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In most phone conversations, the listener typically
cannot see you … your message is communicated by
your voice!
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Proper telephone etiquette in a professional business
setting begins by stating the company name first
followed by a greeting and the name of the individual
answering the call.
EXAMPLE: “Nordstrom, Good Morning, this
is Kelly”

If the organization does not require the use of the
company name in the greeting, the person answering the
phone should identify themselves.
EXAMPLE: “Good morning, Jessica Madden
speaking” or “Jessica Madden speaking”

If someone else is answering a phone other than their
own, the proper etiquette is to answer with a greeting
followed by the name of the person for whom the phone
is being answered.
EXAMPLE: Good afternoon, this is Elizabeth
Smith’s office, how may I help you?”

Remember that international phone calls may have a lag
between the time when someone speaks and the listener
can actually hear what was spoken. Be patient and make
sure that you allow time for the speaker to finish
speaking before you try to speak.

If you place someone on speaker phone, you should
inform the individual that he or she is on speaker phone
before continuing with a conversation!
1.
Take note of your voice. Speak clearly.
2.
Do not be eating and talking at the same.
3.
Always be courteous and respectful. Use please and
thank you, and avoid interrupting while the other party
is speaking.
4.
Avoid answering the phone if about to cough or sneeze.
5.
Do not raise your voice.
6.
7.
8.
Keep personal phone calls out of the office- and keep
your private cell phone calls private. Avoid personal
calls and discussions in the office!
When you are making a call, it is good business phone
etiquette to always identify yourself to the first recipient
"This is Mary-Kate, May I speak to Nicole Richie
please?"
If you answer the phone it is not good telephone
manners to say "She is not in" without giving a reason.
Instead, say something such as, “He is in a meeting,
may I please take a message?” OR, “She is out of the
office at the moment but I will be happy to leave her a
message or put you through to her voice mail.”
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4.
Students draw upon their personal experiences and list
an example of the following poor customer service
experiences they had on the telephone with a business.
Give one example for each and briefly state how
it made you feel as a customer and how you
think the situation SHOULD have been handled.
Put on hold for a long time
Employee did not properly identify the business or
themselves when answering the phone.
Tone of voice of the business representative was
unpleasant or rude.
You had a difficult time hearing the business
representative or understanding what they were saying.