I spend a great deal of time on the phone as part of my business. One of my clients is a nonprofit organization that requires me to regularly seek out donations via the telephone.
How you project yourself over the phone or in a voice message says quite a bit about you. Avoid sounding unprofessional with these basic rules on phone call etiquette:
- Greetings: - Always begin or answer a call with a greeting such as hello, good morning or good afternoon. It gives the other person on the call a little time to get ready to listen, and avoids having to repeat yourself. And as my Mom would tell you, it's also just polite.
- Be Considerate: - Always ask, "Is this a good time?"
- Be Enthusiastic: - Your voice reflects your attitude and speaking with enthusiasm adds a smile to it. You can project confidence in your voice when you stand up during a phone conversation. Standing up also keeps conversation short.
- Closing: - End on a positive note that makes the person you're talking to feel good. Something as simple as, 'It was a pleasure talking with you.'
- Leave a Message - State your first name and last name, title and company, the time and date of the call, and the phone number where you can be reached. Briefly express the purpose of the call. If necessary, tell them the best time to reach you, repeat the phone number and end with a simple, 'Thank you.'.
