Your call will almost certainly be made via the receivers switchboard. If youre kept waiting (more than five rings), you should be greeted by an apology. If you are not, you know that the switchboard operators lack training. If your call is not answered after ten rings, it is advisable to hang up and call later (not least because you will be less agitated by the delay).
Greet the operator with Good morning, announce your name, This is Alan Jarvis of Universal Grindings and say whom you would like to speak to, Could I speak to Mr Crisp of Accounts, please? These courtesies are as essential when dealing with switchboard operators as they are when speaking to secretaries. Your demeanour in handling anyone in another business reflects not only on your own manners but also on the company you represent.
Switchboards often put a caller on hold while the connection is sought (sometimes the nerves of the caller are soothed (?) by synthetic music) and, once again, it is good practice for the operator to say to the caller, Sorry to keep you waiting every 20 seconds or so.
On reaching the secretary, the caller should again announce his name and add a brief word about the purpose of the call. This will help the secretary to decide whether to interrupt her boss if he is in a meeting or on another call. It is sensible for callers to get to know the secretaries of business people whom they regularly contact and to use each telephone call to exchange pleasantries before being put through to their boss. Establishing a friendly relationship often makes the job of both secretary and caller more effective and enjoyable. However urgent the issue, the caller should always take a few moments to speak to the secretary in this way before his call is put through.
Some people get their secretaries to initiate their calls and in those cases the routine described above should be followed by the secretary, acting on behalf of her boss. It is always bad manners for the receiver to be on the line before the caller, thus, the callers secretary should always get him on the line before the receiver is put through. If you find yourself on the receiving end of the ill-mannered practice of the receiver waiting on the convenience of the caller hang up!
Organising a call
If the caller is not known to the receiver, it is essential that his credentials and the purpose of the call are established at the outset. For example, Good morning, Mr Crisp. Im Alan Jarvis of Universal Grindings. I recently took over as chief buyer and Im calling to check on the details of a credit note etc....
Telephone calls are intended to be dialogues and the caller should always provide the receiver with opportunities to comment or react to a statement (open questions such as Has your company dealt with any similar situations in the past? are particularly useful).
It is usually the job of the receiver to wrap up the telephone conversation (after all, hes the person who has been interrupted) although the caller may nudge the receiver in that direction. The caller should be diplomatic about how this is done and it is important that the call finishes on a friendly and positive note.
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Interrupted calls
If a call is cut off, for whatever reason, it is courteous for the original caller to redial. If the receiver suspends the call (for example to deal with an incoming international call or to respond to a summons by his managing director) it is his responsibility to redial. If, in the latter circumstance, the call back is not made within, say, 15 minutes, his secretary should ring the original caller with an explanation and apology. Callers should not be put on hold by a receiver for anything more than a few seconds without explanation.
Good telephone manners
Callers should not be too familiar or casual with receivers they have never met. Most people are comfortable with callers using their surnames on first contact (Good morning, Mr Stevens) and do not expect the deference of Sir or Madam. They are usually offended by the uninvited use of first names and jokey or unbusinesslike language. Saying Hi, John how ya doin? Im the new big banana in the packing department! is not the ideal way to establish a good working relationship.
Personal matters have a place in many business telephone conversations, not least to help to reinforce the friendships which are an essential feature of good teamwork. You should always be conscious of the possible time pressures that the receiver is under (and is probably too polite to mention) and keep your comments brief and to the point. It is generally considered inappropriate for those in the junior ranks of an organisation to take the initiative in discussing personal matters with those who are more senior.
Always remember to use Please and Thank you at appropriate points in your business calls. No one should be too busy or senior for these common courtesies to be abandoned.
Receiving calls
Busy people often receive calls at very inconvenient times. They might be preparing for a meeting, catching up on important paperwork or attending to a call of nature! The first line of defence for the receiver is his secretary and there is a well-established code of white lies to explain his non-availability. These usually follow a pause while the secretary checks the position with her boss, out of the callers hearing (not the hand over the mouthpiece and the shouted, John are you in?). They include:
Mr Jones is busy at the moment may I ask him to call you back as soon as hes free?
Mr Jones is in conference may I, etc
Mr Jones has a colleague with him at the moment may I, etc
Most callers recognise these messages and find them perfectly usual. Less acceptable to both caller and receiver are such responses as:
Mr Jones hasnt turned up yet and Ive no idea when hell be back.
Mr Jones is too busy to talk to you.
Mr Jones is in the loo again!
Interruptions
Two common interruptions for a receiver are an internal call on another line and the unexpected appearance of a colleague at his office door (often whispering in a totally distracting way).
The correct response to the first is to ask the caller to excuse you while you deal with the call, explain to the internal caller that you are on an outside line and will call back shortly, and then resume the external call with renewed apologies. Colleagues should be ignored unless the matter is urgent in which case a similar routine to interruption from an internal call should be used.
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Secretaries should only interrupt their boss when there is an urgent reason and, even then, by giving him a written note rather than by telephone. Most people would understand if the receiver said, Excuse me for a moment, John Ann has just brought in an important message for me.
If you do interrupt a call, you should explain the reason to the caller. For example, Im sorry, John, I gather theres a call coming in for me from Tokyo. Would you mind if I took it and called you back? Dont just say, Look, John, somethings come up Ill call you back and put the telephone down.
Teachers notes
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1. Smith David Gordon English for Telephoning / David Gordon Smith. Oxford, 2004.
2. Naterop B. Jean Telephoning in English / B. Jean Naterop, Rod Revell. Cambridge University Press, 2004.
3. Sweeny Simon English for Business Communication / Simon Sweeny. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
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