Whether at work, at home, or on your mobile phone, here are 8 solid telephone etiquette tips everyone should be displaying at all times.
1. Always identify yourself at the beginning of all calls.
A) When in the office, always answer a telephone by saying: “Hello/Good Morning, Accounting Department, Syndi Seid speaking.”
B) From a cell phone, either simply say Hello, or state your name, Hello, Syndi Seid here. Do not answer by using words such as “yeah” or “yes.”
C) When placing a call, always state your name along with the name of the person you are calling. Example: “Hello, my name is John Doe from XYZ Corporation. May I please speak with Ms. Jane Smith?”
2. Be sensitive to the tone of your voice. Do not sound overly anxious, aggressive or pushy. It is important your tone conveys authority and confidence. Do not lean back in your chair when speaking on the telephone.
Tip: Sit up in your chair or stand during the conversation. When at home, use a personal tape recorder to privately record your own conversations. You will then hear how your sound to others.
3. Think through exactly what you plan to say and discuss BEFORE you place a call.
Tip: Jot down the items you want to discuss and questions you want answered. In other words, anticipate and expect you will be placed into a voicemail system; plan your message to be as direct and specific as possible, asking the person to respond to specific alternatives or questions. Do not say, “Hello, it’s Syndi, call me back.” At least state the subject about which you want the person to call you back about.
4. Do not allow interruptions to occur during conversations. Do not carry on side conversations with other people around you. The person on the telephone takes precedence over someone who happens to walk in your office or passes by while you are on the phone.
Tip: If you must interrupt the conversation, say to the person, “Please excuse me for a moment I’ll be right back.” And when you return, say, “Thank you for holding.”
5. Especially when leaving messages, speak clearly and slowly. Do not use broken phrases, slang or idioms. Always, always leave your return telephone number as part of your message, including the area code . . . and S-L-O-W-L-Y, including REPEATING your telephone number at the end of your message.
Tip: Practice leaving your number, by saying it aloud to yourself as slow as you have heard an informational operator say it.
6. Build the habit of always turning off your cell phone ringer when entering a meeting, restaurant, theater, training class, or other place where the purpose of your visit would be interrupted or others would be disturbed by hearing your cell phone ring.
Tip: If you are expecting an important call, inform the caller you will be in a meeting during certain times and state you will monitor your message indicator for when it illuminates you will excuse yourself to leave the meeting and return the call.
7. Always speak into the telephone receiver with an even and low tone of voice. Especially when speaking on a cell phone out in public, be sure to monitor how loud you may be.
Tip: Move the phone ear piece just slightly away from your ear and listen to yourself speaking. Discover whether you are speaking too loudly or too quietly for the other person to hear you.
8. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by other activities while speaking on the telephone, such as rustling papers, chewing and eating, working on the computer, or speaking with someone else. Most importantly, do not use a hand held cell phone while driving. Get a headset or speaker phone for the car.
Tip: Always treat every caller with the utmost courtesy and respect by giving him/her your undivided attention.
Question: What other items do you have to add to this list? Do let us hear from you by locating this article at www.AdvancedEtiquette.com/blog. You may also reach us at www.AdvancedEtiquette.com. If you enjoyed this article and want more, subscribe to our “Etiquette Tip of the Month” newsletter—at no charge—filled with great monthly tips on all sorts of topics from international business and social etiquette and protocol to everyday life subjects. It will be great to have you as a member of our happy family of subscribers at www.AdvancedEtiquette.com/subscribe.
Happy Practicing!
Hello! Beyond the core 8 tips, a successful telephone call depends on the specific business and industry to know what out specific information should be shared to make that call successful. Email me if you have more specific questions. Happy to assist… info@AdvancedEtiquette.com. Thanks for writing…,
These are great fundamentals. One challenge many service businesses face is maintaining this level of phone etiquette consistently during peak hours. In restaurants, for example, the front-of-house team might follow perfect phone protocol at 2pm but completely abandon it during a Friday dinner rush when every second counts. That inconsistency is actually one of the reasons some businesses are experimenting with AI phone answering — not to replace human interaction entirely, but to ensure that baseline etiquette standards (greeting, active listening, proper hold procedures) are maintained even when the team is stretched thin. Interesting to think about how technology might help enforce these principles rather than just relying on training alone.
