Business telephone etiquette. Telephone etiquette rules

Business telephone etiquette makes life much easier. Today there are a lot of companies. Some firms go bankrupt not because they are doing something wrong, but because their employees do not know the rules of a telephone conversation with customers. Today I would like to tell you about how to conduct business negotiations. If you want to keep customers from turning away from you, learn business phone etiquette. This will help to look professional in the eyes of partners.

1. Watch your intonation. During communication, people communicate information to each other using three methods: “sign language” (55%), intonation (38%) and words (7%). When communicating on the phone, we try to convey the meaning of our messages to the interlocutor using intonation and words. .
Intonation - 86%;
Words - 14%.
Your intonation and voice help your interlocutor understand what kind of person you are. When talking on the phone, do not fall apart in a chair and put your feet on the table. If a person lies or half-sitting, the timbre of his voice changes, this happens because the angle of his diaphragm changes. Therefore, a person, even without seeing you, will know that you are lying.

2. Be sure to greet the caller. If you greet the caller, it lets him know that his call is important to you. When answering a call, you should not say: hello, I'm listening, and so on.

3. Always try to introduce yourself on the phone. After the greeting, be sure to introduce yourself and say the name of the company. When receiving external calls, two methods are used, the so-called "minimum" and "maximum": Method "minimum": Greeting + name of the organization. "maximum": "minimum" + the name of the person who picked up the phone.

4. Try to answer calls after the 3rd ring. If you pick up the phone after the 1st call, then the caller may have an opinion that you have nothing to do. If the phone rings more than 4 times, then the caller will become nervous.

5. When calling, do not say "You are worried about ..." or "You are worried about ...". Just say: " Good morning, Marina is calling you from the Ogonyok magazine.

6. When you call, ask if the person has time to listen to you. After introducing yourself, do not immediately start talking about business, first find out if the interlocutor has time to talk with you. There are two ways to use these tips:

Introduce yourself + ask about free time + state the purpose of the call.
Introduce yourself + tell the purpose of the call + ask about free time.

7. Try to get to the point as quickly as possible. Introduce yourself and ask for time to talk, don't waste time asking pointless questions like: How is the weather for you?
When communicating on the phone, busy customers do not like to deviate from the topic. Of course, there is a slight exception to this rule if you have developed a good relationship over the years of working together.

8. Using the "hold" function. This feature allows you to hold the client if necessary. This function is designed to: print the required document; call to the phone right person; Or ask a colleague for help. If you want to put a person on hold, ask if the other person has time to wait a bit, be sure to explain the reason for the wait. For example: “Can you wait to help me contact the accounting department?” After the issue is resolved, thank the person who was waiting. If you know that you will have to wait a long time, then you should not leave the person on hold. Apologize and say that you will call back after solving his problem.

9. If a person is asked who is not currently at the workplace, do not hang up immediately. If the right person is not available, offer to help. If the person does not agree to your offer, then ask them to leave a message. For example, like this: What should I tell a colleague? It's called telephone ethics.

10. At the end of the dialogue, say goodbye to the interlocutor. Before you say goodbye to a person, ask: “Can I help you with something else?”, And only after receiving a negative answer, say goodbye.

11. Try to adjust to the speed of the interlocutor's speech. Do not think that the faster you speak, the faster your interlocutor will mark you. On the contrary, not keeping up with your speech, people will miss the train of your thoughts and get completely confused. Try to change the speed of your speech.

12. Rules of etiquette on the phone advise you. When talking on the phone, do not be distracted: do not drink, do not eat or smoke. This is very audible over the phone and very annoying.

13. Do not apologize to the interlocutor for wasting his time. This advice applies to business meetings as well. If you think that you have distracted the interlocutor from important matters, then do not tell him about it out loud. Just say “sorry, our conversation was a bit long, I probably took a lot of your time.” Instead of apologizing, just thank the other person. It sounds something like this: I understand your busyness, thank you for the time spent on our conversation.

14. Ethics of telephone conversation recommends to beware Using the speakerphone (speakerphone). Do not use the speakerphone without dire need and without warning the interlocutor. If a client hears that you are using a speakerphone, without his consent, he may be alert. Moreover, he can draw certain conclusions. That person, besides communicating with me, has more important things to do, or most likely someone is eavesdropping on us.

15. Communication with secretaries. If in the course of your work you communicate with secretaries. You must listen to their opinion.

Here a few phone rules with secretaries. Don't consider yourself superior to them. Do not insult or humiliate them. Typically, these people have a lot of power over some of the decisions of the superiors. Secretaries can become either your allies or enemies, it all depends on you. If they wish, they can present information from you as another trick of a compulsive idiot. They are able to make sure that your mail never reaches the director of the enterprise. Using the etiquette of a business conversation on the phone, when communicating with a secretary, you receive faithful assistant. Try to build friendly relations with the secretary.

Here's everything you need to know about business etiquette telephone conversation.

Veniamin Levitsky (Magdeburg)

Impossible to imagine life modern man without a phone. Communication on the phone has become one of the necessary needs, an important component of his personal and business life. The phone provides a continuous rapid exchange of information at any distance and at any time, allows you to quickly resolve business and personal issues.

Studies show that on average up to 25% of working time is spent on business telephone conversations and in 90% of cases the telephone is the main working "tool".

business phone conversation is a form of oral remote business dialogue carried out with the help of technical means. One of the features of telephone conversations (with the exception of a conversation with a video image) is the lack of use of such important means. non-verbal communication, as gestures, posture, facial expressions, facial expressions, spatial position of the interlocutors.

