business etiquette on the phone

Business Phone Etiquette
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By James Bucki, About.com

Today's sophisticated business phone systems can do more harm than good if proper business phone etiquette is not employed. Simply put: Treat your callers in a way that you would want to be treated on a business telephone call. The main areas of business phone etiquette are listed below and they will help you and your employees create a business phone culture in your company that your customers and business associates will enjoy using.

Business Phone Etiquette to Transfer a Call

Proper business phone etiquette can make a positive impression on your callers. Transferring a telephone call is more than just knowing what buttons to push on your telephone system. The business telephone etiquette that you and your employees use directly reflects upon the image that your business portrays. Learn how to professionally transfer a call without frustrating your caller

1. Explain Why

Explain to the caller why you need to transfer the call. Reasons may include: the caller reached the wrong department (or wrong number), the caller has questions that only another department can answer, or you do not have authority to make the decision the caller is seeking. Regardless, make sure the caller knows "why" and that you are not just passing-the-buck.

2. Give Your Info First

First give the caller your name and extension in case you get disconnected. This will give the caller a sense of importance and that you are personally concerned about the caller's situation. Secondly, tell the caller the name of the person (or department) and extension number that you need to transfer the call to. And, remember to always be pleasant.

3. Ask Permission

At this point, ask the caller for permission to initiate the transfer. This will give the caller a chance to ask any other questions and give them a feeling of control.

4. Wait for an Answer

Do not blindly transfer the call as soon as you hear the other phone ring. Wait for the other person to answer and explain to them the reason for the transferred call. This will give the other person a chance to prepare for the call and the caller will not have to explain the situation all over again.

5. Make an Introduction

Return to the caller and announce the name and/or department that you will be transferring the call to. Thank the caller for their patience and ask if there is anything else that you can do.

6. Complete the Transfer

At this point you can complete the transfer by connecting the caller and the other person or department. Remember to end your connection by hanging up the phone or disconnecting your head set.

MY THOUGHTS

How many times have you felt utter frustration when calling an office and you get transferred from one line to another - in a very unprofessional manner? Our frustrating experiences on business phones should be our main motivator when we handle the calls ourselves - even if the call got to you by mistake. Business etiquette on the phone is essential. If we can have information on the number of customers we lost becasue of the lack of business phone etquette, we will invest in training everyone on how to handle phone calls. If music is the window to our souls, the phone is the window to our businesses.