company procedure for making and receiving calls will contain two distinct types of instructions which you must follow: Things which you must say and do Things which you must not say or do.

Unit Q107 Make and receive telephone calls

See the example of a company procedure in Figure 107.4.

Company procedure for making and receiving phone calls

✔

✘

• Be polite

• Eat, drink or chew gum

• Use the person’s name

• Use slang

• Take notes of the main points of the call

• Raise your voice

Figure 107.4: Example of a company procedure for making and receiving phone calls

Portfolio task 107.16

Links to LO1: assessment criterion 1.9; LO2 assessment criterion 2.8

Write a brief summary which describes how to follow organisational procedures when making and receiving telephone calls.

Start by finding a copy of your company’s procedure handbook and use this to explain how you follow these steps when using the telephone at work.

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Make and receive telephone calls

How to report telephone system faults If you experience a problem with your phone system at work, you must report it straight away. The person to whom you should report the fault will be specified in your company’s procedures handbook. If you are in doubt as to the correct contact for reporting faults, ask your manager.

Links to LO1: assessment criterion 1.10; LO2 assessment criterion 2.9

Write a brief summary which explains how to report telephone system faults.

It may help you to have a copy of your company’s procedure to use as a guide when writing the answer to this task.

Evidence collection In order for you to complete the remaining assessment criteria to pass this unit successfully, you will need to carry out various tasks at work and then produce evidence to show that you have demonstrated the required skills and competence.

Evidence can be collected in a number of different ways. For example, it can be in the form of a signed witness testimony from a colleague or line manager, a copy of any related emails or letters you have produced, or a verbal discussion with your assessor.

Speak to your assessor to identify the best methods to use in order to complete each portfolio task and remember to keep copies of all the evidence which you produce.

Make and receive telephone calls

Portfolio task 107.17

Unit Q107

Remember, lost time on the telephone is a cost to your business, so it is very important to report faults immediately. Also, if there is a fault on the system and you are unable to dial out, it is likely that customers cannot get through to you either – this creates a bad impression of the company and may cause customers to worry about its professional standing.

Be able to make telephone calls The first learning outcome in this unit focused on the knowledge that you will need to be effective at making telephone calls at work. Portfolio task 107.18 covers the evidence which you must produce to show that you are able to demonstrate these skills in your job.

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

Portfolio task 107.18

Links to LO3: assessment criteria 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7

Gather evidence of your work to show your assessor that you have successfully carried out the tasks outlined in the table below. Check with your assessor on the best ways of gathering evidence for each of the tasks before you begin.

Task

Evidence collected

1. Identify the purpose of the call.

Unit Q107 Make and receive telephone calls 18

2. Obtain the name and number of the person to be contacted.

3. Make contact with the person.

4. Communicate information to achieve the purpose of the call.

5. Project a positive image of yourself and the organisation.

6. Summarise the outcomes of the conversation before ending a call.

A version of this table, ready for you to complete, is available to download from www.contentextra. com/businessadmin

7. Report telephone system faults, if necessary.

Be able to receive telephone calls The second learning outcome in this unit focused on the skills required to be effective at receiving phone calls, transferring calls to colleagues and taking messages for others. Portfolio task 107.19 covers the evidence which you must produce to show that you are able to demonstrate these skills in your job.

Make and receive telephone calls

Portfolio task 107.19

Links to LO4: assessment criteria 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 and 4.8

Gather evidence of your work to show your assessor that you have successfully carried out the tasks outlined in the table below. Check with your assessor on the best ways of gathering evidence for each of the tasks before you begin.

