This is an interactive module on using the telephone effectively in a professional environment.

1. Telephone Etiquette
How to Use the
Telephone Effectively

2. After this training, you will be able to
gain an understanding of the:
• Basic skills for using a telephone
and conducting a conversation.
• Professional telephone skills for
dealing and negotiating with
callers.
• Vocabulary to be used in
successful telephone
conversations.
Objectives

3. After this training, you will be able to
gain an understanding of the:
• Basic skills for using a telephone
and conducting a conversation.
• Professional telephone skills for
dealing and negotiating with
callers.
• Vocabulary to be used in
successful telephone
conversations.
Topics
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional Skills
Dos and Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
Select a topic to begin the training.
Objectives

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Activity 1
- Listen -
- Think -
- Analyze -
- Discuss -
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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topics.
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Basic Skills
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Why do you Need Phone Calls?
• To create first impressions: In most cases, initial contact will
be through phone.
• Proper engagement with callers will make them
comfortable and more agreeable towards your
proposals.
• When you expect to exchange ideas or questions.
• When a client has expressed he or she prefers the
telephone to e-mail or other forms of communication.
• For human contact—Personal touch!
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion

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Basic Skills
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topics.
Making Calls
• Do not chew food or gum during or before phone calls.
• Schedule your calls. Make a list of callers and their details.
• Ensure you have a pad and pen to make notes.
• Dial carefully.
• Let the phone ring a few times before you hang up.
• Use a warm and appropriate greeting.
• Always follow up with a brief introduction of the purpose of
the call.
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion

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Basic Skills
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topics.
Answering Calls
• Take a deep breath and clear your throat before answering.
• Answer the phone before the third ring.
• Offer an appropriate greeting.
• Stop any other conversations or tasks as you answer the
call.
• If the caller has reached the wrong person, be courteous
and transfer the call. Alternatively, provide the caller with
the correct number.
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion

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Basic Skills
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topics.
Smile
• Always smile when you speak. A smile changes your voice
inflection and makes you seem more
• Say aloud the following words—once with a smile and once
without.
Hi, good morning! My name is <your name>.
• Notice the inflection when you say this with a smile.
• This friendly inflection in conveyed to the person on the
line.
Confident Courteous Sincere
Friendly Helpful Polite
Pleasant Responsive Warm
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion

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Basic Skills
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topics.
Greeting
• When answering phones, pick up the phone before the
third ring.
• Speak
• Clearly
• Distinctly
• In a soft, confident tone
• With a smile
• Don’t mumble or race through the greeting. The caller may
think you do not have the time to speak with him or her.
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion

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Basic Skills
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topics.
Verbal Handshake
• Makes calls personal and irate callers more agreeable.
• Ask for the caller’s name and introduce yourself.
Good morning! May I
know whom I am
speaking to, please?
Hello, Mr. Das. I’m Shekhar.
How may I help you today?
Rakesh Das.
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion

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Basic Skills
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topics.
Focus!
• You should be completely focused on your caller.
• When on the phone, turn away from
• Your computer and mobile devices
• Other conversations
• Activities such as eating, drinking, or chewing gum
• Environments with a lot of noise or disturbance
• If you are unable to stop other activities, politely inform
your caller and request whether you can call back at a
suitable time. Suggest a suitable time and get consent.
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion

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Basic Skills
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topics.
Taking Messages
• When taking a message for someone else, always note the
following information:
• The correct spelling of the caller’s name (phonetically,
if required)
• Designation and company
• Date and time of call
• Complete telephone number
• Brief description or purpose of the call
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion

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Basic Skills
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topics.
Closing the Call
• Before closing, always make sure of the following:
• Ensure the caller does not have any more queries.
• Briefly summarize the important points discussed.
• Conclude with a brief small talk or something pleasant.
• Thank the caller for the time.
• Let the caller hang up the phone first, so the caller
does not feel you have cut the phone. If the caller does
not hang up first, replace the receiver gently.
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion

