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Dineshrie Pillay

http://www.neospectives.com

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A. BUSINESS ETIQUETTE: MAKING PHONE CALLS

No Summary

Detail Check

1 Decide on the mode of

communication

1. Consider whether or not a telephone call is the best mode of communication

for the content of your discussion.

2. For more complex, lengthier discussions, an in-person meeting might be more

suitable.

3. For quick business updates, consider using e-mail instead of telephone

appointments.

2 Write down notes on

what you want to

discuss

1. When you engage in a phone-call, the initial discussion is more likely going to

be about pleasantries.

2. To avoid you forgetting what your phone-call is about, once the pleasantries

are over, write some notes that you want to talk to before making the phone-

call.

3. Review your bullets of information so that you are certain to cover all

important points.

3 Leaving messages with

a PA or 3rd

party

1. Never leave your phone number with the person who does not know who

you are and has no idea why you called.

2. Don’t be offended if the secretary asks “Will he or she know what this is

regarding?’ It is their role to filter calls.

3. Never get irritated with an assistant, because the manager is unable to take

your call. Your bad review will be passed on.

4. If your calls are not taken, ask when is the best time to return calls. Don’t

whine about it – this is not professional!

4 Being diverted from

one person to the next

1. Even though you might have introduced yourself to the receptionist,

reintroduce yourself to the person you are calling so that there are no

mix-ups.

5 Phone disconnects

during the call

1. If you call someone and are disconnected, you are responsible for redialing,

even if they are responsible for accidentally hanging up.

2. Since you placed the call, you know how to reach them!

6 Taking phone-calls that

you are not prepared

for

1. When you mistakenly take a phone-call that you are not prepared for, spend

a few minutes on the phone as a matter of courtesy.

2. Then reschedule the appointment for a later date.

3. You will lose credibility when you are not prepared and try to respond

on-the-cuff.

7 Smile when speaking 1. Even without a video image, smiling is seen and experienced over the phone.

2. It also affects the quality of your voice - sounding bright, friendly and

enthusiastic.

8 Ending the

conversation

1. Before ending the conversation, summarize the call to make sure each of you

have the same understanding, and determine the next action steps.

2. Even if you are in a rush, say goodbye, but wait for it to be reciprocated.

Otherwise it might feel like you have hung up on the person!

9 Returning calls 1. Return all calls the same day.

2. If it is late in the evening to return the phone-call, consider sending an SMS or

email, saying that you will follow-up the next day.

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B. BUSINESS ETIQUETTE: CELL-PHONE CONVERSATIONS

C. BUSINESS ETIQUETTE: VIDEO & TELEPHONE CONFERENCING

No Detail Check

1 Consider whether or not it is an appropriate time to make a call.

2 Consider where you are and who might overhear the content of your conversation.

3 Excuse yourself and make the call in private if the timing is appropriate.

4 Speak clearly. If you have a bad connection and are breaking, up tell the person you will call him or her

back.

5 Keep cell phones turned off or set to ‘silent’ in meetings.

6 Keep personal calls to a minimum, especially if you are using a cell phone that is paid for by the

company.

7 When in the company of others, ask permission to take the call.

8 Do not transact important business matters on the phone if you are in the presence of others who are

not part of that transaction.

No Detail Check

1 Confidential calls should be made in privacy and not be broadcasted.

2 Appoint one person to initiate the call.

When everyone is present, make introductions so that everyone is acknowledged.

3 It is not easy to recognise and remember voices, so identify yourself when you join a conversation and

when you leave the conversation.

4 Speak clearly and project your voice. It is considerate to ask if the receiver can hear you well enough.

5 If you begin a conversation on the telephone and then include others on the call, ask permission from

the receiver before putting them on loudspeaker.

6 Get to the venue early to test the video or tele-conferencing technology.

7 A video or tele-conferencing is still a formal version of a meeting.

Ensure that you follow the rules for a meeting. This means having an agenda, sending out pre-reading

material and getting to the meeting prepared and on time.

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D. BUSINESS ETIQUETTE: YOUR PERSONAL VOICE MAIL MESSAGE

No Summary

Detail Check

1 Outgoing message 1. Your outgoing message should be given in a friendly voice, stating your

name and requesting that the caller leave a message and phone number.

2. Keep it brief and to the point.

3. Callers don’t want to spend time listening to where you may be or how

sorry you are that you missed the call.

2 Avoid being flippant or

cute on your voice-mail

1. While talking like Daffy Duck or Barry White may be funny at home, it

does not convey a professional business image.

2. Humorous messages may seem charming at first, even perhaps the

second time and then it gets irritating.

3 Re-fresh your

voice-mail message

1. Change your voice-mail message every three months.

2. Occasionally, call your own number, to evaluate how a new customer,

colleague, or vendor might perceive you.

4 On-leave or out-of-the

office messages

1. Leave a voice message when on leave.

2. The voice message needs to be simple, stating the dates when you will be

unavailable.

3. Include within your message an alternative contact number and or

person, should the message be urgent.

4. Nobody needs to know where you are and what a fantastic time you are

having!

5 Check your voice-mail

messages regularly

1. Check your voice mail at least twice a day, and more than twice a day, if

you receive sensitive information.

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E. BUSINESS ETIQUETTE: LEAVING VOICE MAIL MESSAGES

No Summary

Detail Check

1 Identify yourself 1. Always identify yourself by leaving your name and company contact

details.

2. Don’t assume that your voice will automatically be recognised.

2 Have your bullet points

on hand

1. Keep notes by the phone to jot down your main points prior to making a

phone call.

2. If you reach your caller in person, you will be able to remember all your

important issues.

3. If you are required to leave a voice-mail, you will be equally prepared.

3 Content of voice-mail

messages

1. Keep voice-mails friendly, short, and clear with an indication of next steps

or action required.

2. If the voice-mail is lengthy, leave your phone number clearly and

distinctly at the beginning and at the end of the message.

3. Never leave a harsh or negative voice-mail. It can be listened to over and

over, forwarded, archived and put on a speakerphone to share with the

office.

4 Quantity of messages 1. Consider the number and length of the messages that you leave for that

person, in relation to the number of messages that the recipient may

receive in a day.

2. Leaving 1 voice-mail message is sufficient.

5 Sharing confidential

information

1. Due to the non-secured aspect of voice mail, confidential information is

best shared in person.

6 Background noise 1. Don’t leave voice-mails where background noise from loud restaurants,

jammed bars, parties or boisterous family gatherings can be heard.

7 Returning voice-mail

messages

1. Return all voice mail the same day, even if you end up leaving a voice mail

yourself.