Telephone Etiquette

Telephone Etiquette

Here are some guidelines to how to conduct polite and effective phone conversations:

Nonverbal no-nos:

• Tips on what you shouldn’t do while on the phone:

• Chew gum, eat food, or drink beverages

• Listen to loud music, radio, or television

• Chat with or yell out to others around you

• Type on your PC

• Tips on what you shouldn’t do with a phone call:

• Let the phone ring and not answer it promptly

• Not listen to the caller

• Transfer the caller without understanding the caller’s need/problem

• Pick up multiple calls without using the hold button

• Not write down who’s on which phone line and have to ask each person his/her name more than once

• Not take a message for someone else

• Not give the message you take to the appropriate person

Verbal no-nos:

• Call but not identify yourself: For example, “Let me speak with Mr. Brown.”

• Answer rudely or with unnecessary or private information: For example:

• “Who’s this? What do you want?”

• “Ms. Chan has an upset stomach. So she went home.”

• “My boss hates dealing with some customers. That’s why he has me screen his calls.”

• Cut off any small talk: For example, “I don’t care about how much snow you received in Boston. I just want to know what you want to order.”

• Speak so quickly that person who’s calling you OR the person you’re calling doesn’t understand you

• Refuse to handle a problem or handle it properly OR handle a problem by blaming the caller/customer: For example:

• “I’m busy and don’t have time to deal with this situation. Call another day.”

• “I can handle this situation. I don’t need to ask anyone else.”

• “No one else has ever had this problem. Most likely, it’s your fault—not ours.”

• Leave a voicemail in which you’ve spoken so quickly that the receiver of this message can’t understand what you’ve said

• Not apologize for keeping someone on hold or waiting

• End the conversation without confirming any follow-up actions and/or saying goodbye politely

• Not make follow-up calls to provide requested information or in response to a problem.