Business communication on the phone

The telephone is currently the most popular means of communication. It helps to reduce the time interval required to resolve various issues and save money on trips to other cities and countries. Modern business is greatly simplified thanks to telephone conversations, which eliminate the need for lengthy written correspondence in a 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 directly depends on the correctness of 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.

Business communication is the fulfillment of professional tasks or the establishment of 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?

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

• greetings;
• performance;
• 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 specificity of telephone communication is determined by the factor of remote communication and the use of only one information channel in the work - auditory. Therefore, compliance with ethical standards governing 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 a greeting from the interlocutor, you need to answer using greeting words, the name of the enterprise, the 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 the case of a spontaneous call that was not agreed with the partner in advance, a 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.

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 a large company, it is customary to name not the company, but the 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, you must try to understand the state of the interlocutor and take some responsibility on yourself.
• 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.

It is possible to single out the general principles for the implementation of business communication by telephone.

• 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.

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. At 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.

To improve the efficiency of a conversation on a mobile phone, you should follow the general recommendations:

• 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.

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 - Thank you very much. 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 the business relations of partners in business and establishes connections with competitors, but is also a means of properly organizing a telephone conversation. Compliance with the rules of business communication by telephone, which involves a thorough study of each item, ensures an effective result and long-term partnerships.

With a reminder always in front of your eyes, you can ensure strict adherence to the rules of competent business communication by telephone.

• Always say hello.
• Avoid raising your voice, shouting.
• Talk to the point.
• Don't delay the call.
• Do not call early in the morning or late in the evening.
• If you made a mistake when dialing a number, apologize.
• Demonstrate courtesy and goodwill when answering any questions.

For information on how to make calls on work issues, see the following video.