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Professional Skills
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topics.
Need for Professional Skills
• Each call has a purpose that needs to be completed
effectively using professional skills. These include the
following:
• Listening
• Gathering information
• Communicating effectively
• Using the correct phrases
• Correcting mistakes
• Handling rude callers
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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topics.
Listening
• Callers are not always sure what they want.
• Listening helps you understand their needs.
• Focus on the caller and listen—instead of planning what
you are going to say next.
• You can take charge of the conversation once you have
understood what the caller needs.
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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topics.
Passive Listening
• Passive listening: Allowing the caller to speak without
taking any action to ensure you have the right message.
• You are not steering the conversation.
• The caller may not provide you the right information.
• You are wasting the caller’s and your own time.
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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topics.
Active Listening
• Active listening: This involves the following:
• Indicating to the caller that you are listening by saying
“Yes,” “I understand,” “okay,” and “right”
• Encouraging the caller to say more about a particular
point, thus steering the conversation by saying
“Can you clarify further on that?” or
“What colour? How many? When is that due?”
• Repeating the information back to the caller so the
caller can correct any mistakes in the caller’s
communication or your understanding
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
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Discussion
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Professional Skills
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Gathering Information
• Gathering pertinent information is the purpose of most
phone calls.
• Listening is the most effective tool in this.
• Be vigilant to clues in the caller’s conversation and tone of
voice. Read between the lines!
• Practice your questioning skills.
• What questions are most likely to make the caller give
you the required information?
• Ensure your questions do not patronize or offend the
caller.
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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Communicating Effectively
• You are communicating effectively only when your callers
understand exactly what you meant and vice versa.
• Listen closely to avoid misunderstandings.
• Maintain a checklist for effective communication until you
are adept at it.
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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Communication Checklist
 Check your communication: Are you speaking clearly? Is your voice
reaching the microphone properly?
 Keep caller attention: Is your caller distracted? Say “Sir,” “Ma’am,”
or “Excuse me,” to regain attention. Don’t say something important
if the caller’s attention is divided.
 Use everyday language: Avoid jargon. Explain terms callers may not
understand.
 Repeat information: Repeat names or addresses to ensure you
have received the information correctly.
 Ask for feedback: It is all right to ask callers to repeat important
information back to you to ensure they have received it.
 Encourage questions: Ask callers to clarify any doubts they may
have. “Before we hang up, do you have any queries about what we
have discussed?”
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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topics.
Using Correct Phrases
• Examples of good phrases:
“Hello, I’m very sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Excuse me. Thank you for waiting.”
“Please. It was nice talking to you.”
“You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“May I help you? Thank you for calling.”
“Good morning . It’s been a pleasure to serve you.”
“Thank you. I’ll be happy to do that for you.”
“We appreciate your business.”
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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topics.
Using Correct Phrases
• Examples of “forbidden” phrases:
“I don’t know…”
“I / We can’t do that…”
“You have to…”
“Just a second…”
“No…”
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Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
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Professional Skills
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“I Don’t Know…”
• What should be the correct alternative?
“That’s a good question. Let
me find that out for you.”
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
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Discussion
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Professional Skills
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“You Have To…”
• What should be the correct alternative?
• By saying this, you come across as a problem solver. You
are offering the caller hope.
• You are not putting the responsibility back on the caller to
find the solution.
“Here’s what we can do.”
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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“Just a Second…”
• What should be the correct alternative?
• Always be honest about that time you will require to
complete a task.
• Inform the caller what task you are completing.
“Give me a minute, Mr. Das.
I’m looking up that
information for you.
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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“No…”
• What should be the correct alternative?
• Nobody likes hearing no. Try to state this positively.
• Give alternatives or try to find solutions.
“Can you do this instead…”
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
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Professional Skills
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“Hold On…”
• What should be the correct alternative?
• If you put callers on hold, always give them an update
every fifteen-to-twenty seconds.
“May I put you on hold?”
or
“Can you hold?”
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
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Discussion
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Professional Skills
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topics.
“Who is This?”
• What should be the correct alternative?
“May I know your name,
please?”
or
“May I ask who is calling?”
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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“I / We Can’t Do That”
• What should be the correct alternative?
“I believe we can
offer <an alternative>.
Will that work for you, Sir?
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
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“I Can Take a Message”
• What should be the correct alternative?
“I’ll be happy to take a
message and ensure it gets
to Mr. Khan right away.”
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
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Professional Skills
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“So and So is Responsible For That!”
• What should be the correct alternative?
“I’m sorry you are
having this problem.
What can I do to help?”
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Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
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Discussion

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Professional Skills
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“No One Here Would Have Promised You That…”
• What should be the correct alternative?
“If I understand correctly,
you were promised…”
Or
“Let’s figure out how
we can resolve this.”
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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Professional Skills
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topics.
Correcting Mistakes
• Make things right: Correct the mistake immediately.
• Apologize: This makes you appear human, not
incompetent.
• Let the matter rest: Don’t bring up the issue again and
again. Apologizing once is enough.
• Offer something extra: Ask if you can help in any other
way, if you think an apology may not be enough.
• Inform your colleagues: If the mistake is uncommon, let
others know so they can learn from it as well.
• Keep records: Keep records of the mistakes, their causes
and the solutions, so you can avoid them in future.
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
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Discussion
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Professional Skills
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Handing Rude Callers
It is not what you say that is important while addressing
callers, but how you say it.
• Stay calm: Remain polite and be diplomatic. Never get
angry.
• Show enthusiasm and sincerely: Show that you are willing
to solve the caller’s problem in any way possible.
• Show empathy: Consider the caller’s perspective. Their
concerns are important.
• Offer to connect to supervisor: If callers persist, offer to
connect them to your supervisor. Sometimes, callers just
want someone in a supervisory capacity to know of their
problem.
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Dos and
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Dos and Don’ts
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A list of Dos and Don’t have been provided to you as a
handout.
You can use this as a job-aid or checklist until you are adept at
conducting successful telephone conversations.
Activity 1
Basic Skills
Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
Activity 2
Discussion
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topics.
- Listen -
- Think -
- Analyze -
This is a graded, written assessment.
Activity 1
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Professional
Skills
Dos and
Don’ts
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Discussion
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Questions?
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