Knowing how to answer the phone isn’t just a requisite for call center professionals and receptionists. Today, everyone needs to have this skill. Phone etiquette for your business helps establish a sincere connection with your customers and clients. That first impression can go a long way to build your relationships.

How to Answer the Phone at Work

A simple “Hello” might suffice for your personal phone greetings, but for workplace settings, it’s a good idea to put in a little more effort. Good business phone etiquette has a handful of different components that help make each interaction warm and welcoming.

1. Be Sure to Smile

Making this simple change when you answer the phone might make a bigger impact than anything else on our list. Although we can’t see each other on voice calls, we can all notice the difference between someone who is smiling and someone who is upset or frustrated over the phone. Our attitude comes across in our tone of voice. Your positive and courteous tone will put your caller at ease. It all starts with a smile.

2. Develop a Rhythm

When you answer the phone at work, always state the business name and introduce yourself. You don’t want your callers to have to ask whether they reached the right company or misdialed. Creating a quick script can help you clarify these questions. In fact, this same system applies to making phone calls. When calling another business or contact, you’ll always want to introduce yourself in a concise way, with a similar, professional script.

3. Give Progress Reports

The hold button on your office phone can be a useful tool when you need to investigate an issue more closely or speak with someone else in the room. Of course, you don’t want to leave a caller on hold for too long. Be sure to give progress reports along the way. A simple check-in to say that things might take another couple of minutes can help the person on the other end of the line know that you care.

4. Take Effective Messages

Having an office phone system that lets you transfer calls to individual voicemails is always nice. But if you need to take a message for a colleague—or just make notes for yourself—you’ll need to keep a few pointers in mind. Asking how to spell uncommon surnames will give your notes and messages more context. It also helps to jot down a convenient time to return a call. That way, you won’t have to keep playing phone-tag.

5. Enhance Your Signal

We need our voices to sound clear and crisp over the phone, but that isn’t always possible with weak cell phone signals. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your setup. If your team regularly takes cellular calls, a signal booster can help you eliminate dropped calls and slow data speeds for any major provider. That way, you’ll have a better system to always sound professional.

Working with the Best Business Phone Systems

If you’re working with outdated business phones, there’s a good chance that your callers are noticing poor sound quality. If you’re ready to upgrade your equipment for better functionality all around, our team at Enhanced Telecommunications and Data can help! We have a wide selection of business telephone solutions and communication platforms to fit your needs.

As for cellular boosters, we like to work with SureCall products. These solutions are specially designed to enhance the reception, sound quality, and data speeds for all types of mobile service providers. If you’re ready for a better and wider network, these setups are for you. To learn more, feel free to give us a call at (208) 947-3900.