Today’s Tip: How to correctly answer a (business) phone.
Most people will, at some point in their lives, be required to answer a business phone. In my experience answering phones and working within companies I have noticed a lot of variation in the way people answer phones or like phones to be answered. Ever since I was trained to correctly answer a phone, with the logic behind why to do it that way (it was my job at the video store where this happened), I have stuck to that way of doing it like superglue on a fingertip.
So, while many people know how to answer a phone, I’ve noticed many don’t know why they should do it that way, and that’s my tip today.I’m going to use KiKi & Tea as the business in my example, mostly because “Confessions of an Undomestic Goddess” is far too long and Miss T’s Blog wouldn’t have a phone.
Here’s how you should answer a phone:
Good Morning/Afternoon KiKi & Tea this is Tamsin
And here’s why:
1. The Greeting
A phone should always be answered with an appropriate greeting. Good morning or good afternoon is the most accepted and common.
Why: Apart from being polite, people don’t listen to the first few seconds of whatever you say, so you should say something they don’t need to listen to first.
2. Company Name
The company name should always be stated in the middle. This should be stated clearly enough for the person on the other end to hear it and after a greeting so people have started paying attention.
Why: People want to know they have called the right place. While you may feel they should know where they have called, they might not. It should be after the greeting so the person calling has started listening, but as they usually know where they have called this is not as important as…
3. Your Name
Your name should be stated last and, as opposed to “Tamsin Speaking” it should be said “This is Tamsin”.
Why: The last thing you say will be the first thing the person on the other end will remember. If you say “Tamsin Speaking” they will remember speaking, not your name. People like to know who they are speaking to.
As a side note those who have been trained in this way of answering a phone, and know it’s the correct way, are the most likely to make the annoying joke of “Hello Tamsin Speaking”.
Hope this tip has helped and you are now feeling armed and ready to answer that phone.
T.
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