Your Employee's
Business Phone Etiquette
Losing You Clients?

Proper business phone etiquette helps your employees increase customer satisfaction, be more professional on the office phone and couldn’t be more important.

Allow me to digress somewhat from the main theme of this VoIP phone service website to address what I view as a steadily eroding business imperative in the general marketplace in the United States. Business phone etiquette, whether occurring (or not occurring) with business VoIP phone service is something that simply cannot be ignored.

I've read enough, just let me download E-Dude's Business Phone Etiquette checklist

I Mean It's Their Job
To Answer The Phone Correctly!

It constantly amazes me the number of people I call at businesses across the country and talk to who's job it is to answer the phone a large majority of the time and they either sound like they are rushing to get out whatever their first words are, or sound completely incoherent for some other reason.

Talk about poor business phone etiquette!

Ever have the same experience? I guess the older you are perhaps it seems worse than “back then” but still it’s a major issue for both employees and employers who would like to be putting their best foot forward each and every time when greeting customers on the phone.

The bottom line here is most employees don’t have ANY formal training on business phone etiquette. As with any management situation, it’s YOUR job to “inspect what you expect” but alas, if you haven’t set the employee’s expectation as to exactly what is expected from them, how can you hope they will be professionally performing this important duty?

Business Phone Etiquette is especially important for new employees, who may simply be copying techniques from the people around them in the corporate culture, or worse, from a previous employer where business Phone Etiquette was worse then it may be with your own people!

Give Employees The Tools To Be Successful

So my suggestion is to train employees on at least the basics of business phone etiquette. Use my E-Dude Business Phone Etiquette checklist as a starting place to modify and set up your own policy on this important subject, then sit down with your staff and train it!

Do “silly stuff” like role playing, asking hard questions about day to day business phone situations, discussing 911 issues. For instance do you have a formal procedure to train employees on how to handle a 911 emergency that happens at your location?

Realize that many VoIP implementations don't properly show 911 location for all outbound lines. Test your VoIP phone service to make sure all outbound calls would show caller ID and a location. Your "phone guy" will be able to test this for you. See my VoIP 911 article for more on this.

Believe me, your insurance company, attorney and you will sleep easier after a terrible life threatening event is properly handled, should one occur at your firm.

Who Is This E-Dude Guy?

Let every employee know what is and is not acceptable usage of the phone and while on the phone. Have a company communications policy. Train this as well along with exactly how to answer the phone, how to communicate COHERENTLY and PROFESSIONALLY with each and every customer, in each and every situation.

OK, I have to get the plug in here for VoIP phone service. Many implementations, especially some of the hosted PBX varieties, allow you to monitor and record phone calls in and out of your facility (or even if the employee is working remotely Then utilize this in providing positive business phone etiquette feedback and coaching points with employees to assist them to do their best.

The voice files of these calls many times are even available to you and other managers from a secure website, so monitoring and coaching can be simple and regularly reviewed.

Who Do YOU Like To Do Business With?

There is nothing more telling about a company that I end up actually wanting to do business with than the initial phone call. Was it confident? Did the person I was talking to really sound like they were interested in what my need was? Or did they sound like they couldn’t get me off the phone fast enough?

How about this when you call into a business "ABC Chemical, hold please – click" you're on hold! She didn't ask if you could be put on hold, she didn't even tell you who she is or if she's really coming back to you or when … Get my drift? This could be happening in your business EVERY DAY, time after time unless you're setting the expectation, and inspecting what you expect.

Don't Make Assumptions About This Stuff!

Most business decision makers and small business owners many times don’t realize what their reception and other employees may be saying or "transmitting" in their voice when answering the phone. This goes double double (funny huh?) for the auto attendant on your phone system.

I'll never forget the recording I encountered one day that basically said "Thanks for calling ABC Chemical, we're busy now and don't have time to deal with phone calls, so if you want to leave a message dial 1"

No other choices, no extensions or departments. When I dialed '1", it was a dead end, not set up to take messages.

Turns out when I approached the business owner on this issue, he realized that he'd never heard the recording personally, because he always called a back-door number (not the main company number) and the recording had been done by an employee who was fired a few days after she did it due to an unsatisfactory work record.

So who NOT to use for your outbound auto attendant, that every single prospect, customer and vendor alike is going to hear? Well, certainly not your worst employee who's got a short-timers attitude!

Inspect what you expect…

What Does This E-Dude Guy Really Know Anyway?

I'm talking phone features here. A way to enhance Business Phone Etiquette is by understanding that most business phone systems, be they simple analog lines from the phone company, or a more complex premise based hardware system, all have extensive time saving customer service “features” that are rarely used.

The reason for this is there are many times so many features, and employees feel too many “complicated” key strokes required to use them. Heck, half the time I don't even know how to use them and I'm "in the business"!

The reality is, even with a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) analog phone line, there are numerous, simple to use features that can be employed by employees in their day to day routine to speed up and provide enhanced customer service.

For instance did you know the standard class 5 feature set includes (business lines only) a feature called “three way calling with transfer”? This might sound similar to the “three way calling’ feature on a residential phone line, but it’s not.

The handy thing about the “transfer” part is that any call, either inbound or placed from your side, can be effectively transferred to any third, OUTSIDE party. This can happen with or without announcing the call to perhaps make sure it’s OK to transfer the call, announce the caller, etc..

Why Is Any Of This Important?

There are all types of people who most likely call your firm at some point and need someone who works there, perhaps even you, but the employee is off premises. You may be at home; you may be on a call, in an appointment, whatever. Wouldn’t it be nice instead of simply being transferred to voicemail, that the customer could at least have a chance to talk with you or the relevant party that could handle their need on THIS SINGLE CALL?

Perhaps someone calls in and after talking with your receptionist, or someone else, is told they have to call another number for this product or service? What type of WOW factor would it be if your employee then says “Let me give you that phone number, and I’ll transfer you and stay on the line to make sure you get through” or whatever.

Maybe they simply transfer the call and hang up. Doesn’t matter. What does matter is EVERY EFFORT WAS MADE TO GET THE CUSTOMER NEED RESOLVED ON THE FIRST CALL!

Recap & Helpful Downlaods

Think about it, isn’t all this stuff above really part of good company policy? Shouldn’t it then be part of good Business Phone Etiquette at your firm?

Well, in order to be, it must be taught. That means you have to fully understand the features available to you with your phone system. Then pick the ones needed that can enhance customer service, streamline employee processes, and perhaps even increase accuracy and free up valuable phone lines, internet bandwidth if using business VoIP or other important considerations.

Having all phone calls at your firm of the shortest possible duration, for business use only and also having an Internet usage policy (especially to conserve bandwidth if you're using business VoIP) will save in the long run on all fronts.

Download My IM, E-Mail & Internet use policy. Have each and every employee sign off on this important document.

Download E-Dude's Phone Etiquette checklist

Constantly train employees on this stuff, keep it positive and you'll see a marked shift in attitude and customer service!

Wanna know what my day job is?

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