Telephone calls make or break business deals

TELEPHONE manners begin with answering the call and they may make or break a business deal. They begin with answering the call. If central operators process incoming calls, they should be trained to speak pleasantly, giving the company name. When assistants or secretaries answer, they give their employers’ name: and then ask “May I help you?” If people answer their phones directly, they need only identify themselves: “Hello. This is Suzanne Chung.” Callers should not be disgruntled when they are asked to state their business by a secretary or receptionist, who can most times offer valuable help. If the caller fails to give their name and state their business, he or she will be asked, “May I ask who is calling please?” Because it is often possible for a secretary or assistant to help the caller, he or she may correctly ask, “May I ask what this call is in reference to?” or less bluntly, “Will Miss Chung know what this call is about?”

Do not be disgruntled, he secretary is merely trying to speed up service. Also, do not be evasive: you will create ill will. Do not say you are calling on a personal matter unless you truly are. When an executive is not in to receive your phone call, the secretary can prevent feelings of rejection or disappointment in handling the situation. A curt “She’s not in” only alienates. The secretary should offer to help the caller: “May I ask her to call you when she returns?” On the occasions when the executive is too busy to speak to the caller, the assistant’s courteous manner pays an even more important role. Honesty is the best policy, for a false “She’s not in” is always suspect. The assistant should explain the situation first: “Miss Chung is in but she is in a meeting and can’t be interrupted right now.” Then the assistant should go on to offer an alternative: “May I help you? Or is there someone else you could speak to?” If replies to both questions are negative, she may conclude with, “I’ll ask Miss Wong to call you as soon as she is free, but as she has meetings scheduled all day, it may not be until tomorrow.”