Telephone Etiquette
Module One: Getting Started  In this growing electronic age, we often forget how important it can be to have simple telephone etiquette.
Communication, the human connection, is the key to personal and career success. Paul J. Meyer
Workshop Objectives
Discuss how soft skills are important
Use soft skills to relate more effectively
Know different methods of employee training
Module Two: Aspects of Phone Etiquette 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.
First learn the meaning of what you say – then speak. Epictetus
Phrasing
“Could You?”
“May I?”
“Please”
“Thank you”
Tone of Voice Set the mood Avoid Monotones Use inflection
Speaking Clearly
Take deep breaths Speak slowly and clearly Pause for client response
Listen to the Caller Listen before speaking Focus Identify their needs
Case Study Robert was taking calls for the clinic one morning. When the phone rang, he picked up the phone: “Thank you for calling Dr. Smith’s office. My name is Robert. How may I help you today?”
The caller sounded upset and began to explain how he was waiting on a prescription from the doctor and still had not received it
When Robert spoke again, he spoke in a calm and reassuring tone of voice
Robert waited for the caller to acknowledge what he said before proceeding to connect him to the nurse’s extension
Module Two: Review Questions 1.) What is one benefit of using correct phrasing on a telephone call? a)Calls sound professional. b)The call is completed quicker. c)The customer is not bored. d)The operator can persuade the client better. 2.) Which of the following is an example of correct phrasing? e)“What do you want today” f)“Where can I transfer you to?” g)“How may I help you?” h)“Who do you want to speak to?”
Module Two: Review Questions 3.) What is one tool that can be used to control tone? a)Volume. b)Semantics. c)Deep breathing. d)Inflection. 4.) Which of the following should not be used on a telephone call? e)Soft tones. f)Monotones. g)Inflection. h)Raised tones.
Module Two: Review Questions 5.) One technique that can help the operator speak clearly is to do what? a)Take deep breaths before each call. b)Hang up if they make a mistake. c)Speak loudly into the receiver. d)Talk more often during the day for practice. 6.)Which of the following should be avoided on the telephone? e)Soft tones. f)Steady breathing. g)Clearly pronounce words. h)“Um’s” or “Uh’s”.
Module Two: Review Questions 7.) What is one tool that can be used to improve listening skills? a)Increasing the telephone volume. b)Active listening technique. c)Shortening the length of the call. d)Writing on sticky notes. 8.) After their introduction, the operator should do what? e)Continue with the call. f)Offer to transfer the caller to someone else. g)Pause for a response from the customer. h)Change their tone.
Module Two: Review Questions 9.) Why was the caller angry with the doctor’s office? a)He was waiting on a prescription. b)He had missed his appointment. c)He wasn’t feeling well. d)He needed an excuse to go back to work. 10.) How did Robert offer to resolve the caller’s problem? e)He made the caller an appointment. f)He told him to call back later. g)He connected the caller to the nurse line. h)He called the pharmacy.
Module Two: Review Questions 1.) What is one benefit of using correct phrasing on a telephone call? a)Calls sound professional. b)The call is completed quicker. c)The customer is not bored. d)The operator can persuade the client better. When the telephone operator uses correct phrasing, the call sounds professional while the operator remains courteous and helpful. 2.) Which of the following is an example of correct phrasing? e)“What do you want today” f)“Where can I transfer you to?” g)“How may I help you?” h)“Who do you want to speak to?” Correct phrasing for telephone calls include polite and professional requests, such as “How may I help you?” and “Would you like for me to connect you?”
Module Two: Review Questions 3.) What is one tool that can be used to control tone? a)Volume. b)Semantics. c)Deep breathing. d)Inflection. Inflection is a tool that is used to stress syllables of words, thereby adding emphasis to them. Inflection can be used to help control our tone by controlling what words we stress. 4.) Which of the following should not be used on a telephone call? e)Soft tones. f)Monotones. g)Inflection. h)Raised tones. Monotones are speech that does not change tone. Monotones should not be used on the telephone since they do not express emotion or feelings.