Therefore, in order to convey the nuances of a conversation, it is necessary to activate the verbal expression, Special attention should be given voice and speech characteristics: tonality, timbre, intonation of the voice, the use of competent speech formulas.

To improve the efficiency of a business telephone conversation at its different phases, you can use the following recommendations and techniques.

Preparing for a telephone conversation

1. Dial the phone number of the interlocutor only when the purpose of the upcoming conversation is clear to you.

2. Write down in advance the main questions that you are going to ask your interlocutor.

3. Cook Required documents that may be required during the conversation (certificates, correspondence, reviews, reports, acts, etc.).

4. Choose the best time for a telephone conversation, having previously found out from the business partner the time of the conversation that is convenient for him and agreeing it in advance. Make unimportant phone calls that you have to make during the working day when they do not disturb your business rhythm. Use whenever possible for telephone conversations pauses between cases and meetings; the most favorable time for phone calls is from 8:00 to 9:30; from 13:30 to 14:00 or after 16:30. Calling your business partner on a home phone for a business call can only be justified by a serious reason. At the same time, no matter who you call, boss or subordinate, you should not do this after 22 hours, unless there is an urgent need for this or prior consent to the call has been obtained.

5. When conducting business conversations, consider the features of use modern means telephone (electronic) communication: radiotelephone, pager, mobile phone, software Skype. pay attention to information security: valuable and confidential information can become the property of not only hackers, but also competitors; consider the risk of losing sensitive data.

Rules for conducting a telephone conversation

If you call Observe the following telephone conversation rules:

1. At the beginning of a telephone conversation, introduce yourself and state its purpose, and only then move on to the essence of the conversation.

2. Try to imagine your caller sitting across from you and talking to you, using a language that is comfortable to use in a live conversation.

3. Maintain a delicate style of negotiations, be polite, correct, respectful and friendly, do not show negative emotions, even if you do not like everything in the conversation.

4. Speak clearly and clearly, keep in mind that the phone exacerbates the shortcomings of speech - fast or slow pronunciation of words makes it difficult to understand. So, in the countries of the Indo-European languages, they speak at a speed of 200 to 500 syllables per minute, the speed below or above these values is defined as "extremely slow" or "extremely fast" respectively. Pay special attention to the pronunciation of numbers, proper names, consonants. If in a conversation there are names of cities, proper names, surnames, Internet addresses, etc., which are poorly perceived by ear, they must be pronounced in syllables or even letters to avoid errors;

5. Be brief - as analysis shows, in a telephone conversation 30-40% of the time is occupied by repetitions of words and phrases, unnecessary pauses, extra words. 6. Do not interrupt the conversation if an important message for you arrives on another device. phone call. When emergency ask permission to end the conversation and assure your partner that you will call him back in 10 minutes.

6. During a telephone conversation, avoid "parallel conversations" with your employees.

7. Ask the consent of your interlocutor if you want to record a conversation on a voice recorder, connect a parallel device or turn on the speakerphone so that people in the room can listen to the conversation.

8. At the end of the conversation, briefly summarize, clarify whether the interlocutor understood you correctly, list the measures that need to be taken on the issue under discussion (who exactly, when and what should be done).

9. If necessary, promise to give the interlocutor a brief written confirmation of the telephone conversation that took place, a copy of the dictaphone recording, etc.

10. During a conversation, write down important details such as names, numbers, and other important information which your colleagues will then be able to see.

11. Watch (especially for long-distance and international calls) the duration of the call, take into account its cost, use an electronic gebur counter for these purposes.

12. End the conversation as soon as its goal is reached. At the end of the conversation, be sure to say etiquette phrases: an apology, words of gratitude, assurances. The end of a conversation, like its beginning, leaves the most vivid impression.

If they call you observe the following rules:

1. Who to pick up the phone? Secretary (if any) or you.

2. When to pick up the phone? After the first call, but not later than the fourth.

3. First words: Not "Hello", "Yes" or "I'm listening", but "Company..." "Department...", "Management..." or "Director", then you can give your last name.

4. Whom to give preference to: a phone call or a person with whom a conversation is being conducted in the office? It all depends on the situation: if the conversation ends, ask the subscriber to wait; if the conversation lasts another 10 - 15 minutes, ask the subscriber to call back after a certain time;

5. You have a long conversation or you have a lot of visitors. In this case, write down the phone number and call back when you are free.

6. Who calls back if the conversation is interrupted? The one who called.

7. How to talk about a sensitive topic in the presence of people in the office? Don't speak at all. Find an opportunity to talk later when you are alone.

8. What is the optimal length of a business phone call? No more than 3 minutes: mutual introduction - 20 seconds, plus or minus 5 seconds; bringing the interlocutor up to date - 40 seconds, plus or minus 5 seconds; discussion of the essence of the matter - 100 seconds, plus or minus 5 seconds; conclusion - 20 seconds, plus or minus 5 seconds.

9. Who should be the first to end the conversation? The one who called.

After a phone call

After a telephone conversation is completed, it is necessary to record all of its important points. In this way, you can capture the important information received for future work. Write down who called, when they called, summary conversations and agreements reached.

