Telephone Etiquettes

 Stages of a Telephone Call
 Call Hold Process
 Basic Telephone Etiquette
Contents

3
Stage 1
Opening the
Call
Stage 2
Collecting
Information
Stage 3
Call
Processing
Stage 4
Addressing
the concern
Stage 5
Closing the
Call

4
This is the first step in answering the call.
The caller should feel that he is interacting with
a professional organization.
You should:
 Smile and greet the caller.
“ Good Morning/ Good Afternoon / Good Evening Regal !
How can I help you?”
नमस्कार / शुभ प्रभात / "गुड मॉर्निंग/गुड इवर्निंग रीगल! मैं आपकी
मदद क
ै से कर सकता हिं? "
Stage 1
Opening the
Call

5
Making a call
You should:
“Good Morning/ Good Afternoon / Good Evening!
This is Anup Pal from Regal Group.”
"गुड मॉर्निंग/गुड ईवर्निंग/ इस रीगल ग्रुप से अनूप पाल
रहे हैं. "
Stage 1
Opening the
Call

6
The purpose is to understand the caller’s
requirement.
The information collected at this stage
will help you to handle the call.
Stage 2
Collecting
Information

7
Stage 2
Collecting
Information
Taking Messages
You should:
I’m sorry, she/he’s not here today. Can I take a
message?
मैं माफी चाहता हिं, वह आज यहािं नहीिंहै ।क्या आप
कोई सिंदेश देना चाहते है
May I know your name, please?
क्या मैं आपका नाम जान सकता हूँ?
I’ll give him/her your message as soon as he/she
gets back.
मैं उनहे आपका सिंदेश देता हिं जैसे ही वह वापस आ
जाता है/

8
You should:
 Listen proactively and focus on the caller’s needs &
priorities.
 Use probes to identify caller’s needs.
 Maintain an empathetic tone.
 Clarify understanding.

9
You should not:
Use Jargons.
Sound indifferent or hurried.
Ask too many questions.

10
 A skill you need to master.
 Steps in call processing:
 Call hold
 Call forward/transfer
Stage 3
Call Processing

11
Stage 3
Call Processing
Call Hold
You should:
“May I put your call on hold, please?”
"क्या मैं आपका कॉल होल्ड पर रख सकता हिं,
क
ृ पया?“
Ask for the permission and then initiate
अनुमर्त क
े र्लए पूछें और र्फर शुरू करें
"Thank you for your patience, Mr. Knox.
"आपक
े धैयय क
े र्लए धन्यवाद, श्री नॉक्स।

12
Research shows that when a customer is put on hold for 1
minute he perceives that he has waited for 1 minute but as this
time increase the perception changes as follows:
On Hold for
(minutes)
Perceived as
(minutes)
2 3
3 5
4 9
5 15
10 30

13
 Provide the caller with an explanation for the hold/wait.
Use statements such as:
◦ I am still working on your request. I will be with you shortly. This will take
about 30 seconds more.
 Apologize about the hold.
◦ Thank you for waiting Mr. Sharma. I am really sorry for the delay.
◦ Mr. Sharma, thank you for your patience. This will take a minute more.
Would you like to wait further or would you prefer to call back in a few
minutes?”
श्री शमाय, आपक
े धैयय क
े र्लए धन्यवाद। इसमें एक र्मनट लग जाएगा।
क्या आप आगे इिंतजार करना चाहते हैं या आप क
ु छ र्मनटोिं में
वापस कॉल करना पसिंद करेंगे? "

14
 At such times, there may be an absolute silence from your
side, while you are busy working on the system. Such silence
or Dead Air is very unnerving for the customer.
 Use fillers to manage Dead Air by talking to the customer
once in a while and making statements such as:
 I am looking up your case sir/madam.
 I am working on your request. Give me 30 seconds more.
Thank you for your patience.

15
 Avoid keeping the caller on hold.
 Always ask the caller before putting him on hold.
 Tell him what you are going to do while you put him on
hold.
 If you need to put the caller on hold for a longer period,
come back to say that you are still working on his
request.

