Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Basic
Telephone
Skills
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
State the common dos and donts when using the telephone at the
workplace.
INTRODUCTION
This topic aims to equip you with the basic telephone skills that are essential to
ensure smooth work flow at the workplace. Very often, the telephone is the
companys first line of contact with a client. As such, it is imperative that all staff
be trained in basic telephone etiquette so that favourable impressions are created,
right from the first phone call. The different aspects of making effective business
telephone calls pre-call preparations, call-answering techniques, and ways to
take and leave messages are highlighted. You will also be exposed to common
dos and donts when making business calls, together with activities and exercises
that will help you get used to the language structures commonly used in making
formal calls.
TOPIC 2
2.1
21
GETTING READY
Look at Figure 2.1 below. What do you think the two people are saying to each
other? Can you guess what the problems are and how problems like these can be
avoided?
To avoid making telephone calls at a time when the call recipient is clearly not
ready to take your call, some kind of pre-call planning is necessary. The
telephone, which sits unobtrusively on your table most of the time, can create
havoc with your work day if you are not careful. Below are some tips that you
should consider BEFORE you reach for the phone:
(a)
Plan your calls to suit your work schedule and that of your call recipient.
You should avoid calling at a time when the other party may be unable to
take your call, for example, late at night. If necessary, compromise on the
timing of your call so as to minimise problems arising from different time
zones.
(b)
Be very clear about your objectives in calling. It helps if you make a note of
what you want to say before placing the call as this reduces the likelihood
that you will forget something important. Careful planning and jotting
down of what you want to say also means that you can concentrate on what
the other person is saying, instead of trying to remember what you want to
say, during the telephone conversation.
(c)
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TOPIC 2
(d)
Make sure you have paper, pen, relevant documentation, computer files,
etc, ready and near you in case you need to jot down notes.
(e)
(f)
Have your desk calendar nearby in case you need to check dates and fix
appointments.
(g)
2.2
RECEIVING CALLS
BRIEF - Do not beat about the bush and waste the call recipients time;
(b)
(c)
Sometimes, these rules may seem to be in conflict, for example, if you are too
brief, you may confuse the receiver or appear impolite. The trick is to try and
strike a balance among the three rules.
2.2.1
Telephone Etiquette
Listed below are some of the basic dos and donts of telephone use. Observing
these rules will enable you to handle phone enquiries in a positive and
professional manner.
TOPIC 2
(a)
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(ii)
Sound positive and helpful. Your tone of voice speaks volumes about
you. It helps if the caller can hear you smile.
Do not:
(i)
(ii)
Be too familiar with the person on the other end of the phone.
(iii) Talk to someone else in your office while you are still on the phone.
(iv) Allow too much background noise.
(v)
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TOPIC 2
SELF-CHECK 2.1
Think back to the times when you were on the telephone. Were you
ever put on hold and made to wait for a long time before your needs
were attended to? How did you feel when that happened? What was
your reaction?
2.2.2
Im Calling Because
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Find out what steps have been taken to rectify the problem.
Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)
TOPIC 2
25
Sometimes, you may need to direct the callers attention to his original objective in
making the call as he/she may get side-tracked and begin talking about other things.
In all instances, always let the caller know that you are sincere in wanting to help.
ACTIVITY 2.1
Different people have different objectives when they make a
telephone call. What do you think are the objectives of the people in
the situations below? The first one has been done for you as an
example.
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TOPIC 2
Situation D: A travel agent who has paid for a ticket for a flight that
departs tomorrow. The ticket has not reached him yet.
TOPIC 2
27
SELF-CHECK 2.2
Have you ever received a call from someone who was angry to the
point of being abusive?
Describe what happened during and after the call.
How did you handle the situation?
2.2.3
Telephone skills are one of the most difficult to master, partly because we cannot
see the person on the other end of the telephone and thus cannot depend on nonverbal signs (gestures, facial expressions, etc) to help us understand the person.
However, there are standard phrases commonly used in phone conversations
and learning these telephone words will help you to better understand what
the other person is saying as well as give you some guidelines as to what to say
when making or receiving calls at the workplace.
ACTIVITY 2.2
Read through the words/phrases given below. These phrases are
commonly used in phone conversations. Can you think of other
telephone words. Fill in the blanks with such words.
28
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
TOPIC 2
Introducing yourself:
Kenny speaking.
Whos speaking?
.............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
Connecting someone:
.............................................................................................................
TOPIC 2
(e)
(f)
(g)
Jim is in a meeting.