I hope that the above recommendations and techniques for conducting business telephone conversations will help you successfully resolve business issues over the phone, and in conclusion I would like to quote the words of the 17th-century French writer-philosopher Francois de La Rochefoucauld:

"... True eloquence consists in saying everything that is needed, but no more than that ...".

The telephone is currently the most popular means of communication. It helps to reduce the time needed to solve various issues, and save money on trips to other cities and countries. Modern business is greatly simplified by telephone conversations, which eliminate the need for lengthy written correspondence in business style, travel on business trips over long distances. In addition, the telephone provides the possibility of remote negotiations, presentation of significant issues and inquiries.

The success of any enterprise depends directly on the correct management telephone conversations , after all, it is enough to make one call to create a general impression about the company. If this impression turns out to be negative, it will be impossible to correct the situation. Therefore, it is important to know what constitutes competent business communication on the phone.

What it is?

Business Communication - Fulfillment professional tasks or building business relationships. Business communication by phone is a specific process for which you should carefully prepare.

Before making a phone call, there are some basic things to be clear about.

Is this call really necessary?
Is it important to know the partner's answer?
Is it possible to meet in person?

Having found out that a telephone conversation is inevitable, you need to tune in to it in advance and remember the rules, the observance of which will help you conduct telephone conversations at a high professional level.

Features and standards

The rules of telephone communication are quite simple and include the following steps:

greetings;
representation;
clarification of the availability of free time for the interlocutor;
description of the essence of the problem in a short form;
questions and answers to them;
end of conversation.

The culture of telephone conversations is one of the important components of business communication. The specifics of telephone communication is determined by the factor of remote communication and the use of only one information channel- auditory. Therefore, compliance ethical standards regulating telephone communication is an important factor determining the effectiveness of the enterprise and the development of relationships with partners.

Business telephone etiquette for outgoing calls includes several rules.

Before dialing, you need to check that the phone number is correct. If you make a mistake, don't ask too many questions. It is necessary to apologize to the subscriber, and after the end of the call, clarify the number again and call back.
Presentation is a must. After greeting from the interlocutor, you need to answer using welcome words, name of the enterprise, position and surname of the employee making the call.
It is recommended that you first draw up a plan that reveals the goal (in the form of a graph / diagram or in text form). It is necessary to have a description of the tasks before your eyes so that you can record their implementation during a telephone conversation. Also, do not forget to note the problems that have formed on the way to achieving a particular goal.

3-5 minutes is the average time allotted for a business conversation. If the specified interval was not enough, a reasonable solution would be to schedule a personal meeting.
You should not disturb people with calls early in the morning, during a lunch break, or after the end of the working day.
In case of a spontaneous call that was not agreed with the partner in advance, prerequisite is to clarify the availability of free time for the interlocutor and indicate the approximate time required to resolve the issue of the caller. If the interlocutor is busy at the time of the call, you can specify another time or make an appointment.
Concluding the conversation, it is necessary to thank the interlocutor for the time spent or the information received.

When a telephone conversation is interrupted, the person who initiated the call should call back.

Telephone etiquette for incoming calls also includes several important points.

Calls must be answered no later than the third ring.
When making a response, it is required to name the name or organization. IN big company It is customary to name not a company, but a department.
A call made by mistake should be answered politely, clarifying the situation.
The materials used for work should be in sight, and the conversation plan should be in front of your eyes.
Multiple simultaneous connections should be avoided. Calls should be taken in turn.
When answering a call made to criticize a product / service or the work of the enterprise as a whole, it is necessary to try to understand the state of the interlocutor and accept part of the responsibility.
Outside of business hours, it is recommended to turn on the answering machine. The message should contain up-to-date information that will be useful to all customers.
If the person being asked is not available, you should offer your assistance in passing the information to him.

You can select and general principles business communication by phone.

You need to prepare in advance for phone conversations with clients by making a plan with goals, main points, the structure of the upcoming conversation, and ways to resolve problems that may arise during the conversation.
You need to pick up the phone with your left hand (left-handers - right) after the first or second signal.
It is necessary to take into account information related to the subject of the conversation.
The speech of the subscriber should be smooth and restrained. It is necessary to listen carefully to the partner and not interrupt him during the conversation. It is recommended to reinforce your own participation in the conversation with small remarks.
The duration of a telephone conversation should not exceed four to five minutes.

In the event of a discussion, it is necessary to take the emerging emotions under control. Despite the injustice of the statements and the increased tone on the part of the partner, one should be patient and try to calmly resolve the dispute that has arisen.
Throughout the conversation, you need to monitor intonation and tone of voice.
It is unacceptable to interrupt the conversation while answering other phone calls. In extreme cases, it is necessary to apologize to the subscriber for having to interrupt communication, and only after that answer the second call.
Be sure to have paper and a pen on the table so that you can write down the necessary information in time.
The caller can end the conversation. If you need to end the conversation in the next few minutes, then end it politely. It is necessary to apologize to the interlocutor and say goodbye, first thanking for the attention paid.

After the end of a business conversation, some time should be devoted to analyzing its style and content, identifying mistakes made in the conversation.

Stages

As already noted, business communication by phone does not require a lot of time. According to the rules, such a telephone conversation can last no more than 4-5 minutes. This is the optimal period of time to resolve all issues.

In the course of business communication on a business phone, it is necessary to follow the sequence of stages that make up the structure of the call.

