The essence of dealing with people,

politely and efficiently, over the phone

can be boiled down to….

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 Basic Telephone
Etiquette

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Pre-calling guidelines
 Before the call always have purpose in mind
 If you are calling in relation to a meeting then prepare an
agenda
 Identify a second point of contact
 For a conference call identify a coordinator or a leader to
lead the call
 Answer calls promptly – within 3 rings
 Before picking up the receiver, discontinue any other
conversation or activity such as chewing gum, typing, etc.
that can be heard by the calling party
 Keep a note pad and pen handy at your desk
 Smile as you pick the phone – the caller will hear it in
your voice

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 Welcome - The Grand
Opening

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 During the call guidelines
 When receiving an incoming call always identify yourself for example,
“XYZ speaking”, “This is ABC here”
 When making an outgoing call
Introduce yourself and the company you are calling from. If you are
routed to a receptionist or operator, also include the name of the
person you’re trying to reach
for example, “Hello, this is XYZ from XXX. May I speak with Mr.
ABC?”

In case of a scheduled call:

Greet the client as per his time zone
Introduction
Repeat the agenda of the meeting
Introduce who is with you
Send minutes of the call

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 In case of an unscheduled call:
Do not call very early or late in the day
State the purpose of the call as soon as possible
Be sure to ask if it is a convenient time to speak
If no check for callback time

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 Speak slowly, enunciate clearly and spell out words if
necessary
 Use plain English and avoid unnecessary jargon and
acronyms
 Focus your full attention on the caller and the
conversation
 Use active listening to clarify and check for understanding
 Assertiveness
 Build rapport to ease the conversation
 It pays to write down the client’s name and
use it regularly in your conversation.

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 Concentrate
Full Strength

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Why??
 It’s a basic courtesy
 People who do 2 things at a time don’t do
either one very well
 When you split your attention, you’re likely
to lose something important the client says

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The Moral
 Give the caller your undivided attention
 Focus on what the caller is saying
 Avoid distractions
 Do one thing at one time

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Let the Client know you are
listening
 Give verbal feedback clues to let the client know
you’re listening
e.g. yes, correct etc.

 Use a variety of clues to avoid sounding bored or

mechanical

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 Every Call is ‘Note-Worthy'

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Notes
 Making notes is recommended. The human memory is not
perfect

 Written notes give you a record of the conversation you had

with the client
 including project updates
 case reviews
 and accurate contact information

 Tools to carry
 Paper for taking notes
 a pen or a pencil

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Effective and Easy Note - Taking
 Remember writing takes longer than saying it

 A good idea is to develop an abbreviations

system for quick use

 Remember to prioritize information

 Always remember the objective of the call …..this

will help you sort what information you would
want to take note of

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The Next Step
 At the end of call Paraphrase/Rephrase Read
them back to the client. Tell the client what
he/she said in our own words.

 If the client changes anything correct your notes

and promptly read them back

 Helps you get the right information

 Tells the client that you're listening

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Callers with foreign accents
To professionally handle these situations, follow these guidelines:

 Be patient. It is important not to rush through these calls. You

will need to listen extra carefully to callers with foreign accents
in order to identify what they need.
 Be honest. Don't pretend to understand the caller if you are not
clear about something they said. Let the caller know that in
order to help them you need them to slow down or repeat what
they said.
 Be polite. When asking the caller to slow down or repeat what
they said, do so in a tactful and courteous manner.
 Be resourceful. If a caller's accent is so heavy that you know
you cannot assist them, determine if a co-worker or supervisor
is bilingual in the caller's language and ask for their assistance.

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 How can I establish rapport?
Building rapport is the process of determining and building on what you have
in common with the caller. There are three ways to build rapport with a caller:
 Use the caller's name
 Find common ground
 Match the caller's speaking rate
Use the caller's name
 Occasionally, you should use the name of the caller during the conversation.
Personalizing the call builds rapport and increases the caller's confidence in
your desire to help them.
Find common ground
 When you are able to find common ground with the caller, you are more likely
to build rapport with them. These small connections will demonstrate that you
are working toward mutual goals.
Match the caller's speaking rate
 Matching the speaking rate of your caller is a subtle way of gaining and
focusing the attention of the caller in order to build rapport. A person with a
naturally slow rate of speech will tend to be suspicious of a fast speaking rate,
and callers who speak more quickly can become very frustrated by a slow rate
of speech.

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 Ending the call

‘I always remember the last thing I heard.’

The ending is one the most critical part of the

conversation.
The last 30 seconds of the call is what leaves the most
impact on a client’s mind.

It is critical to always end on a positive note.

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 Key actions for Ending the call
 Repeat any action steps that you and the client have
agreed upon
 Ask the caller if you can do anything else for him/her.
 Thank the client and appreciate his effort and time.
 Let the caller hang up first.
 Write down any relevant information as soon as you get off
the phone.
 Send minutes of the call with points discussed and action
points mentioning date

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Thank You

Presented by -
Seema Sharma

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