Alex: It’s all about establishing great telephone habits that helps to develop consistency that then becomes seemless. Humans can adopt and adapt their behaviors faster and better than AI. Yet, AI improves with every minute in a day.
Great tips on telephone etiquette! Your clear and practical advice on handling calls professionally is incredibly valuable. The emphasis on active listening, clear communication, and proper call management is essential for maintaining a positive impression in business interactions. Thanks for sharing these helpful guidelines—they’re a great resource for anyone looking to improve their telephone communication skills!
I'm preparing for a conference call with my boss and a half-dozen other colleagues. It's my first big presentation, and I'm a little nervous. What do I need to do to make sure the conference call goes well?
Hello! Please forgive the tardy response. The top three tips I provide everyone when about to attend an important meeting by telephone are
1) Take 10-15 minutes before the meeting to get into a calm place in your mind and body; assemble all the supplies you will need for the meeting, including a pen and paper for notes, a glass of water, or a beverage that is not overly cold (Iced drinks freeze up your vocal cords);
2) Sit up straight or be standing to allow your voice from the moment you enter the call to the end to be as full sounding, upbeat, positive, and friendly.
3) If it’s a telephone job interview or a meeting on a particular topic/subject, take ample time to anticipate and think through the questions and discussion points likely to be asked and be prepared with a reasonable response.
ultimately, Always take at least 8 minutes following the call to assess how you thought it went. Review the questions and topics you addressed well and poorly as a way to grow and hone your speaking skills.
Good luck!
The information you have shared in this blog is really helpful to many citizens like us . Learning what you should and shouldn't do when using the phone is really important to survive in this competitive world. Thank you so much for sharing such useful information. Looking forward to read more blogs of communication Etiquettes on your website.
Hello Jessica: Thank you for taking the time to write. Yes, we are in the process of resuming new monthly etiquette tips on various topics. No matter where you are in the world, and everyone seeing this post, please sign up to receive our Tips at http://www.AdvancedEtiquette.com/blog. We’d love to add new subscribers to our ever-growing global family of etiquette enthusiasts.
To acknowledge that he or she is on the line, the person receiving the call must speak first. The response should be brief and focused on determining who the caller is and who the caller wishes to speak with. If the calle is correct, it advances when the caller identifies who he or she is and who they wish to speak with.
Cliff: With the exception of grammatical errors, you are correct. Thank you!
Really exited article. Nice reading this and enjoyed a lot.
Thanks for this wonderful post
nice and informative blog!!
Very information article.
(1) Always identify yourself at the beginning of all calls.
(2) Be sensitive to the tone of your voice.
(3) Do not allow yourself to be distracted by other activities while speaking on the telephone.
Mary: You got it! Thank you! Happy Practicing!
I totally agree when you said that there shouldn't be distractions when you have a phone call. As you said, there shouldn't be a side conversation while talking to someone over the phone. I will keep that in mind and tell my children about it since we plan to get a home phone this year so that we can be easily contacted due to having low signals in our cellphones at times.
Mia: I appreciated you taking a moment to submit a comment on this post. Please feel free to contact me any time you have further questions on this topic. I always enjoy hearing from folks who have read a post. Happy Practicing!
I missed a call from a prospective employer, but they did not leave a message. I googled the number and found it was a place where I'd applied for a job.
Should I call them back, or would they have said so if they wanted me to?
An afternoon has gone by now, and they haven't called again.
Thank you,
Kate
Kate: First, please forgive me for not replying more timely. My system didn’t alert me a comment had arrived, only seeing it now.
My response, in general, is always to reply to calls you deem important. It’s not what you do, but how you do it that counts.