Greeting with special phrases corresponding to the time of day during which the call is made.
Message to the virtual interlocutor of the name and position of the employee making the call, as well as the name of his organization.
Notification of the interlocutor's free time.
Concise presentation of basic information. On the this stage it is required to indicate the essence of the problem in one or two phrases.
Questions and answers to them. It is necessary to show interest in the questions of the interlocutor. Answers to them must be clear and provide reliable information. If the employee who answered the call is not competent in the matter at hand, you should invite someone to the phone who can give an accurate answer.
End of conversation. A telephone conversation is terminated by its initiator. This can also be done by a senior in position, age and a woman.

The phrases that complete the conversation are words of gratitude for the call and a wish of good luck.

To improve the efficiency of the conversation mobile phone general guidelines should be followed:

pre-prepare the necessary correspondence;
positively tune in to the conversation;
express thoughts clearly, while maintaining calm;
fix meaningful words;
avoid monotony by changing the pace of the conversation;
pause at the right moments of the conversation;
reproduce information to be memorized;
do not use harsh expressions;
when receiving a refusal, one should remain friendly and show respect for the interlocutor.

Dialogue Examples

The following examples of telephone conversations will help you understand the essence of business communication. Dialogues clearly show how to talk to a customer or business partner on the phone in order to avoid misunderstandings.

Phone conversation example #1.

Hotel manager - Good morning! Progress Hotel, Reservation Department, Olga, I'm listening to you.
Guest - Hello! This is Maria Ivanova, a representative of the Skazka company. I would like to make changes to my booking.
A - Yes, of course. What would you like to change?
D - Is it possible to change the dates of arrival and departure?
A - Yes, of course.
D - The period of residence will not be from September 1 to September 7, but from September 3 to 10.
A - Okay, the reservation has been changed. We are waiting for you in our hotel on September 3.
G - Many thanks. Goodbye!
A - All the best to you. Goodbye!

Phone conversation example #2.

Secretary - Hello. Holiday company.
Partner - Good afternoon. This is Petrova Elena, a representative of the creative team "Flight of Fantasy". May I speak to your director?
S - Unfortunately, he is not in the office right now - he is at a meeting. May I help you? Can you give him something?
P - Yes, tell me, please, when will he be there?
S - He will return only by three o'clock in the afternoon.
P - Thank you, I'll call you back then. Goodbye!
S - Goodbye!

Ethics not only controls business relationship partners in business and establishes links with competitors, but is also a means of proper organization telephone conversation. Compliance with the rules of business communication by phone, which involves a thorough study of each item, ensures an effective result and long-term partnerships.

In our progressive age, the dominant position is occupied by communicative interaction. Majority difficult questions and problems can be solved with the help of telephone conversations. Thanks to communication through this means of communication, people are able to conclude the most advantageous agreement or, in the "wrong scenario", completely lose an important client. That is why every literate man must master the basics of telephone etiquette. What is business communication by phone and how to conduct it correctly is the topic of our today's article.

Any of us should learn how to negotiate correctly, since the person conducting the conversation does not have the opportunity to see the opponent and his actions. To persuade a potential client in your direction in such a way that he does not have the desire to hang up the phone in the first minutes of a conversation will require a lot of effort. The reputation of a person and the organization he represents depends on the ability to conduct telephone conversations.

Preparing for an upcoming conversation

Before a serious phone call, you should carefully prepare for it as follows:

Prepare yourself morally.
Formulate, and it is better to write down the goal, plan and main issues of the upcoming conversation on paper, which will always lie in front of you during the negotiations.
Be sure to prepare all the materials that may be useful during telephone conversations.
It is necessary to move away from negativity and personal problems even before the conversation begins, since the voice can give out an aggressive attitude, which the client often takes at his own expense.
The time for negotiations must be chosen so that it is convenient for both you and the interlocutor. If you are planning to call a business partner, try to arrange a convenient time with him in advance.

Phone business basics

When making a call, first of all, you should stop and tell the purpose for which you are calling. In this case, it is necessary to choose a friendly tone. A telephone conversation should take place without long pauses, it should be energetic and concise.

Cannot render psychological pressure during the negotiation process, this case it is unlikely that you will be able to win the favor of a potential client in this way. Try not to ask the wrong questions. In the event that a telephone call is international or long-distance, it is necessary to ensure that it lasts no more than six minutes. All business proposals and requirements must be supported by arguments. Questions should be answered truthfully and briefly. It is better to outline the conversation plan in advance on paper.

At the end of the conversation, be sure to say again all the agreements that you came to during the conversation. Since you initiated the call, the end of the conversation should also come from you, except for situations where the interlocutor is more senior.

When at the end of negotiations you promise to call back, try not to delay it and make a second call within 24 hours. Be sure to keep in mind that you cannot dial partners to your home number.

In a situation where by calling you do not find your partner at the workplace, check convenient time to call him back and do not ask where he is now. From point of view business ethics it is not correct.

Observe the following rules of business etiquette:

Try to pick up the phone after the third ring at most.
When answering from the workplace, you need to greet the person, say the name of the company, and then introduce yourself.
If the caller does not introduce himself, politely ask him to give his name. For example, the following phrases would be appropriate here: “I would like to know who I am talking to”, “Could you introduce yourself?” or “Excuse me, how should I address you?”.
Answering the interlocutor's questions should be as quick as possible to find phone numbers that may be useful during negotiations.
If you are called to lunch break, ask someone else to answer so you don't answer with your mouth full.
The caller will have to end the conversation, if the initiative comes from you, the act will look unethical.

