Communicating over the telephone

 Communicating over the telephone 

A One–on-one communication

One-to-one communication plays a very important part in almost to everyone's life.  This type of communication occurs most often when one person speaks with or writes to another individual.   Face-to-face conversations and in telephone speech skills.

 

1.     The Basics of communicating over Phone

 There are three distinct parts of a telephone call viz., the opening, the body and the closing. Time is a precious commodity. You have fewer than five seconds to get the call started on a positive note.

 

A.   Managing the Opening

We all make instantaneous judgments about a company or a person by the way we are greeted on the phone. Sometimes the first impression can be the “lasting impression.”

 

If one has been waiting for the phone to be picked up for more than three rings, we begin to get impatient. Then, if the person answering the telephone sounds hurried, rude, or disinterested, the call is even more tainted. Beginnings are powerful. Make the most of them.

 

1.     Preparing in advance

Your attitude shows through in every telephone contact. Make sure before you pick up the phone that you’re approaching the call in the most positive way.

 

Support your positive phone style by organizing your workspace. Always keep paper and pencil handy to jot down pertinent information during the call. Have any references that you may need to use during the call within arm’s reach so you can avoid putting the caller on hold while you locate the required materials.

 

2.     Smile through the Phone

Keep a “smile in your voice.” Sound upbeat and enthusiastic about the chance to speak with the caller. Adults pay more attention to the tone of your voice than they do to the words you use.

 

How to keep a smile in your voice

Keep a mirror by the side of your voice Look at yourself speaking on the phone. Force a smile even if you don’t see one. Eventually, your brain will catch up to your facial muscles and you will actually begin to feel more cheerful. It’s hard to sound unpleasant when your face is smiling.

Write a note and tape it to your telephone or on your computer monitor Challenge yourself to smile for every caller.

Ask your co-workers to support you on the phone by giving you feedback Ask them to gently remind you when you slip into a neutral or negative tone of voice. Be sure to use this arrangement to give each other positive feedback every day too!

Practice a telephone greeting with someone you trust and respect Force yourself to be as exuberant as possible, and ask for reactions from your trusted listener. You may even want to record it so you can hear yourself from the caller’s point of view.

Tell yourself that the next caller is a favorite person with whom you have been waiting to speak for a long time. Your high energy and sincerity will make the person feel like he or she is very special to you.

Stand up when you feel low on energy Answer the next call on your feet and with a smile on your face.

 

3.      Answer promptly

Pick up the phone by the third ring. You let callers know that you respect their time and have a sense of urgency about handling their calls when you pick up calls quickly.

If you can’t answer promptly, make sure to arrange coverage of your telephone by a co-worker who is willing and able to accept your telephone calls.

    

It’s critically important to ask colleagues if they can provide coverage for you before forwarding your calls to them. A surprised or harried colleague may inadvertently create a negative impression when he or she answers the phone for you.

 

4.     Greet the caller and identify yourself

Greet the caller by saying, “Hello”, “Good morning”, “Namaskar”, or by stating the name of your department and company. If you do not receive calls directly on outside lines, identify yourself just after the greeting. Callers want to know the person with whom they are dealing. A simple, “Hello, this is Anita from Administration” sets a positive tone.

 

5.     Offer to help

Capitalize on the positive by asking, “How may I help you?” This simple offer pays big dividends when callers realize that you are ready to assist them. You help them to focus and articulate their purpose when you offer to help right at the beginning of the call.

 

6.     Avoid “Blind” transfers

Frequently, you will greet the caller and find that he or she desires to speak with another person. Handling the transfer professionally is one of the hall marks of outstanding telephone skills.

   

 “Blind” transfers; when the caller gets transferred to an unknown party, decrease your effectiveness with the caller. Being transferred without any notion of whom they will speak to next is frustrating at the least. Blind transfers leave the caller feeling lost in the phone system.

Remember, people call with a purpose. Their goal is to express that purpose and get some action taken on it.

 

B.   Body of the Call

The tasks involved at this stage of the telephone call is listening and reacting to the caller’s needs, and putting callers on hold.

 

1.     Listen Carefully and Enthusiastically

Give your complete attention. Limit distractions. Have a pencil and paper handy. Listen to every need the caller expresses. Make brief notes while you listen to keep focused. And key points of the call will serve as a useful checklist when you close the call.

 

2.   Use the caller’s Name

Nothing sounds sweeter than our own name. Use the caller’s name at least once in the conversation whenever possible (using the caller’s name more than three times can tune some people out). Personalising the contact tells the caller that you are paying close attention and are tailoring your response to him or her.

 

3.   Respond to the caller’s need or request

Be enthusiastic and concerned when you react to the specific needs or requests the caller shares. Use “I can” language to inform the caller about the action you will take. Demonstrate your expertise with confidence, and you’ll send a clear message that your company can respond and that the caller is valued.

 

4.Ask the customer to hold

One of the most common mistake in handling a telephone call is the failure to ask the caller “if” they are “able” to hold. So often, we assume that because they are on the line, they are both willing (calling from a cell phone!) and able (simultaneously talking over a cell phone and driving a car!) to hold.

 

How to put a caller on hold

Always ask the caller “if” he or she can hold Some times a caller won’t want to hold but would prefer to call later or be called back.

Explain why you need to put the caller on hold A simple, brief explanation helps relax callers and makes them aware that you are working for them while they wait.

Always check back with the caller in thirty-second intervals. Being put on hold without any consistent contact makes the caller wonder whether you have forgotten him or her. Thirty seconds is a long time over telephone. Over the phone, a caller does not have the advantage of seeing or hearing you as you separate from him or her even for a few seconds.

Have a clock or watch with a seconds hand close by Time the hold period. The shorter the holding period, the more positive the interaction will be with the caller.

 C.   Closing the call

First and last impressions are powerful.

 

1.     Repeat the “Action” you agreed to take

Clarify by summarizing the course of action that both of you have agreed upon. By offering a summary statement to your caller, you create the perfect opportunity to eliminate any confusion or misunderstanding.

 

2.     Close the call formally

As important as the best opening of a phone call, is the close or ending, of a call. Callers remember the final few seconds of the telephone-based interaction. It’s important to leave a positive feeling when you close the call.

You may thank them for calling and then say, “good-bye”. The formality of this type of ending says again to the caller, “I respect you”. Try to let the caller hang up his or her telephone receiver first.

 

3.     Say “Good-Bye” instead of “Bye-Bye”

Many of us have the habit of saying “bye-bye” to end a call. While this is better than simply hanging up, it is not as desirable as the more professional sounding “good-bye”.