Do you feel awkward calling a new work contact for the first time?
Developing effective phone skills to be able to call to confirm an
appointment or ask for an interview slot or anything else is essential
for career success.
But since we live in
an age of information overload, there is no predicting how the person on the
other end will react. He may be hostile, choose to hang up, may ask you to
call later or may be quite accommodating.
Time is at a
premium and people are stressed out. Given all this, nobody wants to attend to
that unexpected call during a busy day. But with a little planning and
preparation you can make a good impression over the phone even and achieve
the objective of the phone call. Heed these tips.
i. Choose a good time
Put off
making business calls when you're too distracted or tired to give it your all.
You have exactly one opportunity to make a great first impression and you will
not make it if you are not prepared.
You need to
be full of positive energy about what you are doing/ asking otherwise your
voice will sound dull with no power to persuade or move the listener into
action.
Smile when
you talk to people on the phone -- it will show up in your voice. Remember:
enthusiasm is infectious. Think you are calling a friend. Let your voice be
natural, calm, relaxed and easy-going.
Try not to keep the other person on hold for a long time. If possible avoid it
altogether. If you are making the call, you should have all the information
readily available and not keep someone on hold. If you can't help her right
away, tell her you'll call back -- then do so.
ii. Opening the call
Eliminate
any disturbing background noise if possible.
Open the
call with a standard professional greeting depending on the time of the day.
Mention your first name, organisation, and purpose of the call clearly and
be as direct as possible. Don't beat around the bush; it can be very
irritating.
It's a good
idea to rehearse saying the person's name several times BEFORE the phone call.
This will help with any pronunciation problems and also personalise the call.
Remember to get his/her title right.
Ask if this
is a good time for you to be calling when you reach someone. If not, ask when
you can reach them again. You will be surprised how many people you can
actually get to talk to if you call first thing in the morning.
Do not keep
repeating their name during the conversation but stick to the rule of saying
the listener's name three times during an 8 to 10 minute conversation.
Leave brief,
clear messages on answering systems, giving your name, reason for the call and
contact information. Don't forget to leave your phone number, even if the
person has it, so she doesn't have to look it up.
Allow the
other party plenty of time to speak, and use prompt words such as "I
see" and "Really" (in a sincere tone, of course). This shows
them that you are truly interested in what they have to say. And let's face it,
who wouldn't rather speak about themselves than listen to another person?
Avoid acting
rushed, even if you are. If you're so stressed that you can't handle the call
well, let voice mail come on and pick it up until you've collected yourself.
iv. A variety of response options
If the
person you have called needs to get back to you with information, give him/her
a variety of options -- e-mail, fax, voice-mail etc.
The
objective is to make it easy for them to get back to you.
v. Follow up
Make sure you call back whenever you promised you would. But don't be
persistent to the point of sounding desperate.
But timely follow ups will show that you are sincere and committed to the task
Learning
good telephone etiquette is extremely important and those who master it stand a
better chance of succeeding. So go out there and sizzle up your phone calls.