What mistakes are made during a telephone conversation

Numerous studies have been carried out among business people, indicated that about 56% of calls are made without greeting phrases. Explaining the reason for not saying greetings, the businessmen said that it goes without saying, and that it’s not convenient for them to say hello many times during the day. It is important to remember here that in verbal communication there is nothing that goes without saying, and therefore every phrase must be voiced.

In no case should you interrupt the interlocutor in the middle of the conversation - give him the opportunity to express his thought to the end. It is necessary to pronounce words clearly, as well as to monitor the tone of speech and its volume. There should be a pause between questions to give the interlocutor the right to answer.

Negative emotions should not be given free rein, as this may offend a business partner.

Do not pick up the phone for a very long time.
At the beginning of the conversation, you can not pronounce the words: “speak”, “yes”, “hello”. Unless it's your old friend.
Have multiple conversations at the same time.
Leave your phone unattended even for a few minutes.
Use paper scraps for notes that are easy to lose later.
Hand over the phone to colleagues many times.

If you speak with an accent, try to pronounce phrases as clearly as possible. In no case do not clamp the handset with your hand to comment on the conversation with colleagues, since the interlocutor can hear everything. Thus, you will find yourself in an awkward situation.

In the case when the interlocutor voices a complaint to you, you cannot tell him that this mistake is not yours, or this issue is not within your competence. Such a response can negatively affect the reputation of the organization and will not help in solving problems. If there is your fault, be sure to apologize and try to solve the problem as quickly as possible.

There are some phrases to avoid:

"I do not know".
"We can't solve it."
"You should".
"I'll be back in a second."

It is better to replace these answers with neutral ones, which will be more loyal and will not spoil the reputation of the company. When you are not able to give an exact answer, it is better to say that you will try to clarify the information and call back. Use these phrases:

"I'll check the information and get back to you right away."
"We will try to resolve the issue."

By following the culture of business communication on the phone, you will be able to establish yourself with better side and confirm the positive image of the company you work for.

According to the books: Social Psychology and ethics of business communication" (M.: Culture and sport, 1995) and "Kuzin F. Culture of business communication" (M.: Os-89, 1997)

Modern business life is unimaginable without phone. Thanks to him, the efficiency of solving many issues and problems is greatly increased, there is no need to send letters, telegrams or travel to another institution, city to clarify the circumstances of any case. You can do a lot over the phone: negotiate, give orders, make a request, etc. Very often, the first step towards concluding a business contract is a telephone conversation.

Humanity has been using the telephone for over a century. It would seem that there is enough time to learn how to use it wisely. technical means... But the ability to speak on the phone is not inherited. Everyone masters the art of communication with the help of this apparatus. It’s good if there are sensible mentors or successful role models from whom you can learn how to talk on the phone correctly. Relevant courses, various methodological manuals on this topic are widely distributed in various countries of the world.

A telephone conversation has one thing compared to a letter. important advantage A: It provides continuous two-way communication regardless of distance. But you also need to carefully prepare for a business telephone conversation. Poor preparation, inability to single out the main thing in it, concisely, concisely and competently express one's thoughts leads to significant losses of working time (up to 20-30%). So says the American manager A. Mackenzie. Among the 15 main reasons for the loss of time by a businessman, a manager, he put telephone conversations in first place. Psychologists note that the duration of telephone conversations depends on their emotional coloring. Excessive emotionality creates the prerequisites for speech fuzziness, inefficiency of phrases, which increases the time of a telephone conversation.

It is also known that during a telephone conversation there is such a phenomenon as satiety with communication. It can be a source of tension between the parties. Therefore, during the conversation, you must observe the measure. Otherwise, the meaning of communication may be lost and conflict may arise. Signs of satiety with communication: the emergence and intensification of unreasonable dissatisfaction with a partner, irritability, resentment, etc. You should get out of contact with a partner in time in order to maintain a business relationship. In addition, long phone calls can give you a reputation for being boring or idle. Such a reputation will undermine interest in you and your business proposals. To restore the good name of the company and its reputation, you will have to spend much more effort than when establishing the first business contact.

The art of telephone conversations is to succinctly state everything that follows and get an answer. A Japanese firm will not keep an employee for a long time who does not resolve a business issue over the phone in three minutes.

The basis for a successful business telephone conversation is competence, tact, goodwill, possession of conversation techniques, the desire to quickly and effectively solve a problem or provide assistance in solving it. It is important that a business, business telephone conversation be conducted in a calm, polite tone and evoke positive emotions. F. Bacon also noted that it is more important to conduct a conversation in a friendly tone than to use good words and place them in right order. During a business telephone conversation, it is necessary to create an atmosphere of mutual trust.

According to psychologists, positive emotions tone up the activity of the brain, contribute to clear rational thinking. Negative emotions lead to disruption logical connections in words, arguments, create conditions for an incorrect assessment of the partner, his proposals. Therefore, we can conclude that the effectiveness of business telephone communication depends on emotional state person, from his mood. Skillful expression of expression is also essential. It testifies to the conviction of a person in what he says, in his interest in solving the problems under consideration. During a conversation, you need to be able to interest the interlocutor in your business. Here you will be helped by the correct use of methods of suggestion and persuasion. How to do it, by what means? Voice, tone, timbre, intonations say a lot to an attentive listener. According to psychologists, tone, intonation can carry up to 40% of information. You just need to pay attention to such "little things" during a telephone conversation. Try to speak evenly, restrain your emotions, do not try to interrupt the interlocutor.

