Business Calls
When answering or placing a business call, you have one chance to set the tone for a relationship. Since up to 70 percent of a phone message is conveyed in tone of voice, it’s not what you say—it’s how you say it.
Answer professionally and enthusiastically, ideally by the second ring. Offer a greeting, “Hello” or “Good morning,” followed by the company or department name and your full name. Put a smile in your voice. If callers identify themselves, refer to them by their name and add “Mr.” or “Ms.” Use first names only if invited.
Use good grammar, speak clearly, listen well, and give the call your undivided attention. Others will know if you are reading, typing, or otherwise distracted. Do not eat, drink, or chew gum while on the call. Be aware of background noises.
Ask permission before placing someone on hold, and wait for an answer. If it is a lengthy hold, come back within a minute to update the caller on the status of your behind-the-scenes efforts.
Show politeness, patience, and respect unfailingly, regardless of the caller’s demeanor. A call is often precipitated by a problem. If a caller is upset, let him speak. Apologize for his inconvenience. This does not mean you are necessarily accepting responsibility for the problem, but simply acknowledging he is upset. Often, this is all that is needed to diffuse emotion and get the conversation on a positive track.
Treat every call as important. Sometimes you won’t know until after the fact just how important a call or caller was.
Placing calls reflects on your brand and your company’s brand, too. When initiating calls:
Organize your thoughts before the call. Make sure you identify yourself. If the person was not expecting your call, assess her tone of voice. It will convey her openness to speaking with you. Asking if your call is convenient at this point allows the person the choice of continuing the conversation. This, on its own, often relaxes the recipient enough to continue. If it is not a good time, ask when would be a better time.
Leave enough, but not too much, information on voicemail. Speak clearly and slowly. Leave your name and number at the beginning of the message and at the end. Do not leave ambiguous or personal messages or bad news on voicemail.
Have you noticed that virtually no one returns calls anymore? If a call is not a cold sales call, the reasons are myriad. It could be that the caller failed to leave a recognizable name or intelligible number. It could be that the recipient is away, consumed by work, or never listens to messages. It could be that whatever precipitated the call, such as following up on an inquiry or proposal, has been put on the back burner by the recipient. It could also be that someone is no longer interested in pursuing the conversation or business relationship and, rather than being up front about this, just hopes the caller will give up and go away.
Whatever the reason, it is confusing and disheartening when a call is not returned, especially if there is a preexisting business relationship or the other person initiated the dialogue. Try not to take it personally. You may follow up once and maybe even twice, but after that, it is better to let it go. Relentlessly pursuing someone not interested in communicating at that moment does not generally strengthen a relationship. Instead, focus on other projects. Oftentimes, the person will circle back to you when the timing is right.
If you are the one who initiated a dialogue or requested a quote, proposal, or information, it is courteous to return follow-up calls or emails. Even if your answer is “no” or “not now,” you will have respected the other person’s time and preserved a relationship that you may need or want again in the future.
Cell Phones
There are officially more mobile devices in the world than there are people, now numbering upwards of 7 billion. As mobile phones—cell phones, satellite phones, and smartphones—continue to proliferate, the opportunities to bother others while using them do too, at an equal pace. We have all probably been guilty of a mobile phone faux pas at some point. If so, it may be time for a phone self-intervention.
CELL PHONE SELF-INTERVENTION
Keep mobile phones off of meeting tables. Otherwise, others will presume that it is only a matter of time before the conversation is superseded by an incoming call or text. Known as “phubbing,” short for phone snubbing, this practice bothers people. Kelly McGonigal, author of the New York Times article “The Willpower Instinct,” says, “Research shows just having a phone on the table is sufficiently distracting enough to reduce empathy and rapport between two people who are in conversation.”4 Among business or social peers, keeping your phone out may be acceptable, but among clients or higher-ups, it is better to put it away.
Do not use a mobile phone at a business, social, or family meal. Excusing yourself to the restroom every 10 minutes or texting under the table are obvious tactics to circumvent this rule. In some circles, phone use at restaurants has been drastically curtailed by dining companions who agree to put their phones in the center of the table: Whoever answers a call or text first pays the bill!
Use a phone in social situations only if it benefits the group. If you need to get directions, make reservations, call a cab, clarify a point, or get a sports score in which everyone is interested, use your phone. If your group’s culture allows for phone use, feel free. But do not be the first, as a domino effect will quickly take hold.
Do not use a mobile phone in a church or a synagogue, or at any solemn occasion such as a wake or memorial service. Do not use a phone in a doctor’s office, at the movies, at the gym, in a locker room, at parties, or while ordering or checking out. And of course, no texting while driving or walking. In 2015, a woman was hit when she walked into the path of a freight train while texting. Miraculously, she survived.
Take photos only with permission and never with unsuspecting persons in the background. These may end up on a public feed, which would be an invasion of their privacy.
