Chapter 5 Telecommunications

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 2 Telecommunications Using Your Communication Skills Making Productive Telephone Calls Receiving Telephone Calls Being Careful When Answering Calls for Others Placing Long-Distance Calls

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 3 Telecommunications (continued) Developing Effective Telephone Techniques Telephone Technology Ethics and the Telephone Making International Telephone Calls

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 4 Using Your Communication Skills Speak Clearly Listen Actively Use Correct Grammar

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 5 Communication Skills— Speak Clearly Prevents caller frustration Practice clear tone and words Correct Volume – same as talking to person on other side of desk Speed – Don’t run words together, yet don’t speak too slowly Inflection – Vary tone of your voice; add emphasis Pronunciation – Speak correctly, clearly, and distinctly Avoid : wouldja, wanna or gimme

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 6 Communication Skills— Listen Actively Requires understanding of message from caller’s point of view To be active Concentrate Show empathy Show acceptance Be responsible

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 7 Communication Skills— Use Correct Grammar Project professional image Identify common grammar errors, such as When subject and verb do not agree Examples Avoid jargon, technical terms, or local sayings

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 8 Making Productive Telephone Calls Be Prepared Introduce Yourself Conclude Calls Efficiently Leave Messages

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 9 Productive Telephone Calls—Be Prepared Assemble materials Write down questions and comments Be certain to have correct number and name of person to be called Use local telephone directories Search Internet

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 10 Productive Telephone Calls—Introduce Yourself If receptionist answers for organization, give person’s name and department Identify yourself and organization

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 11 Productive Telephone Calls—Conclude Calls Efficiently Use receiver’s name Summarize comments, agreements, actions, and responsibilities Get agreement in summary Thank person for his or her time

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 12 Productive Telephone Calls—Leave Messages Leave a complete message First and last name Organization name Reason for call Telephone number including area code Best time to return call

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 13 Receiving Telephone Calls—Tips Answer promptly Identify yourself Take complete messages Transfer calls properly Answer a second telephone Distribute messages promptly Screen calls

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 14 Receiving Telephone Calls—Answer Promptly YOU project image Answer promptly No later than 3rd or 4th ring Don’t turn on speaker or lift receiver and make caller wait while you finish another conversation Speak clearly and at moderate speed

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 15 Receiving Telephone Calls—Identify Yourself Let caller know he/she has reached right office; identify yourself with both your first and last name If you answer phone for several managers, give proper identification for each person whose telephone you answer Never answer business telephone with “Hello”

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 16 Receiving Telephone Calls—Take Complete Messages Date and time Complete name of caller Telephone number and area code Caller’s business affiliation Pertinent information needed for return calls Restate message to caller for accuracy Person’s identity taking call For forms, use initials automatically identifies sender

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 17 Receiving Telephone Calls—Be Careful When Answering Calls for Others Use statements like “He is away from his desk at the moment” Avoid statements like “He’s still at lunch” Don’t use the “in conference” excuse If in meeting, suggest time when you expect him or her back Offer assistance in manager’s absence

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 18 Receiving Telephone Calls—Transfer Calls Properly Explain caller is being transferred to someone else who can handle call Give caller name and number of person to whom he/she is being transferred If you don’t know where to transfer or you don’t know answer: Tell caller you will find out and ask if you can call him/her back within a “short” timeframe

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 19 Receiving Telephone Calls—Answer a Second Telephone If two telephones ring at same time: Answer 1 st one and ask if you can put caller on hold in order to answer another call Answer 2 nd call, state you are on another line, and ask if you can put him/her on hold Return to 1 st call Thank caller for holding Ask how you may direct call

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 20 Receiving Telephone Calls—Answer a Second Telephone (continued) Local callers: Offer to call second person back, after you explain you are on another call When finished with first caller, dial second caller

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 21 Receiving Telephone Calls—Answer a Second Telephone (continued) If second caller is a long-distance, out- of-country call, do not offer to call back Ask someone else to take call, or Tell long-distance caller you interrupted a local call to answer Excuse yourself long enough to tell first caller you’ll return Complete long-distance call as quickly as possible Do not keep first caller waiting for more than a minute

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 22 Receiving Telephone Calls—Distribute Messages Promptly Delayed messages can cause costly and or embarrassing situations Place messages where they will be located Inform caller you will be sure to deliver message; you cannot guarantee call will be returned!

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 23 Receiving Telephone Calls —Distribute Messages Promptly (continued) Besides taking message, many requests can be handled by you or by other employees When manager phones in to check on office, provide brief summary of activities and incoming phone calls Your job is to collect, use, and provide information

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 24 Receiving Telephone Calls—Screen Calls If you must screen calls, probe courteously for information Determine if caller can be referred to someone else who can help Ask how manager wants you to handle callers who won’t identify themselves Screening calls Saves manager time Assists caller

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 25 Receiving Telephone Calls—Screen Calls (continued) All calls must be handled. Learn “who” does “what” in your organization—never leave caller guessing Helpful responses “I don’t know the answer to your questions. I will be happy to ask...” “I will need to find out that information. May I call you back in...”

