Created By: Ramon Torres

Telephones is a vital source of communication

The goal of these Business Etiquette Study Sheets is to assist you in becoming photogenic.

It will help pay attention to detail do all the little things that

can make a big difference outclass your competition.

How to get your call’s returned promptly How to get on the good side of

administrative personnel, in your attempt to reach decision-makers

When to use or ignore call waiting Ways to be more effective when leaving

a voice-mail or answering machine message

Which slang terms should not be used in your vocabulary when talking to employers.

When calling someone, do you identify yourself after saying Hello?

When screening calls, do you ask “who’s calling, please?” rather than “who is this?”

At the end of a call, do you wait to hang up until the person you have called has hung up?

When answering the phone, do you always have pen and paper within your reach?

When making telephone calls or receiving them, do you make an effort to have a “smiling” voice.

If you put someone on hold, when returning to the line, do you say “Thanks for waiting.” rather than, “I’m back.”

When calling someone and reaching the person’s answering machine/voicemail, do you still leave a message?

When placing a call, after identifying yourself, do you ask “do you have a minute?” or “Is this a good time to reach you?” before explaining the reason for your call?

Do you avoid phrases such as “bye-bye,” “okey-doke” and “yeah,” and use instead “all right”, “yes” and “goodbye?”

When putting someone on hold, do you ask, “May I put you on hold?” rather than saying “Hang on.”

Be Prepared Paper and pencil should be within easy reach Remember who called, than acting as though

you have had a memory lapse Answer Promptly

At the end of the first ring should a phone be answered.

Waiting time seems longer to the caller than it actually is.

Be Pleasant People who have bad voices have to work twice

as hard to project themselves on the phone Make an effort to smile when answering and

hanging up

Identify Yourself After saying hello,

immediately identify yourself Ex: This is Scott, from

Northwood University Respect Others’ Time

Business etiquette states that ask for the persons time after you identify yourself.

Be Respectful Let the person know that

your thankful for his/her patience

After putting someone on hold, show your appreciation by saying, “Thank you for waiting…”

When You Need To Leave a MessageBe on your best behavior if you find yourself

speaking to the person’s secretaryWhen speaking to the secretary or

administrative personnel, try to address them by their name.

If you treat the administrative personnel with respect and you can get through the door much quicker.

How to Get Your Telephone Calls Returned Promptly When calling someone, say when you can be

reached. The more specific you are, the more professionally you will be perceived

Be sure to state that fact when identifying yourself when calling long distance.

Ask Rather Than Just Put Someone on Hold When it is necessary to put someone hold,

ask than to do so A person should not be on hold more than 30-

60 seconds

1. Reaching a wrong number and not apologizing

2. Not returning calls3. Putting someone on speaker without

permission 4. A cute message on your answering

machine rather than a serious one.5. Saying “he” or “she” has my number

rather than leaving it.