Module Two: Review Questions 5.) One technique that can help the operator speak clearly is to do what? a)Take deep breaths before each call. b)Hang up if they make a mistake. c)Speak loudly into the receiver. d)Talk more often during the day for practice. By taking deep, relaxing breaths before each call, the operator is better equipped to control their speech and is more likely to speak more clearly. 6.) Which of the following should be avoided on the telephone? e)Soft tones. f)Steady breathing. g)Clearly pronounce words. h)“Um’s” or “Uh’s”. Stammer words, such as uh or um, should not be used when speaking on the telephone. These words can make the operator sound unprepared and unprofessional.
Module Two: Review Questions 7.) What is one tool that can be used to improve listening skills? a)Increasing the telephone volume. b)Active listening technique. c)Shortening the length of the call. d)Writing on sticky notes. Active listening is a technique used to improve listening skills by mirroring and verifying what the caller has said and requested. This technique is commonly used in office environments. 8.) After their introduction, the operator should do what? e)Continue with the call. f)Offer to transfer the caller to someone else. g)Pause for a response from the customer. h)Change their tone. After the operator has given their introduction, they should pause for some sort of response from the customer before continuing. Once the customer has acknowledged them, they can continue with the call.
Module Two: Review Questions 9.) Why was the caller angry with the doctor’s office? a)He was waiting on a prescription. b)He had missed his appointment. c)He wasn’t feeling well. d)He needed an excuse to go back to work. The caller was angry with the doctor’s office because he was waiting on a prescription that he has not been able to pick up yet. 10.) How did Robert offer to resolve the caller’s problem? e)He made the caller an appointment. f)He told him to call back later. g)He connected the caller to the nurse line. h)He called the pharmacy. When Robert found out what the caller needed, he told the caller he would connect him to the nurse’s extension for additional help.
Module Three: Using Proper Phone Language
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.
The art of communication is the language of leadership. James Humes
Please and Thank You Show respect and consideration “Please” and “Thank you” Remain professional
Do Not Use Slang Slang is considered informal Slang is not appropriate for telephone communication
Always use professional language
Avoid Using the Term “You”
“You” shows disrespect Shows a lack of empathy Takes focus off of caller
Emphasize What You Can Do, Not What You Can’t
“I can help you with that.”
“I’ll be happy to transfer you to the department”
“I can take a message if you’d like”
Case Study Andy and Kim were reviewing some telephone etiquette training measures before their next employee meeting Andy began reviewing some of the company’s proper scripting techniques while Kim reviewed some basic telephone speaking terms
Kim made several notes of remembering to eliminate the slang words ‘Ya’ and ‘gonna’ from her speech
Andy suggested they print a copy of the extensions for other departments, in case a caller needed to be transferred
Module Three: Review Questions 1.) When is the proper time to say ‘please’ on a telephone call? a)When you ask for something from the client. b)When the client gives you information. c)After the introduction. d)Before the closing phrase. 2.) W hen is the proper time to say ‘thank you’ on a telephone call? e)After the introduction. f)When the client gives you information. g)After the closing phrase. h)When you ask for information from the client.
Module Three: Review Questions 3.) Which of the following is considered slang term? a)“You’re welcome.” b)“How are you?” c)“Yes ma’am.” d)“Y’all”. 4.) Why is slang inappropriate to use on the telephone? e)It is too complicated. f)It can sound too snobbish. g)It is too informal. h)It can mislead the caller.
Module Three: Review Questions 5.) Using the term “You” on a telephone call implies what from the operator? a)A desire for casual conversation. b)A lack of responsibility. c)An attempt to speak directly to the caller. d)An acceptance of responsibility. 6.) Which of the following should not be used on the telephone? e)“Could you repeat that information?” f)“Would you mind holding for a moment?” g)“Will you resend the information, please?” h)“You have to come back tomorrow.”