Telephone Options
Andrew would have preferred the Quiet Car on his Amtrak trip from New York to Boston. But since he will probably need to answer a couple of calls, he chooses Business Class. This way, he can take any necessary calls and still enjoy the relative tranquility Business Class typically affords. When Connor boards in New Haven, Andrew quickly realizes today’s trip would not be typical.
Once seated, Connor, a guy with cockiness to spare, immediately gets on his devices and puts his phone on speaker so he can have both hands free to type. At a decibel level the entire car can hear, Connor’s conversations include a litany of complaints about his demanding employer, his difficult client, and his complicated love life, replete with individual and company names.
Andrew is uncomfortable. And from the body language the other riders are exhibiting, he knows they are as well. So he decides to ask Connor if he would please lower his voice and take the call off speaker. Connor looks at Andrew. “If you want quiet, go to the Quiet Car,” he says, making a dismissive gesture as he continues his loud conversation.
Speakerphones
Speakerphones are great for hands-free phone conversations, but they can be uncomfortable for those at the other end. If a conversation is between just two people, a headset is a better option, as it allows for both convenience and privacy. However, once you are hands-free, the temptation to multitask can be overwhelming. If you are prone to this temptation, it may be better to pick up a handset.
At work, a respectful, productive speakerphone meeting follows a pattern. After securing a private room, the meeting leader begins the call by asking permission to put someone on speaker. She then introduces others in the room, or asks them to introduce themselves. Throughout the call, participants identify themselves before speaking and speak at normal decibel levels. If anyone leaves or joins the call midway, the person on speaker is always advised. The call is given undivided attention by all participants, who refrain from holding side conversations, eating, or using other electronic devices. The meeting leader wraps up the call and thanks everyone for attending.
Confere
nce Calls and Videoconferences
All of the guidelines for speakerphone calls apply to conference calls. Because conference calls are generally more formal and involve more people, they require some additional guidelines as well.
Conference call organizers send invitations with all pertinent call-in information and agendas in advance and reminder notices the day before and/or morning of the call. If there is a service provider, they test all technology beforehand so there are no problems on the big day. Agendas include all items that will be covered and who will be responsible for addressing them. If there are primary speakers on the call, it will include their bios.
Attendees prepare for the call by completing any assignments or reading indicated, and by jotting down questions and points they would like to raise. Participants call in at least three minutes before the scheduled start time, using reliable phones to avoid dropped calls. When the organizer has not muted the call, attendees mute their phones and check to be sure they have actually done so. This is an especially important point for those working from home offices, where distractions abound.
Participants stay focused, adhere to the agenda, and bring ancillary matters up after the call. It is tempting to do any number of other things during a conference call, from answering email to running to the restroom. But that is to be avoided, as invariably that will be the very moment the call participant is asked for his input.
Videoconferencing, or real-time audio/visual communication between or among individuals or groups, is the technology of choice for companies wanting a solution for cost-effective collaboration. Videoconferencing requires all of the preparations and precautions of speakerphone and conference calls, but since participants are now seen, attention to nonverbal cues becomes important as well. Whether they are sitting in a conference room or a home office, participants will take great care with their attire. Since everything is on display, they will make sure furnishings and décor reflect professionalism. Spaces will be uncluttered, artwork will be tasteful, accoutrements will be appropriate. Overflowing wastebaskets, crammed bookshelves, and bobblehead figures will be out of sight.
Email
Annabelle has her hands full. As assistant athletics director for a Division One college, she is responsible for special programs for student athletes. She also meets with a fair number at the behest of their coaches for individual instruction. There are more than 30 teams, and with an otherwise full schedule, Annabelle’s calendar is jammed every day of the week. Still, she is happy to give of her time to those who need extra guidance.
What makes Annabelle less happy are some of the attitudes she encounters. Even though their coaches have required them to meet with Annabelle, she sometimes feels like they think they are doing her a favor. She received an email from a student athlete with the subject line empty, no salutation, no closing, and no context. In its entirety, it read, “Hi when do you want to do this.”
Complaints about email are deafening and universal. In-boxes full of messages with missing subject lines, misspelled words, improper grammar, inappropriate language, and indecipherable acronyms are just some of the grievances. A succession of “Reply All” messages is the biggest complaint. In some organizations, real-time group messaging apps such as Slack, which eliminate the dreaded “Reply All,” are replacing internal email. Group-messaging apps are quickly catching on and may eventually become standard for internal communication. But they will still require adherence to guidelines for professionally written email.
According to the Radicati Group, the technology market research firm, email is still the go-to form of business communication. Email Statistics Report indicates:
The number of business email accounts will reach 1.1 billion by the end of 2017.
The number of business emails sent and received per user per day will increase from 122 in 2015 to 126 in 2019.