Although time has passed and your situation may be resolved, here’s a response, anyway: I would call the employer back (even now if you haven’t done yet communicated) and state you noticed via Caller ID a call came from their office number. Ask for confirmation this was the case. If the employer says yes, ask for what purpose the call was placed? If the employer says no, then proceed with saying you noticed the call show up and was calling back to learn what it was about… because you had once applied for a position there and still would very much like to work for the company, and if that position is still open, or if other positions are available. Last, request your resume be kept on file for any other future opportunities to be contacted to submit a new application. The key is always to do investigative questioning before showing jumping the gun in your comments. Keep all comments positive, and to spin all comments away from sounding negative. Good luck!
Thanks Sydi! I just found your reply. Will keep your advice for future reference. I did decide to call them back, and they asked me for an interview, which I attended, but did not ultimately get the job (not that they bothered to let me know!)
Kate:
It is regrettable most companies say they are too busy and had too many applicants to alert them all when they have made a decision to hire someone else.
Keep in mind the companies who do make the effort to send a message (even a generic e-blast) to all candidates who applied, and were not hired, are the winners in my mind. It shows they respect and understand how stressful job seeking is, especially when being on hold for long periods. All the best!
Great tips ,speaking clearly and slowly is very important. Thank u.
Deshpande: Glad you enjoyed this post. We have others on telephone etiquette. Please email info@advancedetiquette.com with questions; I’ll be happy to share what I have. Yes, speaking slowly on voicemail is the key to being heard and understood. Happy Practicing!
When I am talking on the phone, I do not like others to walk into my space and stand there in some manner of anticipation. It creates a situation where my attention is divided and I feel that I am being hurried to finish. What do you suggest as the proper manners in a situation like this?
Hello Mike: My best suggestions are:
A. Pre-print some small 1/4-page sheets that say:
Thanks for stopping by. Since I may be a while on this call, please list info so I can get back to you right after this call:
Subject:
Name:
Date/Time:
Tel.:
Circle: Stop by your desk — Call you back
Thank you!
B. You have pre-printed sheets you will fill out and show the person…
Date/Time
Name
I will get back to you when I get off this call,”
C. Least favorite: Put the caller on a 30-sec hold to say to the person: “I may be a while, please let me either stop by your desk or I will call you when I’m finished with this call.” The person could chime in to ask you the “one quick question” they want answered, which is never quick.
Hope these ideas helps… I’ve done them all myself.
My friend has been having a hard time accepting all of the calls for his business. I'll make sure that he gets a professional to help out with that kind of thing! He could benefit from having someone who can answer calls professionally.
I appreciate you finding our post and taking time to post a comment on telephone etiquette. We have conducted seminars on this topic. If your friend want a couple more tips, happy to arrange a 30-minute free consultation call. Log onto our home page to book the appointment. http://Www.advanceedetiquette.com. Happy to help as possible.
Hello,I need to know best way to paraphrase,what customer says??
Raj: Your question is a good one. There are many ways to re-convey what a customer has said. It often also depends on the situation, what exact style and words you might use. Here’s just a couple of ways… “So let me paraphrase what I think I heard or what I think you said…” So, here’s what I think you are trying to ask of me… is this correct? If you have a specific situation, please send it to me so I can be more specific in my response. Good luck!
Syndi; If the customer using bad word on the call so how we handle this because we also human being?
Anurag: The way I’ve handled someone using bad words with me is: “Sir, please forgive me, I don’t prefer having to hear such language and promise not to speak to you in the same way. May we please proceed in a normal speaking voice?” Often people who use fowl language have a difficult time speaking normally, yet all you can do is try to calm them down. Good luck!
When I am talking to a business person or a friend on the phone, my husband is on a phone in another room listening. I am not aware of this until he enters the conversation and then both the person I am talking to and myself are startled. I think it is rude and I fell embarrassed. I’ll say, “That’s John on the line” and then go on with the conversation. We then have a 3-way conversation going on.
