Chapter 5 Telecommunications. Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011...

Chapter 5Telecommunications

Office Procedures for the 21st Century, 8eBurton and Shelton

© 2011 Pearson Higher Education,Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights

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Telecommunications

Using Your Communication Skills Making Productive Telephone Calls Receiving Telephone Calls Being Careful When Answering Calls for

Others Placing Long-Distance Calls



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Telecommunications (continued)

Developing Effective Telephone Techniques

Telephone Technology Ethics and the Telephone Making International Telephone Calls



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Using Your Communication Skills

Speak Clearly Listen Actively Use Correct Grammar



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Communication Skills—Speak Clearly

Prevents caller frustration Practice clear tone and words

Correct Volume – same as talking to person on other side of desk

Speed – Don’t run words together, yet don’t speak too slowly Inflection – Vary tone of your voice; add emphasis Pronunciation – Speak correctly, clearly, and distinctly

Avoid : wouldja, wanna or gimme



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Communication Skills—Listen Actively

Requires understanding of message from caller’s point of view

To be active Concentrate Show empathy Show acceptance Be responsible



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Communication Skills—Use Correct Grammar

Project professional image Identify common grammar errors, such as

When subject and verb do not agree Examples

Avoid jargon, technical terms, or local sayings



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Making Productive Telephone Calls

Be Prepared Introduce Yourself Conclude Calls Efficiently Leave Messages



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Productive Telephone Calls—Be Prepared

Assemble materials Write down questions and comments Be certain to have correct number and

name of person to be called Use local telephone directories Search Internet



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Productive Telephone Calls—Introduce Yourself

If receptionist answers for organization, give person’s name and department

Identify yourself and organization



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Productive Telephone Calls—Conclude Calls Efficiently

Use receiver’s name Summarize comments, agreements,

actions, and responsibilities Get agreement in summary Thank person for his or her time



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Productive Telephone Calls—Leave Messages

Leave a complete message First and last name Organization name Reason for call Telephone number including area code Best time to return call



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Tips

Answer promptly Identify yourself Take complete

messages Transfer calls

properly

Answer a second telephone

Distribute messages promptly

Screen calls



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Answer Promptly

YOU project image Answer promptly

No later than 3rd or 4th ring Don’t turn on speaker or lift receiver and make

caller wait while you finish another conversation

Speak clearly and at moderate speed



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Identify Yourself

Let caller know he/she has reached right office; identify yourself with both your first and last name

If you answer phone for several managers, give proper identification for each person whose telephone you answer

Never answer business telephone with “Hello”



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Take Complete Messages

Date and time Complete name of caller Telephone number and area code Caller’s business affiliation Pertinent information needed for return calls

Restate message to caller for accuracy

Person’s identity taking call For forms, use initials E-mail automatically identifies sender



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Be Careful When Answering Calls for Others Use statements like “He is away from his desk at the

moment” Avoid statements like “He’s still at lunch” Don’t use the “in conference” excuse If in meeting, suggest time when you expect him or her

back Offer assistance in manager’s absence



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Transfer Calls Properly

Explain caller is being transferred to someone else who can handle call Give caller name and number of person to

whom he/she is being transferred If you don’t know where to transfer or

you don’t know answer: Tell caller you will find out and ask if you

can call him/her back within a “short” timeframe



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Answer a Second Telephone

If two telephones ring at same time: Answer 1st one and ask if you can put caller on hold in

order to answer another call Answer 2nd call, state you are on another line, and ask

if you can put him/her on hold Return to 1st call

Thank caller for holding Ask how you may direct call



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Answer a Second Telephone (continued)

Local callers: Offer to call second person back,

after you explain you are on another call

When finished with first caller, dial second caller



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Answer a Second Telephone (continued)

If second caller is a long-distance, out-of-country call, do not offer to call back Ask someone else to take call, or Tell long-distance caller you interrupted a

local call to answer Excuse yourself long enough to tell first caller you’ll

return Complete long-distance call as quickly as possible Do not keep first caller waiting for more than a minute



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Distribute Messages Promptly

Delayed messages can cause costly and or embarrassing situations

Place messages where they will be located

Inform caller you will be sure to deliver message; you cannot guarantee call will be returned!



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Receiving Telephone Calls —Distribute Messages Promptly (continued)

Besides taking message, many requests can be handled by you or by other employees

When manager phones in to check on office, provide brief summary of activities and incoming phone calls

Your job is to collect, use, and provide information



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Screen Calls

If you must screen calls, probe courteously for information Determine if caller can be referred to someone

else who can help Ask how manager wants you to handle

callers who won’t identify themselves Screening calls

Saves manager time Assists caller



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Receiving Telephone Calls—Screen Calls (continued)

All calls must be handled. Learn “who” does “what” in your

organization—never leave caller guessing Helpful responses

“I don’t know the answer to your questions. I will be happy to ask . . .”

