Telephone EtiquetteThe first and most important point concerning the professional use of the telephone is the attitude towards any caller. The telephone is the lifeline of the company with the outside world, and those who call in should be considered potential business prospects. Everyone who uses an office telephone should remember that a friendly, helpful, and efficient call can make the difference between success and failure with the caller.1. Answer the telephone by the third ring— answer the telephone or make sure your answering machine will answer the call after the third or fourth ring. Do not let the telephone ring endlessly. Many of us say how we “hate” speaking into these answering machines, but at the same time we also hate not having the option of leaving a message.2. Make sure your greeting is professional—make sure your greeting is short but professional. Before recording a message on your answering machine, write it down and repeat it several times. Play it back and listen to your own voice speaking. Is your message too fast? Is it too slow? Make sure your greeting sounds professional and clear. Give the caller clear instructions of what to do when leaving a message.3. Be prepared before you answer the telephone— have a pencil and a pad of paper ready when you answer the telephone. Be prepared to be an “active” listener, taking notes of what the caller says. It is important to write down the name of the person and to say it during the conversation. People “love” to he ar their own names.4. Be an “active” listener— take notes as you listen and speak. Let the caller know that you are taking notes, for this will be a signal for him/her not to speak too fast. Ask for the correct spelling of his/her name, which may be unique. Therefore, don’t assume that it is spelled the same as other people’s names.5. Return telephone calls promptly!—to me, this is the most professional telephone habit people should have. Be that person who DOES return telephone calls. Many people DO NOT return telephone calls! I have left numerous messages with people and companies who DO NOT return telephone calls. Quite often I have received a call from someone asking to order one of my products and I spend days, even weeks trying to contact them. I always try to return telephone calls within four hours, regardless of where I am. People who know me know that I am prompt in returning telephone calls.6. Check your messages frequently—if often you are not at your office, check your messages several times a day. People may be wanting tocontact you urgently.7. Do not speak too fast! —slow down when you are leaving a message, especially if you have an accent. I receive many messages that I cannot understand what the person is saying. Even worse, I cannot write fast enough, and I find myself replaying the message several times before I can write down the whole message [1].8. Pronounce your name clearly —pronounce your name slowly and clearly, especially if it is not a very common one. Spell it slowly if necessary. Allow people to get the correct spelling of your name.9. Slow down when saying your telephone number —this is the biggest complaint I have when people leave their telephone number. People state their telephone numbers TOO FAST! Say the numbers slowly and place a “pause” somewhere in the sequence of providing your number. People will appreciate that!10. Give the name of your company, your title, and why you are calling —in a few short sentences, say who you are, which company you are with, and why you are calling.11. Let them know when to call you back —leave a date, time, and preferred telephone number. People can’t return a call if you don’t leave a number. Providing them with the preferred time to call back makes it much easier for people to find you [2].电话礼仪专业使用电话的最重要的一点是对所有来电者的态度。
电话是公司与外界的生命线，打电话的人应当被认为会给公司带来潜在业务机会。
使用办公室电话的所有人应当记住，态度友善、有益、有效的电话影响着与来电者关系的成败。
1. 铃响三声后，接电话：电话铃响三、四声后，接电话，或保证录音电话开始运行。
切勿让电话响个不停。
我们中的许多人说，我们如何“讨厌”对这些录音电话说话，但与此同时，我们同样讨厌不能留口信。
2. 保证你的问候符合专业操守：保证你的问候精悍简练，但符合专业操守。
录音电话录下信息前，记下信息，多次重复信息内容。
重放录音，聆听自己的声音。
你的语速是否太快？是否过慢？保证你的问候听起来符合专业水准，且发音清晰。
清楚地告诉来电者如何留言。
3. 回电前，做好准备：回电话时，提前准备好铅笔和信签纸。
准备好做一个积极的聆听者，记下来电者所说的内容。
重要的是，记下来电者的姓名，谈话间，提及对方姓名。
人们¡°喜欢¡±听到自己的名字。
4. 做“积极”的聆听者：聆听和说话的同时，记笔记。
让来电者知道你正在记笔记，因为这将向对方表示他/她不要说得太快。
询问对方姓名的正确拼写方法，因为他/她的名字拼写可能独一无二。
因此，切勿想当然地把对方名字写成和其他人的名字一样。
5. 及时回电。
对我而言，这是人们最应具备的专业电话礼仪。
做回电话的人。
许多人，不回电话。