He’s not spying on me – perhaps he has picked up the phone at the same time as me and decides to be on the line as the topic (usually business) involves both of us. But he doesn’t introduce himself or let me or the person I am talking to know that he is there. The spying is one issue, but I also get the feeling that he wants to be there to correct or embellish whatever I say – as if I am not competent to handle the subject.
I have talked to him about this and have told him I think this is rude and I don’t like it. What’s your opinion?
Susan: It is never “etiquette” to be on a call without announcing yourself as being on the line… period! Example: I was once on a business call with one person when suddenly another person started talking. It surprised me, yet I let it go, until yet another person started talking. I then interjected: “Gosh, I had no idea this was a conference call… how many of you are there on this call? The answer was four on their end. The primary caller never mentioned there were three other people on our call, which he should have mentioned from the start.
Hi, how do i express following ideas properly to the caller
Who is this
Call back later
She is still out of the office
Hold on
Udika: No one should have to ask, Who is this? All callers should announce themselves at the onset of the call… “Hello, my name is Syndi Seid, may I please speak with…” When asked Call back later: You may ask: What time do you suggest will be best to call back? Would calling back at 1 or 2pm be good? When they say, she is still out of the office, the same question applies: Do you have an approximate time you think she will be back? Saying “hold on” is never appropriate. When it is said, all you can do is wait. The better phrase to have said is: One moment please.
Recently have had conversations with friends who are using hands free home or cell phones and are performing tasks such as eating, shuffling papers, putting away items or having third party conversations. I know this is not correct phone etiquette but what is the best way to handle the situation. Should I say let me call you back when you aren’t busy? Most of these friends I no longer reach by phone but rather by email. Help.
Barbara: This is indeed a tough one. Yet, I have known myself to be most candid in informing the person I can hear them chewing food or shuffling papers in the background. I have also attempted to be more subtle about it, asking: Jane, from where are you calling? Answer: My office. “Oh, I wasn’t sure if you were in a large room somewhere, because I hear a lot of noise in the background.”
My niece empties the dishwasher while talking on the phone, banging dishes, then all kinds of kitchen noises – it's awful! I've told her to call me when she can sit still and just talk like a normal courteous person. She says, "Well, I'm always so busy – you'll never hear from me, if that's what you want." She can be really rude, but doesn't seem to realize it. I said it bothers me so much, because I hear the noise over her voice and have to ask her to repeat what she just said. Her answer: You're the ONLY person who minds this." I DREAD having to answer her calls.
Hello Jean: This is a prime example of being considerate of others, especially when a request is important to the other individual. In my view, there are many activities a perso can do while talking on the phone, i.e. folding laundry, or to reduce the noise by slowly and quietly moving noisy items from one place to the other. “It’s not what you do; but how you do it.” The choices are clear: A) The niece can ‘choose’ to be considerate by taking time to call when “not” performing noisy activities: B) The niece only calls when performing unnoisy activities out of consideration, i.e. folding laundry, watching a pot boil…, LOL!!!; C) Choose to be less adamant about everyone else having to maintain a one-way relationship of “my way or the highway, and regardless of the request not having been requested from anyone else. Conclusion: Life is all about compromise. We must all be flexible… “Where there is a will; there is a way.” Conversely, the Aunt can choose to tolerate the noise (albeit it has been made clear, it is a most sensitive issue to hearing well), or not take the niece’s calls. Both are not pleasant options in my view. Good luck!
What is the best way to greet someone on the phone? We usually say “how are you today?” before we start talking about the reason for the call. What are the other questions we can ask to encourage rapport or to set off the right mood for the conversation?
Liz: Personally I dislike being asked How are you, knowing very well it’s only a “filler” question and the person truly isn’t interested in knowing how my day is going. I highly recommend not using it. Instead, what’s important is to sound professional. One idea is to confirm the correct name of the person you are calling… “Hello, is this Jane Doe?” Answer: Yes. “Great. My name is Liz Jones and I’m calling you today to…” This shows you are not wasting a person’s time and are getting to the point of the call. Any time I hear “how are you today” I know it’s a sales call and I am totally turned off, thinking this person “is totally wasting my time.” Rather, if you get to the point professionally, with a clear speaking voice, I will listen better, even if I don’t want what is being sold. Good luck!
how do i response to caller when my boss insist to answer their call?