Module Three: Review Questions 7.) When we tell callers what we can’t do for them, it can hinder what? a)Building relationships. b)Hiring more employees. c)Calling a larger number of clients. d)Employee sales skills. 8.) What should the operator do if they cannot do what the caller asks? e)Find a way to do what they ask. f)Find someone that can do it for them. g)Offer another option. h)Do nothing at all.
Module Three: Review Questions 9.) What was one aspect of telephone etiquette that Kim wanted to improve? a)Eliminate slang words. b)Boost her confidence. c)Increase her speaking volume. d)Say the caller’s name more often. 10.) What tool did Andy believe would be helpful when assisting callers? e)A list of manager phone numbers. f)A list of excuses to give the caller when he couldn’t help them. g)A list of alternate options he could offer the caller. h)A list of department extensions.
Module Three: Review Questions 1.) When is the proper time to say ‘please’ on a telephone call? a)When you ask for something from the client. b)When the client gives you information. c)After the introduction. d)Before the closing phrase. When speaking with the client, follow any request for information with the word please. This is the polite way to speak with a client when you need something from them, such as their name or account information. 2.) W hen is the proper time to say ‘thank you’ on a telephone call? e)After the introduction. f)When the client gives you information. g)After the closing phrase. h)When you ask for information from the client. When speaking with the client, follow any acceptance of information with ‘thank you’. This is the polite way to acknowledge that the client has helped you in some way.
Module Three: Review Questions 3.) Which of the following is considered slang term? a)“You’re welcome.” b)“How are you?” c)“Yes ma’am.” d)“Y’all”. Slang terms are generally defined as informal terms accepted into normal speech. However, slang terms are never accepted on professional telephone calls. 4.) Why is slang inappropriate to use on the telephone? e)It is too complicated. f)It can sound too snobbish. g)It is too informal. h)It can mislead the caller. Slang terms are considered informal and are very unprofessional to use on business calls.
Module Three: Review Questions 5.) Using the term “You” on a telephone call implies what from the operator? a)A desire for casual conversation. b)A lack of responsibility. c)An attempt to speak directly to the caller. d)An acceptance of responsibility. When the operator continuously says “You”, it implies that they’re putting all responsibility on the caller and not accepting any for themselves and what they should be doing. 6.) Which of the following should not be used on the telephone? e)“Could you repeat that information?” f)“Would you mind holding for a moment?” g)“Will you resend the information, please?” h)“You have to come back tomorrow.” This phrase stresses that the caller must come back on a different day in order to be helped. It also implies that the operator is unwilling to help at this time for an unknown reason.
Module Three: Review Questions 7.) When we tell callers what we can’t do for them, it can hinder what? a)Building relationships. b)Hiring more employees. c)Calling a larger number of clients. d)Employee sales skills. When the operator tells callers what they can’t do for them, the customer can lose faith in the company and refuse to do business with them, which can hinder the company from building customer relationships. 8.) What should the operator do if they cannot do what the caller asks? e)Find a way to do what they ask. f)Find someone that can do it for them. g)Offer another option. h)Do nothing at all. If the operator is unable to do what the caller is asking, they can help emphasize what they can do by offering the caller another solution that they can take care of.
Module Three: Review Questions 9.) What was one aspect of telephone etiquette that Kim wanted to improve? a)Eliminate slang words. b)Boost her confidence. c)Increase her speaking volume. d)Say the caller’s name more often. Kim was reviewing the script she uses for the company and notices she uses several slang words. She made notes to try and eliminate them from her speech. 10.) What tool did Andy believe would be helpful when assisting callers? e)A list of manager phone numbers. f)A list of excuses to give the caller when he could not help them. g)A list of alternate options he could offer the caller. h)A list of department extensions. Andy wanted to make a copy of the company’s department extensions. He believed that if he could not help the caller, someone in another apartment would be able to.