When you call others, you should adjust your thoughts. So, when your phone rings, you should focus your attention as soon as possible and temporarily put down what you are doing so that your brain can clearly process the information or business brought by the phone call. Of course, the above process should be completed quickly. If you let the phone ring for too long, the other party may hang up, and you will lose the opportunity to get information or business. The following points are techniques you can refer to and learn from when answering the phone:
1. Take notes at any time
Keep paper and a pencil handy and jot down the information you hear at any time. If you're not prepared and have to ask the other party to repeat, it will make them feel that you're absent-minded and not listening carefully.
2. Identify yourself
As soon as you pick up the phone, clearly state your full name. Sometimes it is also necessary to state the name of your organization. Similarly, once the other party states their name, you can address them by name during the conversation.
3. Get to the point
When you answer the phone, don't drag things out unnecessarily; instead, respond immediately. A good opening might be: "What do you need me to do?" When you sense that the other party is trying to delay, you should immediately say: "Unfortunately! I'm about to attend a meeting and must arrive in 5 minutes." This will prevent unnecessary small talk and accelerate the progress of business conversations.
4. Avoid transferring calls to others
Try to handle the calls you answer yourself. Only transfer them to someone else when absolutely necessary. In such cases, you should explain the reason to the other party and request their forgiveness. For example, you could say: "Mr. Brown will take care of this matter. Would it be okay if he spoke with you?" Before making such a decision, you should ensure that the other party agrees to transfer the call to someone else. For instance, you could say: "We will send someone to contact you shortly regarding this matter."
5. Avoid long interruptions during the call
If you have to interrupt the call to look up some information, you should act quickly. You can also politely ask the other party: "Would you prefer to wait a moment, or should I call you back later?"
When making the other party wait, you can press the hold button. If your phone doesn’t have a hold button, gently place the receiver on the table. If it takes longer than expected to look up the information, you can periodically pick up the phone to inform the other party of your progress. For example, you could say: "Mr. John, I'm almost done finding it for you. Please wait a little longer." When you finish looking it up and pick up the phone again, you can say: "Sorry for keeping you waiting," to draw the other party's attention.
For the person answering the phone, asking the other party to wait politely while checking information is acceptable. If someone calls while you're already on another call, you can use appropriate words to ask the first caller to wait. Then pick up the other phone and say: "Could you please wait? I'm on another call right now." If the person calling has only trivial matters, you can decline immediately and quickly return to the first call, which will make the other person realize how busy you are and speed up your discussion.
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