Bigcat: One way to handle a call that’s intended for one person and another person will be taking the call: “Ms. Jones, I know you asked to speak with X; however, I am transferring you to Mr. Smith, our supervisor who will take your call. One moment please.”
How to give demo intro with a client via skype. I had demo with client, actually It was my first demo but it was not upto the level.. before starting the demo how to interact with the client…
Priyanka: You should always introduce yourself on all calls, whether on Skype or otherwise. For me, I simply say, Hello, my name is Syndi Seid from Advanced Etiquette and I’m most pleased we are able to connect on Skype. As you know… continue from there. Sometimes I also share I’m calling from San Francisco, California in the U.S. Hope this helps… Please let me know if you have other specific questions you want addressed. Good luck!
If I didn’t hear the name of the caller for the second time. can I ask it again or is there anything can I ask to know his/ Her name. sometimes when we asked for their names for the second time they got angry. Please tell me a solution???
Tutu: One way I ask a caller for their name a second time (because I didn’t hear it correctly the first time) is to ask, “Would you please spell your name for me? I want to learn how to pronounce it correctly when announcing your call?”
very good.. I’m going to use this tips… thanks for this…
I do consider all the ideas you have introduced to your post.
They’re really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for starters.
May you please lengthen them a bit from subsequent time?
Thank you for the post.
Dina: It is never easy to please everyone all the time. I’ve had comments our posts are too long and you are saying they are too short. We attempt to provide just enough to get folks going. If you have additional questions you want addressed, let me know. Perhaps we’ll publish a Part 2???
Thank you for sharing this. You can have X number of years of experience dealing with clients on the phone but it is always great to review a few tips. I have a few clients in Ghana, so when I make my phone calls to them, I make sure to speak clearly so they can understand me. Planning what you are going to say and talk about before the phone call is crucial. Loved this article, I will be sharing this article.
This is very helpful!!!!! I will use this during all my student/teacher calls!!!!!!1
I just read your article about phone etiquette. A woman asked how
to answer a call the correct way, especially when answering a call from a angry
person. Can you please send me the 2 articles you referred to? I just got a new job that will be starting this week. It is with a company that handles repossessions. I will in deed be taking calls from unhappy customers, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me do a good job, to know how to handle them better. I’ve never done this kind of job before. Thank you.
LB: I commend you for wanting to seek out resources to help you do what’s best for your job. There are many great resources on the Internet that can help you learn good phrases to use when conversing with someone by telephone or in person. Regrettably, unless I have specific examples of what you want to have resolved, it is impossible for me to suggest any remedies. Best wishes to you in your work.
CS: A agree customers love consistency; however, keep in mind uniformity should never sound like “canned speeches.” Calls should also be consistently personable and genuine. Delivering great telephone service will bring about trust and appreciation in your quality of service.
What is the suggested manner for excusing yourself from one call to pick up another and place it on hold?
Kaelie: A typical phrase is begin by saying: One moment please… and end with what is about to take place.
Some of these telephone etiquette tips like not allowing yourself to be distracted by other activities while speaking on the phone, reminded me of the time I worked at a call center and random things would happen. By the end of my time there, I learned the art of focusing on my work. It also made me wonder who was their telephone service provider and how did it cost.
Hi there ,
This is Sakthi , i just want to know that, if there any rules or to take call from the Caller within a Certain Rings .. if we don’t have a phone with us means, we cant take that, is it a manner???
Sakthi: There is no hard “rule” as to the number of rings a person must answer a call; however, because of standard answering machine settings from way back in time, most machine setting are within 4 rings. Therefore to me it has become somewhat standardized that calls should be answered within 3 to maximum 4 rings. For businesses calls should be answered within 2-3 rings.