Task

Evidence collected

1. Answer a phone following organisational procedures.

3. Identify the caller, where they are calling from and what they need.

4. Give accurate and up-to-date information while protecting confidentiality and security.

5. Transfer calls, if required.

6. Take and pass on messages according to the caller’s needs.

7. Summarise the outcomes of the conversation before ending the call.

8. Report telephone system faults, if necessary.

A version of this table, ready for you to complete, is available to download from www.contentextra. com/businessadmin

Make and receive telephone calls

Unit Q107

2. Give a positive image of yourself and the organisation.

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NVQ/SVQ Level 2 Business & Administration

Check your knowledge 1 What does the divert feature on phones do? a. It redirects an incoming call to your phone to a colleague’s phone.

a. Ask them for their name and customer reference number.

b. It tells the caller you are too busy to talk to them.

b. Ask them for their first name.

c. It directs all your calls to your manager’s phone.

c. Ask them where they are calling from.

d. It puts the call through to your voicemail.

d. Ask them what the problem is.

Unit Q107 Make Make and and receive receive telephone telephone calls calls

2 Why is it important to identify the purpose of a phone call before you make it?

7 What does confidential mean? a. Very confident.

a. To avoid angry customers.

b. Not very confident.

b. To ensure that you have to say as little as possible.

c. Secret.

c. To ensure that you can prepare for the call in advance. d. To help reduce the phone bill.

3 From an office phone system, how would you usually get an outside line?

d. Suspicious.

8 Which of the following is not considered to be confidential information? a. A customer’s bank account details. b. A customer’s personal address and home phone number.

a. Ring the operator.

c. The business’s address.

b. Ask for permission.

d. The business’s list of customers.

c. Dial 9. d. You cannot usually dial an outside line from an office.

4 At the end of a phone call, why is it important to summarise the information discussed during the call? a. To add further information. b. To change your mind. c. To tell the caller you cannot help them. d. To make sure that you both agree on what has been said and to correct any misunderstandings.

5 Why should you never use slang words or phrases when on the phone at work? a. Because it is not fashionable. b. Because it is not considered professional. c. Because someone might hear you. d. Because it is against the law.

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6 What is a useful way to identify your caller?

9 In order to project a professional image at work, which of the following should you never do when you are on the phone? a. Shout at the caller. b. Listen to your caller’s needs. c. Ask your caller how you can help them. d. Refer your caller to a colleague if you are unable to help them.

10 How can you ensure confidential information at work is kept safe? a. Take it home with you. b. Leave it under your desk. c. Lock it away in a drawer or place it in a sealed envelope. d. Leave it with the receptionist.

Answers to these questions can be found on the website.

Make and receive telephone calls

What your assessor is looking for In order to prepare for and succeed in completing this unit, your assessor will require you to be able to demonstrate competence in all of the performance criteria listed in the table below.

produce any relevant work products to help demonstrate how you have completed the assessment criteria

complete short written narratives or personal statements explaining your answers take part in professional discussions with your assessor to explain your answers verbally complete observations with your assessor ensuring that they can observe you carrying out your work tasks

The evidence which you generate for the assessment criteria in this unit may also count towards your evidence collection for some of the other units in this qualification. Your assessor will provide support and guidance on this.

The table below lists the portfolio tasks which you need to complete for this unit, mapped to their associated assessment criteria.

Portfolio task and page reference

Mapping assessment criteria

107.1 (page 3)

1.1

107.2 (page 4)

1.2

107.3 (page 5)

1.3

107.4 (page 5)

1.4

107.5 (page 6)

1.5

107.6 (page 7)

1.6

107.7 (page 8)

1.7

107.8 (page 10)

1.8

107.9 (page 11)

2.1

107.10 (page 12)

2.2

107.11 (page 12)

2.3

107.12 (page 12)

2.4

107.13 (page 13)

2.5

107.14 (page 13)

2.6

107.15 (page 15)

2.7

107.16 (page 16)

1.9 and 2.8

107.17 (page 17)

1.10 and 2.9

107.18 (page 18)

3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7

107.19 (page 19)

4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 and 4.8

Make and receive telephone calls

Your assessor will guide you through the assessment process, but it is likely that for this unit you will need to:

Unit Q107

ask your manager, a colleague or a customer for witness testimonies explaining how you have completed the assessment criteria.

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