The "Don't Forget" Business Phone Etiquette

Written by Sue Roe, Sales Administrative
Assistant at Rockton Software

Basic Business Phone Etiquette

OR How to Get Results through the Power of Not Annoying Others

We all make calls and we all get calls. If you can’t talk face-to-face, the telephone is still frequently the most efficient and thorough way to communicate with another human being. Here are three very basic but often forgotten courtesies that make phone calling pleasant and effective for everyone involved.

1) Identify yourself
In an ideal world, our grandmothers would have driven this home before we left grade school. Even if you know that your name won’t mean a thing to the person answering the phone, tell them anyway. If I just say, “Can I speak to the owner?” or “Is John in?” the person answering the phone may go into Defensive Screening Mode. But if I say “Hi, this is Sue from Rockton Software . . . Is John available?” The person answering the phone can feel more confident that I’m not cold calling about refilling ink cartridges. Plenty of people who answer phones as part of their job have been instructed to NOT put through “mystery” callers. So don’t be one. Give your name and company.

2) Ask if this is a good time to talk
Every time you ring someone else’s phone you are, in a sense, interrupting them. Very few of us spend the workday staring at the phone, waiting….. so be sensitive to the fact that they may be knee-deep in alligators and ask, “Do you have a few minutes to talk about X, Y, and Z?” If you know that you’ll need more than 10 minutes of their time, offer to schedule a mutually convenient time to talk later. But at a minimum, give them a general idea of why you’re calling as well as an opportunity to decide whether they want to talk to you now or later when they can better focus on you.

3) Voice mails that get a return phone call
When you leave someone a voice mail, they are going to decide whether to call you back….or not. If you give them no information other than, “This is Carl, call me back,” you’ve created no sense of urgency or importance around your call. But if you drone on an on, novella-style, they may decide to avoid a live conversation with you, as well. Start out with your name and phone number, and your company if needed. Let them know the general reason for your call in 30 seconds or less. Ask for a return call and repeat your phone number. That’s it!

We have a lot more options for communicating these days, but phones are still around because they can still be a most effective and expedient way to connect if you just follow a few basic courtesies.

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