Business Etiquette This book teaches individuals how to represent their

“This is the third time I’ve called!”
“I want an answer immediately!”
“Repeat what I said? What are you, deaf?”
Observing proper telephone etiquette can be difficult
when there is a particularly troublesome caller on the other
end of the line. If your job involves fielding calls all day,

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85
Sound Advice
your nerves can often be worn to a frazzle from your inter-
actions with such callers. Resentment is inevitable when
callers take their own anger and frustration out on you and
fail to recognize that you are only an intermediary.
Unfortunately, this is part of your job. You simply can’t
avoid the impatient, difficult types who will expect answers
you can’t provide and make impossible demands of you.
The trick to handling them is to invoke a variation of the
Golden Rule: “Do unto a caller as you would have a caller
do unto you.”
Put yourself in that caller’s place. You’re phoning a
company expecting to talk to a certain person or to get an
answer to a particular question. Instead, you reach some-
one who not only doesn’t know what your contact’s sched-
ule is, but is in no position to answer your question and
doesn’t know to whom your call should be transferred. All
you can do is leave a message and wait (indefinitely) for
your call to be returned. Wouldn’t you feel a bit frustrated?
Granted, you are not paid to be a sounding board for
frustrated callers with poor manners. But as the person who
has picked up the phone, you are the company’s represen-
tative and the one who is going to provide a crucial impres-
sion of the type of people your company employs.
Therefore, it is up to you to display good manners and a
willingness to help. A true professional is eager to go the
extra mile to put callers at ease. This means employing good
listening skills, conveying detailed messages, and doing
whatever it takes to ensure that questions are forwarded to
the proper individuals. You would, after all, expect no less
than this when you are looking for assistance!
When callers recognize that you really are making a
sincere effort to work with them, you’ll be amazed at how
quickly their attitudes improve.
Courtesy begets courtesy!

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86
Business Etiquette
Tip #52
Tip #52
Tip #52
Tip #52
Tip #52
Know when and how to ask the
Know when and how to ask the
Know when and how to ask the
Know when and how to ask the
Know when and how to ask the
other par
other par
other par
other par
other party to call you back.
ty to call you back.
ty to call you back.
ty to call you back.
ty to call you back.
If you use the phone to transact a great deal of your
business and find yourself with mounting phone bills as a
result, it may be time to examine your telephone usage. In