.................................................................................................................
Pardon?
.................................................................................................................
Ending a call:
Okay, Ill check the details and get back to you later.
.............................................................................................................
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30
TOPIC 2
ACTIVITY 2.3
In groups of three, practise the telephone conversation below, paying
special attention to word pronunciation, intonation and stress. Then,
repeat the conversation, replacing the words in italics with similar
phrases of your choice.
Switch roles and practise the conversation again so that you get the
chance to role play all the different characters.
Operator :
Peter
Operator :
Dr Li
Peter
Dr Li
Peter
Dr Li
Peter
Dr Li
Peter
Dr Li
Bye.
Note the common telephone words in italics and the informal language used.
For instance, Is Professor Mahmud in? is an informal way of asking: Is
Professor Mahmud in the office? Other informal words include hold on
(wait), tied up (busy).
TOPIC 2
2.3
31
Sometimes, there may not be anyone available to answer the telephone when it
rings. When that happens, you need to leave a message.
Basically, there are five simple steps to follow to ensure that the person who receives
your message has all the information he needs.
(a)
(b)
(c)
Make a request:
(d)
My number is ....
(e)
SELF-CHECK 2.3
Read the following voice message and answer the questions below:
Telephone: (Ring... Ring... Ring...) Hello, this is Sanjeev. I'm afraid I'm
not in at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep..... (beep).
Ken: Hello Sanjeev, this is Ken. It's noon now and I'm calling to see if
you would like to come with me to the futsal game on Friday. Could
you call me back? You can reach me at 016-367 8925 until 5pm this
afternoon. I'll talk to you later. Bye.
Does the message contain all the information needed to allow the call
recipient to respond to the call? List down this information.
1.
Name: ......................................................
2.
3.
Request: ............................................................................................
4.
5.
Ending: ............................................................................................
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2.3.1
TOPIC 2
Language Checklist
Below are words/phrases commonly used when you take or leave telephone
messages. Can you think of other words? Fill in the blanks with some of these
words/phrases.
(a)
(b)
(c)
Leaving a message:
Promising action:
2.3.2
Spell names accurately do not be afraid to ask the caller if you are unsure
how his/her name is spelled.
Quickly ascertain what the caller wants a return call, action to be taken, etc.
Offer assistance.
TOPIC 2
ACTIVITY 2.4
Work in pairs. Use the information given below to write out the phone
conversation; then practise it aloud with your partner.
Caller A:
You want to speak to Mrs Abraham about your account with her
company, KW Associates. She is not in the office, so you decide to
leave your name and telephone number. The reason for your call is
that you would like to change the conditions of your contract with KW
Associates. You can be reached at your contact number until 5pm, but
if Mrs Abraham calls after 5pm, she should call 012-458 2777.
Caller B:
You are a receptionist at KW Associates. Caller A would like to speak
to Mrs Abraham but she is out of the office. Take down the message
and make sure you get the following information:
The latest (time) that Mrs Abraham can call Caller A at the given
telephone number.
33
34
TOPIC 2
ACTIVITY 2.5
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word/words.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
TOPIC 2
2.4
35
DIFFICULT CALLS
ACTIVITY 2.6
Cindy
Secretary :
Cindy
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TOPIC 2
Secretary :
(pause)
Lau
Cindy
Lau
Cindy
Lau
Yes?
Cindy
Lau
Cindy
Lau
Cindy
Lau
Cindy
Lau
Cindy
Lau
Cindy
Lau
TOPIC 2
Cindy
Lau
10am?
Cindy
Yes, 10am is fine. Could you tell me where your office is,
please?
Lau
On the 7th floor, Suite 723, Wisma AE. Please ask for my
secretary.
Cindy
Lau
Cindy
1.
(a)
(b)
(c)
2.
37
Imagine that when Cindy called Jimmy Laus office, his secretary
informed her that he was in a meeting. What could Cindy say to
make sure that she gets to speak to him the next time she calls?
Write out a possible telephone conversation between Cindy and the
secretary.
You need to have good, basic telephone skills if you wish to be effective at the
workplace.
Business calls usually have a purpose and you need to identify the objective
of the call as quickly as possible.
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TOPIC 2
Offer a three part greeting hello, the name of the organisation, and the name
of person answering the call.
Business calls often use standard phrases which are informal in tone.
Phone messages should contain five elements the name of caller, the time
and reason for the call, the request, a contact number, and a thank you.
Active listening
Hold on
Connect you
Jargon
Hang on