Email addresses are still required to access IM and social networking sites and are also needed for online transactions such as banking and shopping.5
Despite all of the other ways to communicate, work email is going to be with us for the foreseeable future. This is not good news for many millennials, who look at email much like voicemail: something to be tolerated until it finally dies. Millennials are often perceived as being unable or unwilling to write professional emails; indeed, many have not written a full sentence since they were in school. As a result, the quality of millennials’ writing skills is considered one of their biggest impediments in getting jobs, and once on the job, in getting ahead.
All generations are at the mercy of carelessly crafted, hastily sent emails. Nancy Flynn, founder and director of the electronic policy training and consulting firm ePolicy Institute, says a lot of people don’t realize that “email creates the electronic equivalent of DNA. There’s a really good chance of emails being retained in a workplace’s archives, and in case of a lawsuit, they could be subpoenaed.”6
A lot is at stake as seemingly bright people learn the hard way every day. Professionals at the highest levels in their fields have lost their jobs, ruined their reputations, and suffered extreme personal, financial, and health consequences as a result of carelessly crafted, hastily sent emails.
You can avoid these problems by, first of all, never ever emailing when angry. It may feel good for a moment, but remorse and all its ugly ramifications will quickly set in. If you simply must vent, do so with a trusted companion—your dog or cat maybe—or write your complaint out in longhand and then throw it away. Do absolutely anything but electronically communicate anger. It will become part of your permanent digital dossier.
Unless there is no other way, do not use email for highly personal messages such as those about illness, death, divorce, or pregnancy. These are emotionally charged messages, better shared face-to-face or at least voice-to-voice. Be extremely careful of the content of professional emails. If your company is ever sued, your emails could become part of e-discovery, the process of gathering ESI (electronically stored information) for legal purposes. Apply the standard of “if you would not say it face-to-face, do not write it in an email.” Studies show that people are much braver when communicating from behind a screen and that the lack of nonverbal cues makes typewritten messages sound much more aggressive than intended.
EMAIL GUIDELINES
Use the subject line to summarize the focus of the message. Incorporating “URG,” “REQ,” or “FYI” lets recipients know if the email requires immediate attention, a request is being made, or information is simply being conveyed. Double-check email addresses before hitting the send button. Send only relevant emails to those who need to receive them.
Do not send “Reply All” or “CC All” messages unless absolutely necessary. Use the CC field if someone needs to be privy to an email but does not need to respond. Use the To field if a response is requested from the recipient. Use BCC (blind carbon copy) ethically, and not to mislead that an email exchange is confidential. Protect others’ email addresses, contact information, and messages by not forwarding them without their permission.
Read through email threads completely before responding or forwarding. Once our names are attached, it is a tacit admission that we have read them. Before writing, determine how formal the email should be based upon the relationship with the recipient. Greater formality is in order with clients, company executives, persons from cultures where formality is valued, and those we do not know well. Apply business letter–writing standards by including an appropriate salutation and closing. Make sure sentences are properly structured and words are correctly spelled. Observe the rules of capitalization and punctuation.
Allow words to convey their meaning and emotion. Steer clear of emoticons and emojis in professional emails. Avoid using all capital letters, no capital letters, multiple exclamation points, bold typeface, bright colors, or flashing text. Also avoid marking every email “high-priority” or using RR (Read Receipt). Recipients find these annoying.
Proofread all emails. Use but d
o not rely solely upon grammar check and spell-check. Read emails aloud to be sure they reflect the intended tone. Do not send or forward jokes, chain mail, political or religious messages, virus warnings, fund-raising appeals, or inspirational sayings. If forwarding an email, edit out all extraneous information and include a brief personal note. Be concise and brief and make one main point. I know of one executive who on principle will not read past two lines in an email. Use bullets.
Respond to emails promptly. If you cannot respond at least by the end of the day, have an “out of office” message automatically sent back to the recipient.
Hardware
Freelance marketing consultant Evelyn loves the flexibility and comfort of her home office. And she is thrilled she no longer needs to fight the rush hour traffic that made her commute so grindingly stressful, a commute she had made for years. Still, it can be lonely.
That’s why the nearby coffee shop Evelyn discovered came to be a sanctuary for her. Perfect for freelancers like herself, it was never too crowded or noisy and always had friendly, familiar faces behind the counter and at the tables, too. Evelyn could get her work done while enjoying freshly brewed coffee and low-key fellowship with others whose workdays were organized similarly to hers.
This truly was, for her, a little piece of heaven. But lately, a new clientele has upset the welcoming feel of the shop. There is a man whose music is so loud that even with his earphones on, Evelyn cannot concentrate. Another man watches movies at full volume, compounding the situation. Then there is the college student who takes up two tables and four chairs for her coat, papers, and all her electronic devices. Finally, there is the woman who purposely overhears Evelyn’s conversations and then comments upon them! It’s just not the same anymore.
Excuse Me Page 12