If your interlocutor shows a tendency to argue, expresses unfair reproaches in a sharp form, self-conceit sounds in his tone, then be patient and do not answer him in the same way. If possible, turn the conversation to a calm tone, partially admit that he is right, try to understand the motives of his behavior. Try to be brief and clear in your arguments. Your arguments must be correct in substance and correctly stated in form. In a conversation, try to avoid expressions like: “go”, “good”, “okay”, “bye”, etc. In a telephone conversation, it is also better not to use specific, professional expressions that may be incomprehensible to the interlocutor.

· It must be remembered that the telephone exacerbates the shortcomings of speech; fast or slow pronunciation of words makes it difficult to understand. Pay special attention to the pronunciation of numbers, proper names, consonants. If in a conversation there are names of cities, towns, proper names, surnames, etc., which are poorly perceived by ear, they must be pronounced in syllables or even spelled out.

The etiquette of a business telephone conversation has in its stock a number of replicas to correct communication. For example:

How can you hear me?

Would you please repeat that?

Sorry, it's very hard to hear.

I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said, etc.

Before calling anyone, remember that prolonged exposure to phone calls is detrimental to nervous system(therefore, try to pick up the phone as soon as you hear a call), unnecessary telephone conversations disrupt the working rhythm, interfere with the solution of complex issues that require in-depth analysis, discussion in calm conditions, i.e. interfere with the work of those who are nearby.

A home phone call to a business partner, a colleague for a business conversation can only be justified by a serious reason, no matter who you call: a boss or a subordinate. A well-mannered person will not call after 22:00 unless there is an urgent need for this or prior consent to this call has been obtained.

As the analysis shows, in a telephone conversation 30-40% is occupied by repetitions of words, phrases, unnecessary pauses and extra words. Therefore, you need to carefully prepare for a telephone conversation: pick up all the materials, documents in advance, have at hand the necessary phone numbers, addresses of organizations or the right people, a calendar, a pen, paper, etc.

Before you decide to dial a number, you should accurately determine the purpose of the conversation and your tactics for conducting it. Make a plan for the conversation, write down the questions you want to solve or the information (data) you want to receive, consider the order in which questions are asked. Clearly formulate them so that your interlocutor cannot ambiguously interpret them. Try to interest the interlocutor with the first phrase. Keep in mind the dates and numbers of documents, official materials related to the conversation, try to predict the counterarguments of the interlocutor and your answers to him. If you are discussing several issues, then sequentially finish the discussion of one issue and move on to the next.

Using standard phrases, try to separate one question from another. For example:

So, we agreed on this issue?!

As I understand you (in this matter), can we count on your support?

Conversation on each topic should end with a question that requires a clear answer.

When preparing for a business conversation on the phone, try to answer yourself the following questions:

what main goal you set yourself in an upcoming telephone conversation;

can you do without this conversation at all;

whether the interlocutor is ready to discuss the proposed topic;

Are you confident in the successful outcome of the conversation;

what questions you should ask;

What questions can the interviewer ask you?

what outcome of the negotiations will suit (or not suit) you;

what methods of influence on the interlocutor you can use during a conversation;

How will you behave if your interlocutor

resolutely object, move to a raised tone;

will not respond to your arguments;

will show distrust of your words, information.

To prepare for business conversation by telephone, especially long-distance and international, it is better to develop a special form in which a future conversation is recorded taking into account predictable answers, for example, this:

Date of__________________

Phone number______________________

Surname, name, patronymic of the subscriber ____________________

Time_________________

Organization____________

Questions are being recorded

in advance

Predicted responses

pre-recorded

Answers are recorded

during the conversation

Conclusions: the result achieved, the information received, further actions, etc.

____________________________________ ___________________________________

At the end of a business phone call, spend 3-5 minutes reviewing the content and style of the conversation. Analyze your impressions. Find vulnerabilities in the conversation. Try to understand the reason for your mistakes.

Rules for conducting a business telephone conversation when they call you

If there is a phone call, it is rational to pick up the handset for any call. You can, of course, not pick up the phone if you keep working under telephone trills. But at the same time, you need to keep in mind that with every half hour, calls will be heard more and more often: the number of subscribers not served by you is accumulating, they are forced to call again, for the third and fourth time. In the end, you will have to work under an almost continuous ringing. In addition, you never know in advance which call will bring you a lucrative contract or valuable information.

It is best to pick up the phone after the first call. If you are sitting alone in a room, you have enough time to complete a sentence or read a paragraph in a letter sent. It is perfectly acceptable to pick up the phone after the second or third ring. If you have a visitor, you will have enough time to finish the phrase and, having said “I'm sorry” to the interlocutor, pick up the phone. So, in all cases when the phone rings, it is recommended to pick up the handset without waiting, during the period of time from the end of the first to the beginning of the fourth call.

Sometimes the phone is hard to hear. But that doesn't mean you have to raise your voice. The opinion that if I do not hear the interlocutor well, then he does not hear me well and, therefore, it is necessary to speak louder, is erroneous. Therefore, in case of poor hearing, you should not raise your voice yourself, but ask the person who is calling you to speak louder, and at the same time ask how he hears you.

