Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Telephone Etiquette
Telephone Etiquette
• "Huh?
• "Yeah.
• "I don't know where he is.
• "She's at lunch. Call back later.
• "He's not here.
• "I don't know where he is or when he'll be back."
Words You Use
"I'm sorry."
"Thank you."
"Please."
"May I take a message?"
"Would you like to leave your number?"
"May I put you on hold?"
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting."
"He's away from his desk. May I have him return your
call?"
What You Mean: Tell the Caller:
"He is out." "He is not in the office at the moment. Would you like
to leave a message on his voicemail?"
"I don't know where he
"He has stepped out of the office. Would you like to
is." leave a message on his voicemail?"
"He is in the men's "He has stepped out of the office. Would you like to
leave a message on his voicemail?"
room." "I expect him shortly. Would you like to leave a
message on his voicemail?"
"He hasn't come in yet."
"She is out of the office for the day. Can someone else
"She took the day off." help you or would you like her voicemail?"
"He doesn't want to be "He is unavailable at the moment. Would you like to
leave a message on his voicemail?"
disturbed."
"She is unavailable at the moment. Would you like to
"She is busy" leave a message on her voicemail?"
Use respectful and considerate words and
phrases, such as:
• "I'm sorry.
• "Thank you.
• "Please.
• "May I take a message?
• "Would you like to leave your number?
• "May I put you on hold?
• "I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
• "He's away from his desk. May I have him
return your call?"
16 Words and Phrases
That Keep callers Cool
• Hello!
• Good morning!
• May I help you?
• I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
• Please.
• Excuse me.
• Thank you for waiting.
• I'd be happy to do that for you
• It was nice talking with you.
• Is there anything else I can do for you?
• I'm very sorry.
• It's been a pleasure to serve you.
• You're welcome.
• Thank you.
• Thank you for coming in (or calling).
• We appreciate your business
Guidelines:
The golden rules for good telephone techniques are:
• Always answer with a greeting (example: good morning / good
afternoon / good evening).
• Always identify your company (example: thank you for calling
The Oberoi Grand)
• Identify yourself (example: this is the Manager speaking or
Manoj speaking)
• Question the caller’s need (example: can I help you sir /
madam)
• Keep a courteous and audible tone.
• Listen to the guest carefully and note down the points, if
needed.
• Don’t interrupt the guest or break his conversation.
• The way you will answer all calls will therefore follow the
pattern:
“Good morning Sir / Madam, Thank you for calling Grand hotel.
This is Manoj speaking, Can I help you sir/madam”.
Are You Sure You're
Understood?
"You didn't tell me there was a deadline to get this done!"
Those words from a caller will send any one reaching for
the aspirin –
especially when the receiver knows she/he conveyed the
right information.
But before you blame the caller, keep this in mind:
Real communication occurs only when the other person
thinks you said the same thing you think you said. If a
caller doesn't understand something you said, you have
not communicated effectively with them.
Handling the emotional caller
• Demonstrate sympathy and understanding.
• Say something like, "I am sorry this has happened and I
understand why you are upset."
• Express a willingness to help.
• Listen. Take notes to help you remember important
details.
• Use the person’s name in conversation; the sweetest
sound to anyone is their own name.
• Make a commitment to help, and then keep your
promise.
• If a person is getting upset I always try to remember that
it's probably not me that they are mad at……
Handling the complainer
• Act quickly once the complainant has hung up the phone
• Get their details
• Write down what they said and tell them you are recording
their complaint
• Stay calm even if the complainant gets angry
• Take the complainant seriously
• Let the complainant have their say
• Speak to the individual in person and do not
rely solely on any written complaints or records
of conversations
• Treat the complainant with genuine empathy,
courtesy, patience, honesty and fairness
• Demonstrate to the customer that you clearly
successfully handling complaints
requires listening with empathy and
responding accurately and quickly.
listening
• understand the full nature of their problem……