Business etiquette: phone / mobile phone use

Having good manners on the phone can make a huge difference in a person's career. The use of the telephone is made more complex by the fact that we only use our voice as a result of which the voice therefore assumes a very great importance, ie it must be pleasant, friendly, in a normal intonation, no shouting, no whispering.


Let's look at some techniques:

• Use correct, clear and accurate language. Do not do "dengue" or "charm". Do not use sweet voice;

• Use formal treatment: “sir”, “lady”;

• Answer it promptly when ringing;

• Identify your company. Standardize the way you answer the phone;

• Always have a pen and pen handy and always provide all possible information and forward the call to the right person;

• Do not call your line manager when he is in a meeting, but if necessary before writing, write him a note explaining and waiting for the answer;

• Never provide unauthorized information; End the conversation quickly. Be brief and courteous, and do not allow dialogue to have a personal imprint;

• Do not respond abruptly or knock the phone, showing irritation. Remember that you are conveying the image of the company;

• Beware of personal information. Only provide them with permission;

• In the absence of the manager, record the calls;

• Reduce personal phone calls as little as possible. Give preference to times of little movement in the company: lunch and after hours;

• Carefully write down the number you are calling. This will avoid mistakes, line lock and consequently wasted time. Especially in international direct dialing (DDI) this detail is important as the numbers are generally long and for some countries the conversion of letters into numbers is required;

• Treat the subject itself objectively;

• Call another employee's residence only for urgent matters, apologizing for harassing;

• The assistant must filter calls with great diplomacy: intelligent and delicate screening is different from an autocratic barrier;

• If there is a delay, return to the line from time to time with some information: “The extension is still busy: please wait a moment longer”;

• Do not comment or hold parallel conversations at the telephone so as not to be heard by the person waiting on the line;

• Do not repeat aloud names of person or company, subject, phone number, address, etc. in front of people in the waiting room at the risk of indiscretion.

Guffey, M.E., Lowey., & Griffin, E. (2109). Business communication: process & product 6th Canadian brief edition. Toronto, Ontario: Nelson.

Telephone Etiquettes And Manners. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sizse4t4Su4.