The most common variants of the first word spoken into the off-hook are “Yes”, “Hello”, “Listen”. These words are exactly the same and impersonal in their informativeness, and therefore do not characterize the person who picks up the phone in any way.

Reviews “Yes”, “Hello”, “I'm listening” can be called neutral, since they do not carry information about who exactly picked up the phone and in which organization or company. Therefore, in business communication neutral reviews should be discarded and replaced with informative ones. After picking up the phone, you must immediately name your institution (and on the internal phone a structural unit: department, editorial office, accounting, etc.), as well as your last name.

Thus, when answering a call, you should always introduce yourself. People want to know who they are talking to. This, in addition, creates an atmosphere of trust and helps to better understand the interlocutor. Find a friendly formula that you like (how you yourself would like to be answered).

Do not give vent to your negative emotions. Your interlocutor is unlikely to be interested that a couple of minutes before that you had an unpleasant conversation with your boss or just got up on the wrong foot.

With frequent calls or in a hurry, they usually give a surname with the addition of the word “listening” (“Ivanov is listening”) or indicate only the name of the institution or its department: “Accounting”, “First Department”.

In all of the above cases, the subscriber must know with whom he is talking, or at least where he is. If an error occurs when dialing a number, the misunderstanding will be immediately clarified and will not entail loss of time to clarify it.

The phone rang. You picked up the phone. Again - for the umpteenth time - they ask for a colleague who is absent at the place. Frowning in displeasure, you sharply answer several times: “He is not here!” and immediately hang up. But let's think about whether you yourself provoke repeated calls with your answer. Where is the exit? He is in a polite and more detailed response to every phone call to an absent employee, no matter how annoying they may be. The optimal answer in this case may be something like this: “He is not there, he will be then. Maybe give him something?

When your colleague sitting at the next table is asked to phone, you can answer the request: “Now” or “One minute”, after which invite a colleague to the device, for example, “Now ... Ivan Ivanovich, you!” Make sure that the information transmitted in someone's absence reaches the addressee. Although it is not easy to organize the exchange of information through third parties, it can pay off handsomely. In order to find out what you need, ask questions according to the questionnaire principle (“Where are you calling from?”, “Your name and your phone number?”, etc.).

The following is a short list of do's and don'ts when the phone rings at your firm.

Do not do it:

Should:

1. Do not pick up the phone for a long time.

2. Say “Hi,” “Yes,” and “Speak” when a conversation starts.

3. Ask "Can I help you?"

4. Have two conversations at once.

5. Leave your phone unattended, at least for a little while.

6. Use scraps of paper and calendar sheets for notes.

7. Transfer handset many times.

8. Say: "Everyone is having lunch", "No one is there", "Please call back."

1. Pick up the handset before the fourth ring of the phone.

2. Say: “Good morning (afternoon)”, introduce yourself and name your department.

3. Ask: “How can I help you?”

4. Focus on one conversation and listen carefully.

5. Offer to call back if required to clarify details.

6. Use forms to record telephone conversations.

7. Write down the number of the caller and call him back.

8. Write down the information and promise the client to call him back.

This list is endless. For example, you can’t turn a conversation into an interrogation, ask questions like: “Who am I talking to?” or “What do you need?” You need to monitor your diction (do not smack, etc.). If you speak with an accent, try to speak clearly. Avoid the habit of holding the microphone with your hand to say something to colleagues - the interlocutor can hear.

If your interlocutor makes a complaint over the phone, do not tell him: “It's not my fault”, “I don't do this”, etc. If you say this, it may negatively affect the reputation of your organization and will not help the client in resolving his problems. So let him speak to the end; express sympathy to him, and if you are to blame, apologize; write down his name and phone number, order number or other details. If you promised to call him back, do it as soon as possible, even if you did not manage to solve the problem by the appointed time.

There are expressions that should be avoided when talking on the phone so that your company is not misrepresented. These include, in particular:

1. "I don't know." No other answer can undermine the credibility of your organization so quickly and thoroughly. First of all, your job is to know that this is why you are in your place. If you are unable to give an answer to your interlocutor, it is better to say: “ Good question... Allow me to clarify this for you.”

2. "We can't do it." Instead of saying no right off the bat, offer, for example, to wait until you figure out how you can be helpful and try to find an alternative solution. It is recommended that you always focus on what you can do first, and not on the other way around.

3. "You must...". Serious mistake. Your client doesn't owe you anything. The wording should be much softer: "It makes sense to you ..." or "It would be best to ...".

4. "Wait a second, I'll be right back." Think about it, have you ever managed to manage your affairs in a “second” at least once in your life? Hardly. Tell your interlocutor something more like the truth: “It can take two or three minutes to find the information you need. Can you wait?

5. “No” at the beginning of a sentence unwittingly leads to the fact that the path to a positive solution to the problem becomes more complicated. There are no universal recipes for getting rid of “negative evasion”. Each phrase containing disagreement with the interlocutor should be carefully considered.

As practice shows, even with a cursory acquaintance with the theory of telephone conversations, the work of employees is significantly improved and at the same time the level of satisfaction is increased. own work- nice people to talk to.