I want to know is it right to use the word “Am I disturbing you or Can I disturb you?” if you really wanted to speak to the person for a business call. What is the right usage? I have heard some asking permission like ” Is it a good time to speak to you”, which is a closed ended question and most likely the answer may be NO…Call me later……Can I have a clarity on this especially when it is a business call.
Mahesh: It’s OK to ask “Am I disturbing you?” However, in my mind a person should not answer the phone if they are going to be disturbed. Almost everyone has voicemail these days. To say “Can I disturb you” should not be asked. “Is this a good time to speak with you?” is acceptable. However, the phrase I use most regularly is “Have I caught you at a good time to talk?” Then I also sometimes tell them why I am calling. “I just have one quick question to ask.” Good luck!
What if a person prospective customer calls your office phone and after introducing your company the person seem timid. Should you call back to find out what the person needs,?
Wayne: I am unclear what you meant by “timid.” Did the person hang up before you were able to hold any conversation? Or, did the person become timid during a conversation and hung up? If the person totally hung up before any conversation took place and you have the interest and time to call back, that’s fine. I’ve done it by saying: “Hello, Did you just call Syndi Seid and Advanced Etiquette? The call was disconnected before we could speak so I thought I would call back.” However, if the caller hung up after any conversation, not matter the reason, you must leave it alone and not call back. If you do, it could be considered as hounding for business???
Syndi,
Hello. I have noticed more and more folks answering incoming calls by letting their speaker pick it up. Am I the only one that finds this annoying and rude? I feel you should answer the phone via hand receiver, then if there is a need to move to speaker do so after you let the caller know what action you are doing. Am I totally off key here? It just seems very unprofessional.
Thanks in advance for your guidance on this issue.
Shelly: Yes, times they are a changin’. Bad me… I admit I used to work for a company where I often answered my phone using the speaker phone. The difference is once I heard who it was I would pick up the receiver to continue the conversation. If it was a solicitation call, I would say I am busy in a meeting and would get them off quickly. When an internal call from a co-working, it often helped to be hands free to get a file, etc. to answer their questions. Lastly when easily hitting the speaker phone button, the phone answered much more quickly than letting it continue to ring extra times when finishing that last email sentence, etc. Absent of my past explanations, I do agree with you a person should always as best as they can answer calls by picking up the receiver, versus using the speakerphone.
i am a tellcaller in an educational services there how i should conveyd the student to came down to the office.nd how i should speak with them so the student is not interested also they should say k i will try.plz help me.
Ayesha: I am told the best way to get someone to be interested in the products or services you want to sell is to share how you can help them overcome “pains” they may have and share the benefits they will gain from having your service. What you must not do is “tell or sell” them how good your service is; rather you can only “compel” them to want what they will “gain” from the investment. Good luck!
Hi Ayesha ,,,
Here its Shakthi ,
I Dont Know Whether My idea can Change the Way ,
Anyway , U First Tell them Where Are You Calling From ,
Then U have to Pour the Importance of the call Or the Reason For Your Call .
Then You Distinguish the Things to them .
May be it will Work Out For You …..
I think Soo .
Please Revert Through the Mail . if ther any further Clarification .
sakthi.mano@rediffmial.com
Dear Syndi.. I am an Engineering student. My personal contact number got leaked in my college and now i get lots of wrong numbers. some people also irritate me by calling me at night. I don’t even know them. I cannot react rudely as they might be my batch seniors who we cannot mess up with. So how should I deal with them?
Dear Neha: This is indeed a difficult situation. I can only imagine how annoying it must be. What’s important is to see if you can get to the source of the incorrect listing to get them to delete your incorrect number. Ask callers how they got the number and who they are trying to reach? Among other suggestions might be to keep your phone on silent mode, especially at night and for close friends to text you whenever they want to speak and you can call them back. This is no way to live, I understand. Beyond this, I truly don’t have much more to say, beyond change your number… which none of us would enjoy doing, for sure.
I am training on my communication skills. My English is very weak,and people make fun of me.. But recently I read your article. Your tips are really helpful.
I may not face my seniors and converse with them, but at least I now have the confidence to converse with them on telephone.. Thankyou.