Biz Tip of the Day: A customer's first impression of your business is over the telephone, oftentimes, so please pay attention to this area of your operation. Believe me, telephone etiquette is becoming a lost art. The following is a list of what I have learned from working with the public and from being a customer, or potential customer over the telephone:
1. I called a business and asked to speak to a manager by name. The receptionist who answered, put me on hold without saying a word. She left me wondering, did we get cut off, did she hang up on me, or what?
Solution: Instead, it is good telephone etiquette to say was something like, “Yes, Mr. Jones is available. May I tell him who is calling? That way I get a courteous, professional response, and in my mind I am at ease envisioning the receptionist going through the necessary steps in getting Mr. Jones on the phone.
Solution: Instead, it is good telephone etiquette to say was something like, “Yes, Mr. Jones is available. May I tell him who is calling? That way I get a courteous, professional response, and in my mind I am at ease envisioning the receptionist going through the necessary steps in getting Mr. Jones on the phone.
2. When a business phone was answered, the person simply said, “May I help you?”
Solution: A better example of how to answer is, “Johnson and Herman Law Firm, this is Peter Furman, how may I help you?” Or, at the end, it may be, “How may I direct your call?”
More tomorrow on business/office telephone etiquette.
Success by Design, Not by Chance
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