Often, when communicating with an interlocutor, we prefer talking on the phone. This is not entirely logical. Why does the person who called you on the phone have the right to interrupt your conversation? After all, he turned to you later than the one who is next to you and with whom you were talking. The visitor is forced to sit and wait, listening to the telephone dialogue, and then restore the broken threads of the conversation interrupted by the telephone call, and sometimes re-remind what was discussed before. That is why, if the conversation with the person sitting with you ends, you need to ask the telephone interlocutor to wait without hanging up. If you feel that the conversation will last another 10-15 minutes and it is serious enough, you need to ask to call again in a quarter of an hour, when you are free.

In some cases, telephonograms are used in telephone communication. The telephone message, as a rule, contains information not exceeding 50 words in volume. If a telephone conversation is a dialogue that is not limited in time, then a telephone message is a written fixation of a monologue, regulated in time.

Mandatory details of telephone messages are the name of the institution (company) of the sender and addressee, the details “from whom” and “to whom” indicating the position, last name, first name and patronymic of officials, number, date and time of transmission and receipt of the telephone message, the names of the sender and receiver of the telephone message, phone numbers, text and signature.

The telephone message must have a title. It is composed as for a service letter, that is, it must begin with a noun in the prepositional case with the preposition “o” or “about”.

Telephone messages are written in telegraphic style, i.e. briefly, clearly, precisely, unambiguously, simple sentences. A two-part composition of a telephone message is allowed: in the first part, the facts that prompted the telephone message to be given are stated, in the second - the actions taken. As a rule, the text of the telephone message is stated in the first person (for example: “We remind you ...”, “We inform you ...”, “I will ask you to send ...”).

In order to streamline the fixation of transmitted and received telephone messages and eliminate the possible incompleteness and inaccuracy of their transmission and recording due to the negligence of the performers, it is recommended to have blank forms at hand of approximately the following form:

TELEPHONE GRAM

Addressee Addressee

Name Name

No. .... date.... No. .... date....

Transmission time.... hour. .... min. Reception time .... hour. .... min.

Sent (a) Received (a)

Phone message header
________________________________________________________________________________________

(Signature)

When it comes time to end a telephone conversation and say goodbye, they follow the rule: whoever started the conversation first, that is, whoever called, must end it.

The person who has received the call should not be impatient and “round off” the conversation in every possible way. This bad manners. You begin to say goodbye, and the person talking to you may not have known or understood everything yet.

How should you say goodbye to your interlocutor? Let's just give you two tips. The first tip is to thank the interlocutor again if he congratulated you on something or provided pleasant information. The second tip - if you see fit, assure the interlocutor that you are always happy to call him and meet in person, or just say goodbye and wish you all the best.

Rules for conducting a business telephone conversation,
when you call

When it comes to your mind to call, do not immediately grab the handset. First of all, you need to understand for yourself what purpose you are going to call and what the content of the conversation should be.

Dial the number should be carefully, without haste. Do not guide the disc with your finger during the reverse (working) stroke. It is possible to violate the specified disk rotation speed, and you will get a failure or incorrect connection. You should not act at the maximum speed available to you. The fact is that the speed of connecting searchers to the PBX may lag behind your pace, and again you will not get through to the subscriber.

The load factor on telephone lines in our country is higher than we would like. Therefore, when trying to get through, we hear short beeps almost more often than long ones. Telephone lines have their own “peak hours” when “busy” beeps may appear not after, but during dialing, after the sixth digit, fifth, fourth, and sometimes the first. Therefore, being able to call is a concept that includes not only the ability to dial a number and conduct a conversation, but also the ability to “break through” by phone to the desired subscriber.

The easiest way to get through is to dial the desired number continuously over and over again, if possible without pauses. Nothing better than this method can be offered if you are trying to solve a matter that is very important to you over the phone.

Has spread " folk wisdom”: Take a slow shutter speed before dialing the last digit. It is assumed that during this delay the previous conversation will end, and no one else can get through this number, because you keep the phone line busy (which is not true). There is even such an option - not just to take a shutter speed before dialing the last digit, but to dial this number and hold the disk for a long time. Such “tricks” are meaningless: they do nothing but load telephone networks.

In cases where the case you are calling about can wait for some time, it is advisable to use the regular dialing method. At the beginning of the working day, you write down on a piece of paper the names and phone numbers of all the people you need to contact today. Then you start calling from the list. If the next number is busy or does not answer, proceed to dialing the next one. “Ringing” the entire list once, you do not return to those numbers that were busy, but move on to other work. Hygiene mental labor requires a short rest after each hour of work. So after about an hour, pick up the list again and go through it from top to bottom. As a result, several more names will be crossed out. So, with an interval of an hour and a half, you arrange “telephone” pauses in your main work and, giving your head some unloading, at the same time gradually solve the difficult task of getting through.

In response to your call, you heard “Hello” from the other end of the line. After that, it is recommended that you always give your last name and say hello before starting a direct conversation, even if you expect to be recognized by your voice. The most acceptable option for starting a conversation can be considered the following: “This is Vasiliev. Hello ... (after the answer “Hello”) ... ask Sabitov.”

If you are in a hurry, you can refuse the greeting, but then be sure to add the word “please” to your request: “I need Sabitov, please.”

It is very important to start a conversation without coercion. To do this, it is necessary to connect each subsequent question with the previous one, as in a normal conversation. From the answers, you need to quickly extract information about the needs of the client.

At the end of the business part of the conversation, do not start with a sense of relief in the discussion of political or domestic news, even if you have a minute of free time and the appropriate mood. First, check whether your interlocutor is inclined to conduct such a conversation, maybe he just doesn’t have the time or desire for this.