Professionalism When using the phone T ELEPHONE E TIQUETTE

I MPORTANCE OF G OOD G RACES ON THE PHONE  Answering the phone, handling the caller’s needs, and taking messages is an important skill in personal life and in offices and businesses.  Your knowledge and professionalism go a long way toward building goodwill within our school walls and in the community outside our school.  Your concern for the caller is shown by your tone of voice, your excellence in handling the call yourself or directing it to someone who can, and in taking accurate messages. It is vital to the success of our Publications and Media Center Programs an to the various other programs that are run from the media center.

B E P REPARED BEFORE YOU ANSWER  A professional is always prepared! Have a message pad at hand, as well as a writing instrument.  YOU will need to provide your own pens, pencils, and a notebook for your work log. (This can be the same log you use for yearbook, just keep the sections separate.)  Check your supplies every day as you enter the room. Many calls come in between the change of classes, so you will need to be ready to react on a moment’s notice.

S MILE WHEN YOU SAY THAT !  Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and smile before you answer the phone. This will help to relax your voice and put your caller at ease.  Use a cheerful, confident, and professional tone no matter what confronts you on the other end of the line.  Remember that how you answer and what you say is a reflection not only of you, but of your family, your school, and your community, so make it positive!

C LEAR AS A B ELL  Speak clearly, slowly, and in a normal conversational tone.  When a person can only hear you and not see you, what you say and how you say it become very important.  Keep your mouth free of substances that might hamper your ability to communicate clearly.

U SE YOUR BEST GRAMMAR  Politeness and good grammar count on the phone more than anywhere else!  Address people by their title (Ms., Mrs., Mr., Miss, Dr.) as well as with polite terms (yes sir, ma’am, please, thank you)  Speak in complete sentences but keep it brief and concise.

Q UALIFY YOUR CALLER  In Wildcat Publications and the Media Center, we receive all kinds of calls. Just to name a few, there are:  Media-related calls (Do you have a particular book or item? Do you have computers available during this class period for student use? Can you laminate something now?)  Technologically-related calls (The printer is not working properly. My computer is not working properly. My Promethean Board is not working properly.)  Yearbook-related calls (Has my child purchased a yearbook? Do you have my child’s portraits? Can I purchase a yearbook now?)

Q UALIFY YOUR CALLER  Take time to find out what your caller needs. Because the this is a busy place, you will need to  help them if you can  pass them on if the person they need is available  take a detailed message if you can’t help them and if the person they need is not available.

I AM READY TO ASSIST  When answering the phone, be prepared to really listen to the caller. Most of the time, you will either help the caller by getting the information they need or you will take a message. Most calls will not be passed on.  Identify the office you are in and yourself. Wildcat Publications or Media Center. This is Henrietta Helpful. How may I help you?  Log into the computer as soon as you arrive so that you are ready to locate information.

P ASSING A CALL ALONG  Sometimes you will not be able to assist the caller personally or they will need to speak with an adult who is working in the area. When this happens:  Get as much information as you can before passing the call along. Always ask the nature of the call and the identity of the person. May I tell him/her who is calling? May I ask the nature of the call so that he/she can be prepared with the correct information?

F INESSE T HE I RATE C ALLER  On rare occasion, a caller may be upset. This can range from mildly annoyed to outright outraged.  By remaining calm and professional, you can help the caller check his or her emotions.  It can help to acknowledge the person’s feelings as you work toward assisting them.

F INESSE T HE I RATE C ALLER

 Remember your role – you are the Ambassador between the Wildcat Publications or the Media Center and the caller. Your job is to maintain peaceful, friendly relations, so be open, approachable and fair.  Be sure to demonstrate empathy so the caller knows you care. Just knowing that someone cares about their problem is one of the quickest ways to diffuse an upset caller.  Remember that dissatisfaction occurs when there is a gap between caller expectations (what they WANT) and their experience (what they GET). So try to discover what happened that upset them, and then bridge that gap.  If all else fails, call in the penguins!

C ONTINUE TO L EARN  Here are some helpful websites to help you continue the learning:   key-handling-angry-callers/ key-handling-angry-callers/  blog-en-US/teletech-call-center-agents-on-shift-handling-irate- customer-calls/ blog-en-US/teletech-call-center-agents-on-shift-handling-irate- customer-calls/  /phone-finesse.pdf /phone-finesse.pdf  nightmare- customers.htm?goback=%2Egde_ _member_ nightmare- customers.htm?goback=%2Egde_ _member_