Use a telephone voicemail system Handout 1: Telephone communication

Telephone communication skills The standard terms and phrases to use How to receive a call according to your organisation’s guidelines How to record and interpret information accurately How to build rapport with the caller How to give a good impression of yourself and the organisation. Depending on your job role, receiving telephone calls may be a major part of your day. Even if it is not, it is a key skill expected by every employer. Build rapport with the caller by using their name.

Making a good impression Your telephone communications create an impression of your organisation. You will need to know the organisational procedures to follow and the standards expected. Communication skills cover: language used tone. When communicating on the telephone, you should be aware of the impression you are creating of your organisation. The caller will form an opinion about your organisation based on the way you handle their call and your communication skills. Organisations usually have set procedures and standards for telephone communication in order to be consistent in handling callers and to create the required impression. You will therefore need to be aware of the language you use and your tone in order to be sure that you create a polite and professional impression.

Standard phrases for answering and ending calls. Telephone language Standard phrases for answering and ending calls. Avoiding informal and slang expressions. Be aware of tone. Your organisation may have a preferred greeting when answering the telephone. If you are working in a specific department, such as Customer Service, then you should announce it to the caller, eg ‘Customer Service Department, Sian McGovern speaking. How can I help you?’ Your organisation may also have a standard way of ending a call, but a useful expression to know is: ‘Is there anything else I can help you with? Thank you for calling. Goodbye.’ This leaves the caller feeling pleased to have spoken to you. Avoiding the use of ‘OK’ can be difficult at first, but it is worth persevering. Alternatives are: Just a moment/one moment Please hold Of course Certainly. Tone is sometimes more important than the words used – try saying ‘Excuse me!’ in a sarcastic way: it means just the opposite. Tone can convey your feelings, eg confidence, boredom, sarcasm, which the caller will take personally.

Communication tips for making a good impression Always be polite and courteous. Avoid the use of slang expressions or jargon. Have clear pronunciation. Avoid the use of regional expressions that may not be understood by others. Try to sound confident, helpful and friendly. Smile. Your language should be clear, avoiding the use of slang expressions or jargon. You should also be aware of how you pronounce your words – leaving off the endings or not pronouncing Ts can sound very lazy. You should aim to appear confident, helpful and friendly, but not over-familiar: while it is good practice to use the caller’s name during the call, even regular callers will not appreciate being called ‘mate’ or ‘my love’! It may sound silly when you cannot be seen, but smiling changes the tone of your voice and makes you sound friendly.

Data protection and security Some information is personal confidential. This information should not be shared without authorisation. The Data Protection Act prevents the sharing of personal details with other people. Personal details are any that can be used to identify a living person, eg name, address, contact details, date of birth, medical or financial details. Some information is confidential to the organisation and might damage it if shared with others. For example, letting slip details of a new product development may lead competing organisations to copy it. Some information may not be confidential but communicating it may create an unprofessional image or bad impression, eg moaning to a regular caller about colleagues or equipment.

You will also need to know how to use the equipment. Telephone equipment You will also need to know how to use the equipment. You will need to know how to carry out basic operations BEFORE you make or receive your first call. Do not ignore the telephone until there is no one else to answer it. Find out what the procedures are and how to carry out the basic, essential operations on the equipment. Obtain a copy of the internal telephone directory so that you know who to contact with queries and the correct number to dial when transferring calls.

Basic telephone equipment know-how You will need to know how to Put a call on hold Retrieve a call on hold Transfer a call between extensions Make an internal and external call. The type of telephone equipment is likely to vary widely between organisations and you will need to familiarise yourself with how to carry out basic operations on your own equipment.

Features of a modern telephone system Redirect Secrecy mode Caller number display Automatic redial Speed dialling Conference calling Speaker phone Ring back Call barring Voicemail Redirect – to automatically redirect calls to a different number if you are going to be away from your desk. Secrecy mode – in order that the caller cannot hear what you are saying. Caller number display – not only so that you know who is calling, but useful for copying onto messages. Automatic redial – to redial the last number you called. Speed dialling – when you assign a short number to frequently called numbers. Conference calling – allowing three or more callers to be linked into the same call. Speaker phone – allowing you to replace the handset and hear the call through a speaker. Ring back – automatically rings back an engaged number and then rings you to let you to connect you. Call barring – to prevent calls to ‘expensive’ destinations such as overseas or high-rate numbers. Voicemail – to allow callers to leave a message when you cannot take the call.

What to do when things go wrong Your organisation will have set procedures for reporting faults with the telephone equipment. Make sure you know what to do if you discover a problem. Types of faults, eg: noise on the line no dialling tone unable to hear other party not ringing.

Questions?