“I will need to find out that information. May I call you back in. . .”



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Placing Long-Distance (LD) Calls

Domestic LD calling Calling Card Calls Directory Assistance Calls U.S. Time Zones International Calling



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Placing Long-Distance Calls—Domestic LD Calling

Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) Caller dials number without assistance

Operator-Assisted Collect calls, pay phone



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Placing Long-Distance Calls—Calling Card Calls

May or may not need operator assistance

Equivalent to direct debit card Has magnetic stripe on back that updates

(debits) amount each time call is made Convenient and cost effective



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Placing Long-Distance Calls—Directory Assistance

Dial 1 + Area Code + 555 + 1212 Use area code for geographic location

If necessary, see directory

Provide operator with name of city or town and name of person

Hang up, dial number, using: 1 + area code + seven-digit number provided by operator

Pay a charge for dialing service



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Placing Long-Distance Calls—Time Zones in U. S.

Divided into five zones: Atlantic Eastern Central Mountain Pacific

Know time zone for desired city



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Placing Long-Distance Calls— International Calls Countries with area codes are accessed similar

to U.S. – use: 1 + area code + number Dial foreign countries directly – use:

011 + country code + city code + local number Most codes are found in telephone directories or on

Internet Use operator assistance, when person-to-person,

credit card, third party billing, etc. Use “01” + country code + routing code + local number



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Placing Long-Distance Calls—Time Zones Around World

Divided into 24 time zones One hour apart Standard time calculated from Greenwich,

England



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Developing Effective Telephone Techniques

Be Courteous Be Considerate When

Using Speakerphones Handle Angry Callers

Return Telephone Calls Promptly

Check Messages Frequently

Avoid Telephone Tag



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Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Be Courteous

Use greeting Many callers miss name of

organization if it is first word spoken Listen actively If leaving line, explain why and avoid

wait of over two minutes



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Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Be Courteous (continued)

Use courteous phrases during conversation

Redirect caller Give caller appropriate name and number

Let him or her know if you’re looking it up Transfer call, if possible

End call using courteous phrase



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Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Be Considerate When Using Speakerphones

Let other person/group know you are using speakerphone

Ask person if reception is clear before you begin conversation

Let person know who else is in room Avoid shuffling papers or moving items on desk



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Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Handle Angry Callers

Deal with situation Find out what caller wants

If not possible to do what person wants, suggest alternatives

Share information Agree on solution Follow up



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Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Return Telephone Calls Promptly

Establish procedure for returning calls Return several calls at one time

Be aware of routine callers’ habits



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Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Check Messages Frequently

Develop a routine for checking messages frequently

Create a positive, professional image



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Developing Effective Telephone Techniques—Avoid Telephone Tag

Determine best time to either return call or to receive a call-back

Send e-mail or fax Determine if you can locate information from

another individual in another department



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Telephone Technology

Automatic Routing Units Answering Services and Machines Messaging Cellular Service Voice Mail Common Telephone Equipment



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Telephone Technology—Automatic Routing Units

Answer call and recorded voice identifies departments or services caller can access by pressing specified number

May include electronic mailboxes so caller can leave message



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Telephone Technology—Answering Services and Machines

Answering services are answered by live operator who Takes messages and judges whether to

reach subscriber during after-business hours

Answering machine—maintained by pre-recorded message during after-business hours



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Telephone Technology—Messaging

Instant messaging (IM) Allows a private chat room

Text messaging Sends short messages usually to wireless

device



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Telephone Technology—Cellular Etiquette

Never talk in public places Don’t use loud and annoying tones Never accept calls while in meeting,

interview, or doctor’s office Don’t place cell phone on work desk—

unless waiting on urgent message



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Telephone Technology—Voice Mail

Advantages Allows messages to be recorded and saved in mailbox Sent regardless of time zones or work schedules Sent to number of people simultaneously

Disadvantages Callers forced to listen to long messages Users do not access mailboxes regularly



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Telephone Technology—Voice Mail (continued)

Ways to improve interactions Consider stating and changing date of greeting daily Record appropriate message when away from office

for extended time State message clearly and concisely Consider tone and impression left in message Avoid leaving lengthy messages



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Common Telephone Equipment

Touch-Tone Telephone Provides regular service and tone

transmission Key Telephones

Flexibility of making/receiving multiple calls simultaneously



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Ethics and the Telephone

Unethical behavior related to use Using long-distance code for personal long-

distance calls Using organization’s telephone for consistent

personal use Using speakerphone when caller doesn’t realize

feature is being used



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Making International Telephone Calls

International calls may not go through as expected

Consider following Office phone system Correct format for dialing international numbers International holidays Time zone differences Language barriers

Chapter 5 Telecommunications. Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton © 2011...

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