Telephone Skills: Courtesy on the Line

[Music] good morning triad phone systems but you don't understand what i'm going to need is some information on the h89 before the meeting any luck yet on my schematics for the doctor's group nah the machine is still down honey dorothy any messages here howard that was a message from an important customer but you know every interaction on the phone is important of course some may seem more complicated than others but the basic goal of any business telephone conversation is just one thing to communicate clearly excuse me good morning triad phone systems did you want sales or service you want scott simpson one moment please i'll connect you despite how complex this may seem it's still just a telephone and those of us in business rely on it every day which is why it's so surprising how many people don't use the phone properly take for example administrative assistant scott simpson simpson here scott bill peterson doctor's group where's helen uh at lunch mr peterson listen tell her we like the 50 remotes and we're thinking about the vista 2000 for the er nx we'll need about five extensions console and switching capabilities for an additional 10 units uh yeah sure and i need to know if the intercom is adaptable there are only so many useful hours in the workday by not using the telephone effectively we're wasting our own time and that of others and tell her that i've got to have the schematics at the design office no later than four o'clock on friday the 24th uh 24th that's on third street she's got the address we'll need the main floor plan the entire electrical system and your proposed schematics look gotta run have you got that uh yeah great we all face lots of problems during the business day and we all get frustrated but as carl manning production coordinator is about to find out a poor attitude can only make these problems worse yeah this is garmenting oh yes i got your messages of course i was going to return your calls but today is friday and you guys what another delay but you guys promised me i'd have the new machine today hey listen you want to work with me on this good good get a copy you're in here two weeks what good is that gonna do me i've got schematics to get out this week finally there's executive secretary helen stanley who is about to return some phone calls doctor's group yes this is helen stanley mr burn secretary of triad phone system some returning bill peterson's call mr peterson is tied up right now may i ask what this is a reference to um [Music] actually i don't know could you hold on a minute please putting someone on hold requires the same skill and courtesy as any other phone interaction dorothy look scott left me this message i can't make heads or tails of it could you find him for me please thanks i'll wait if we are insensitive to someone who is waiting we may project an unprofessional image of ourselves and our organization gone home great just great okay thanks [Music] hello hello think of it bill peterson waiting over an hour and a half for us on friday for a meeting that we called in the first place now why wasn't i told it was rescheduled in addition they've been waiting for carl schematics for over three weeks now because we because we don't have a new copy machine what is going on here and it isn't just the doctor's group account no i don't i don't understand we've got a good team here but we need to figure out what is going on and see what we can do to fix it now think about it that's all so ineffective use of the telephone can have important consequences loss of time a poor attitude limits your effectiveness in dealing with other people leading to a loss of productivity and when you project an unprofessional image over the phone that hits all of us where it hurts with a loss of business [Music] it isn't easy telephone skills require all the courtesy of dealing with people face to face but when we have only our voices to represent us we have to be especially aware of our actions i know what you're saying it's just that telephone or not we don't get along all it does is bring me bad news then i get up tight and well you know last week i wanted to take that thing and throw it out the window it's just a telephone carl you've got a good speaking voice why not let the phone work for you rather than against you yeah like well you know how you let the phone ring and ring and but i can't answer it right away not all the time i mean work piles up and then that ringing is just one more annoyance well try to answer as soon as possible that lets the caller know you're ready to do business when you're up tight over the phone it has a funny way of coming back at you you're telling me i'd have gotten my new cop here last week if i hadn't blown my stack [Music] you set me up [Music] good morning carl manning speaking may i help you just one moment please how was that perfect good it's for you dorothy speaking dorothy hi uh did you take this message from phone tech whose name is in the box scott oh right i'm sorry i sure wish i handled phone calls like you did i can give you a few pointers if you're interested oh sure right okay shoot well first you've got to listen carefully yes ma'am and second question the caller ask for specifics what kind of specifics well for instance if the caller gives you a day ask for a calendar date uh don't think you know what the caller means ask to be sure right and verify the information by reading it back that way you prevent mistakes from being made in the first place okay you said listen carefully question the caller for specifics and verify the information by reading it back scott i think you've got the message triad phone systems she's on another line would you care to hold thank you hi helen taking an early lunch more like an early retirement what's the problem no it's the doctor's group account it's looking real iffy i think i really blew it excuse me thank you for holding she's still on the other line would you care to hold a little longer or shall i have her return your call fine thank you bye where are you going lunch is that what yes but my telephone is that way there's something i've left on hold a little too long bill peterson bill helen listen i still feel terrible about that mix-up last week is there any way we can make it up to you in the doctor's group well frankly we like your voice activated system but we can't seem to find the money for it in the budget well bill we may be in luck they've just released a less expensive model would you mind holding on a moment while i round up a quote not at all great thanks nobody likes being put on hold but sometimes it's the most efficient thing to do this is scott may i help you god do you have that k960 brochure i've got bill peterson on the line i think howard was using it for the jordan account i'll find it and i'll bring it right in if you can you could minimize the annoyance by checking back reminding the caller that you haven't forgotten them sorry to keep you waiting bill still checking or could i call you back i'm reading my mail while i wait no problem or offer to call them back this tells them you're aware that their time is valuable too finish your mail bill just about what have you got well really good news it looks like the k960 system will save you about a third off the old estimate that's great that's really great tell you what let me talk to my people and i'll get back to you okay great okay thanks bye-bye a good attitude can make all the difference not just on incoming calls but on outgoing calls as well be direct and to the point but also be courteous how are you doing very well thank you listen um i guess you heard i gave you a shipping man a hard time yes and i'm very sorry uh but tell me is there any chance of getting our new copier this week carl but i've got a new order for you right now hey i really appreciate your help i know you guys are swamped too when the person on the other end of the phone perceives you as an ally your ability to help them and yourself is enhanced that's great that's great i'll owe you howard howard howard burns office no i'm afraid he isn't in oh hello mr peterson can i take a message sure hang on a second okay mr peterson i'm ready when you take messages both the message giver and the message receiver are depending on you an accurate concise message should include name of the caller the company name doctor's group reason for the call doctor's group has chosen triad the caller's telephone number 5553 the time and date and day and any special comments looking forward to working together hey this is great news now let me verify this bill doctor's group has definitely chosen triad that's terrific that's great news thanks bye helen guess what i heard congratulations scott [Music] the telephone is really just an extension of ourselves so when we take the time and effort to communicate clearly the telephone can save time and increase productivity best of all when we mean business on the phone the phone means business for you for me for all of us [Music] you