16
Stage 3
Call Processing
Call Transfer
You should:
“Mrs. Ryan, I would like to transfer your call
to our accounting department. Is that okay
with you? I believe that department will be
able to get the information you need.“
"श्रीमती। रयान, मैं आपक
े कॉर्लिंग र्वभाग को
अपना कॉल स्थानािंतररत करना चाहता हिं। क्या
वह आपक
े र्लए ठीक है? मेरा मानना है र्क
र्वभाग आपको आवश्यक जानकारी प्राप्त करने
में सक्षम होगा। “
Ask for the permission and then initiate

17
Arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to the
concern.
Stage 4
Solving the
concern

18
How to say “NO”?
You should.
Stage 4
Solving the
concern
“Mrs. Ryan, As per the company policy,
we cannot share employee details. Sorry
for that…
"श्रीमती। रयान, क
िं पनी नीर्त क
े अनुसार,
हम कमयचारी र्ववरण शेयर नहीिं कर सकते
हैं। उसक
े र्लए खेद है…
Ask for the permission and then initiate
further discussion

19
You should:
 Paraphrase and summarize the key points of the
discussion.
You should not:
 Give incorrect or incomplete information.
 Argue with the caller.
 Sound Bored.

20
 Offer assistance for anything else.
 End the call on a pleasant note.
 Create a positive impression through
warmth, passion and a smile.
 Wrapping up the call as other callers are
waiting for you.
Stage 5
Closing the
Call

21
Stage 5
Closing the
Call
“Thank you for calling, is there anything
else I can help you with?“ Have a nice day &
Have a pleasant evening
"कॉल करने क
े र्लए धन्यवाद, एस्क
े आलवा कोई
और सर्हता कर सक्ते है आपकी, आपका र्दन
शुभ हो
Ending the call
You should.

22
Speak Clearly
 Be understandable throughout the call.
 Do not use any slang errors / technical jargon.
 Make limited use of speech habits like ums and unhs.

23
Be Polite and Pleasant
Use words like Please and Thank You consistently while
requesting and receiving conformation.
Adapt your speech to the caller’s style. E.g. – Business like,
Hurried etc.
Apologize tactfully. (E.g. – I am sorry that there was a
misunderstanding. Please let me explain………..)
Pacify Irate Customers. (E.g. – I can understand your
concern. What I’m going to do for you today is……….)

24
 Energy – The Energy in your voice reflects your
attitude and Enthusiasm.
 Rate of Speech – A normal rate is 125 words a minute.
Speaking faster can create concerns.
 Pitch – This can be a monotone, a low,or a high Pitch.
You should vary your tone and inflection.
 Quality – The above three factors make up your voice
Quality.

25
Phrases that you must NOT use at all:
 NO
 I don’t know…..
 You’ll have to……
 Just a second
 We cant do that
Don’t say an upfront No. This might make the customer feel
insulted and unimportant. Instead say something such
as, “To answer your question I can do X, Y and Z for
you today.”

26
 Speak clearly - pronounce words clearly.
 Relax-pause and stop to breathe.
 Vary the tone / pitch of your voice.
 Speak slowly.
 Smile to add expression to your voice.
 Repeat message/address/phone number.
 Be enthusiastic.

27
 Preparation - Have all information, paper and pencil
handy (product, prices, delivery dates
etc.)
 Promptness - Answer phone within three rings.
 Politeness - Greet cheerfully, apologize for any delay.
 Precision - Be precise and factual.

28
 Professionalism - handle customer’s concerns - not
yours.
 Practicality - Give what the caller needs.
 Positive - Be positive and helpful

29
 Adopt proper etiquette and mannerisms based on
gender, region, time and objective of call. ‘Good
morning/ evening’.
 Never have food or tea while talking over the phone –
it makes a very lousy sound at the other end.
 Wait for the caller to hang the receiver first.

30
 Answer the phone within three rings.
 Never keep the caller waiting or on hold for more than
30 seconds.
 In case of longer hold periods – inform the caller on the
time that will be taken.
 Concentrate on the phone call – do not do too many
things at the same time.

31
"It's been nice speaking with you, but I need to wrap up. Can we set a
time for our next call?“
For example, if an email would be an easier way to receive this same
information, then request that they caller follow up in your inbox:
“It would be great if the same thing you can email us. My email
address is…...“
"When I transfer you, there may be a moment without sound. Don't
worry, this is normal and someone will pick up right after that."

32
"Jerry, could I put you on hold for some more time as need to grab
your file? I'll be able to answer your questions more accurately that
way.“
Answering to the caller from long hold -
Mr. Hubley? Are you still there? I'm sorry, it's going to take some
more moments. Thank you for being so patient!"
"Rachel? Are you still able to hold? It will be just a moment longer."