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 26 Placing Long-Distance (LD) Calls Domestic LD calling Calling Card Calls Directory Assistance Calls U.S. Time Zones International Calling

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 27 Placing Long-Distance Calls—Domestic LD Calling Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) Caller dials number without assistance Operator-Assisted Collect calls, pay phone

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 28 Placing Long-Distance Calls—Calling Card Calls May or may not need operator assistance Equivalent to direct debit card Has magnetic stripe on back that updates (debits) amount each time call is made Convenient and cost effective

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 29 Placing Long-Distance Calls—Directory Assistance Dial 1 + Area Code Use area code for geographic location If necessary, see directory Provide operator with name of city or town and name of person Hang up, dial number, using: 1 + area code + seven-digit number provided by operator Pay a charge for dialing service

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 30 Placing Long-Distance Calls—Time Zones in U. S. Divided into five zones: Atlantic Eastern Central Mountain Pacific Know time zone for desired city

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 31 Placing Long-Distance Calls— International Calls Countries with area codes are accessed similar to U.S. – use: 1 + area code + number Dial foreign countries directly – use: country code + city code + local number Most codes are found in telephone directories or on Internet Use operator assistance, when person-to-person, credit card, third party billing, etc. Use “01” + country code + routing code + local number

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 32 Placing Long-Distance Calls—Time Zones Around World Divided into 24 time zones One hour apart Standard time calculated from Greenwich, England

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 33 Developing Effective Telephone Techniques Be Courteous Be Considerate When Using Speakerphones Handle Angry Callers Return Telephone Calls Promptly Check Messages Frequently Avoid Telephone Tag

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 34 Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Be Courteous Use greeting Many callers miss name of organization if it is first word spoken Listen actively If leaving line, explain why and avoid wait of over two minutes

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 35 Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Be Courteous (continued) Use courteous phrases during conversation Redirect caller Give caller appropriate name and number Let him or her know if you’re looking it up Transfer call, if possible End call using courteous phrase

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 36 Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Be Considerate When Using Speakerphones Let other person/group know you are using speakerphone Ask person if reception is clear before you begin conversation Let person know who else is in room Avoid shuffling papers or moving items on desk

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 37 Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Handle Angry Callers Deal with situation Find out what caller wants If not possible to do what person wants, suggest alternatives Share information Agree on solution Follow up

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 38 Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Return Telephone Calls Promptly Establish procedure for returning calls Return several calls at one time Be aware of routine callers’ habits

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 39 Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Check Messages Frequently Develop a routine for checking messages frequently Create a positive, professional image

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 40 Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Avoid Telephone Tag Determine best time to either return call or to receive a call-back Send or fax Determine if you can locate information from another individual in another department

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 41 Telephone Technology Automatic Routing Units Answering Services and Machines Messaging Cellular Service Voice Mail Common Telephone Equipment

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 42 Telephone Technology—Automatic Routing Units Answer call and recorded voice identifies departments or services caller can access by pressing specified number May include electronic mailboxes so caller can leave message

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 43 Telephone Technology—Answering Services and Machines Answering services are answered by live operator who Takes messages and judges whether to reach subscriber during after-business hours Answering machine—maintained by pre-recorded message during after- business hours

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 44 Telephone Technology—Messaging Instant messaging (IM) Allows a private chat room Text messaging Sends short messages usually to wireless device

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 45 Telephone Technology—Cellular Etiquette Never talk in public places Don’t use loud and annoying tones Never accept calls while in meeting, interview, or doctor’s office Don’t place cell phone on work desk— unless waiting on urgent message

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 46 Telephone Technology—Voice Mail Advantages Allows messages to be recorded and saved in mailbox Sent regardless of time zones or work schedules Sent to number of people simultaneously Disadvantages Callers forced to listen to long messages Users do not access mailboxes regularly

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 47 Telephone Technology—Voice Mail (continued) Ways to improve interactions Consider stating and changing date of greeting daily Record appropriate message when away from office for extended time State message clearly and concisely Consider tone and impression left in message Avoid leaving lengthy messages

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 48 Common Telephone Equipment Touch-Tone Telephone Provides regular service and tone transmission Key Telephones Flexibility of making/receiving multiple calls simultaneously

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 49 Ethics and the Telephone Unethical behavior related to use Using long-distance code for personal long- distance calls Using organization’s telephone for consistent personal use Using speakerphone when caller doesn’t realize feature is being used

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 50 Making International Telephone Calls International calls may not go through as expected Consider following Office phone system Correct format for dialing international numbers International holidays Time zone differences Language barriers