The caller was extremely upset and angry that people could do such a thing to these ancient and sacred grounds. She explained that a huge amount of hard work had been put into keeping the grounds presentable, only to find damage to bird houses and various other buildings. Fortunately none of the birds or animals had been harmed.

Full details were logged by UK Answer and the call was transferred to an emergency engineer.

CCTV cameras installed by our client caught the vandals in the act. The captured images enabled the police to identify the vandals, who were already known to them.

RULES OF ETIQUETTE
• Speak directly into the mouthpiece. If this is a problem because you use other equipment while on the telephone (i.e., computer), consider purchasing a headset, which will free your hands.
• Don’t eat or chew gum while talking on the telephone (your caller may ask what you’re having for lunch!!)
• If someone walks into your office while you’re talking on the telephone, DON’T cover it with your hands or press it against your chest (the caller may understand what you’re saying). Depress the HOLD button.
• Don’t place the handset in the cradle until you’ve depressed the HOLD button.
• Don’t lay the receiver on the desk, without placing the caller on hold (the caller will hear everything being discussed in your office).

ANSWERING THE TELEPHONE/GREETING
Answer your own telephone whenever possible and answer within 2-3 rings. There are a number of ways to identify yourself and your organization:
• LARGER ORGANIZATIONS – “Thank you for calling (dept name). How may I direct your call?”
• SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS – “Thank you for calling (dept name). May I help you?”
• DEPARTMENTS – “(dept name), Mary Smith,” OR “Mary Smith, may I help you?”
There has been a lot of discussion of using “good morning” or “good afternoon.” This is unnecessary if you use the right tone. Also, people tend to make mistakes when using these phrases (i.e., saying “good morning” when it’s really afternoon and vice versa).

PLACING CALLERS ON HOLD
• Remember to ask your caller “Do you mind holding?” or “May I put you on hold?” before doing so.
• If you take the time to ask your caller to hold, be sure to listen to the response.
• After placing your caller on hold, check back periodically (between 30-45 seconds). Give them the option to continue to hold if it will take longer to find information OR offer to call them back.
• When returning to your caller, remember to thank them for waiting.
• If your caller cannot hold, offer to take a message; transfer to another party; or arrange for them to return the call at a specific time.
• If you are not in a position to ask your caller to hold, tell the caller, “Please Hold” before depressing the hold button. NOTE: When placing multiple calls on hold, remember to return to the first caller you placed on hold first!!

TRANSFERRING CALLS
• Tell the caller the REASON you are transferring the call before you do so. Then ASK if it is all right to transfer their call.
• Call the department or person where you are transferring a call and make sure that they can take the call. If they are able to take the call, give them the person’s name, their request, and any other relevant information.
• Then, return to your caller and give them the name of the person they are being transferred to, the department and the telephone number (if possible).
• When you’re not sure to whom a call should be transferred, take their name and number and find out where the call needs to be directed. Also, give them your name and number as a reference in case the appropriate party does not contact them.

SCREENING CALLS
There is a lot of controversy over whether or not telephone calls should be screened. It is not recommended to screen calls for good public relations!! If you must announce calls, “Yes he’s in. May I tell him who’s calling, please?” is an appropriate response.
When it’s necessary to screen calls (i.e., if someone is available ONLY to certain individuals), “She’s away from her office; may I take your name and number?” OR “May I say who’s calling? Thank you. Let me check and see if he’s in.” are suggested responses.
If you are required to ask who is calling or what the nature of the call is, be aware of your tone of voice. Screening calls is always a delicate situation, so it is critical not to offend or put your caller on the defensive with your voice tone.

“IN CONFERENCE” TRAP
Because the phrases, “He’s in conference” or “She’s in a meeting,” are greatly overused, many people don’t believe it. The most appropriate response you can give is that someone is NOT AVAILABLE or is UNAVAILABLE. However, it is imperative to indicate when the person will be available (i.e., “She’s not available, but I do expect her back in the office at 3:00 p.m.).
Other inappropriate responses include:
• He isn’t in yet (and it’s 10:00 a.m.)
• She’s out for coffee
• He’s gone for the day (and it’s 3:00 p.m.)
• She’s in, but she’s busy
NOTE: If, on occasion, you say that an individual is “in a meeting,” ALWAYS include an approximate time when he or she will be available.

TAKING PHONE MESSAGES
Whenever possible, use telephone message forms to record accurate and complete information. A good phone message includes:
• Name of person for whom the message was left
• Caller’s name (get the correct spelling), company or dept. and number
• Date and time
• Message
• Action to be taken (i.e., “Please Call,” “Will call back,” or “URGENT”)
It is important to deliver the message as soon as possible and maintain confidentiality with all messages. Either turn the message over or fold them in half, so there is no danger that they can be read by other staff or visitors.

RETURNING PHONE CALLS
Most people find it frustrating when they return phone calls only to learn the other person isn’t in. To avoid playing telephone tag, try the following:
When calling someone, establish specific call-back times. Ask, “When is the best time for me to call again?” or “When is the best time for them to call me back?”
When taking calls for another individual, schedule return calls during specific blocks of time (i.e., “I expect him to return by 2:00 p.m. You can reach him between 2 and 5”).

PLACING OUTBOUND CALLS
Whenever you make a telephone call for yourself or your boss, be sure you have the right number before you place the call. Keep a “frequently called numbers” list within your reach and follow these suggestions:
• Get ready. Visualize your caller as a friendly, positive person
• Plan ahead of time the objectives you want to accomplish by jotting them down
• Identify the information you need to obtain from the conversation by stating your concerns up front
• Anticipate questions or objections you may encounter to avoid making additional calls
• Take notes during the call
• Spell out any follow-up action to the caller (such as when you plan to get back to him)

ANSWERING DEVICES
If you reach an answering device (i.e., answering machine or voice mail), leave the following information:
• Your name, including the correct spelling, if necessary
• Your department and telephone number
• Date and time
• Message, including a good time to reach you

CLOSING THE CONVERSATION
Many times people find it difficult to end a telephone conversation. There are some specific things that you can say to close you conversation professionally:
• Talk in the past tense and use “closing” phrases (i.e., “I’m really glad you called” or “I’m glad we resolved this concern”).
• State the action you will take
• Spell out follow-up action, including time frames/deadlines.
• Thank them for calling and say “Good-bye” not “bye-bye,” “Okie-dokie,” “Alrighty,” or any other slang phrase

PROPER TELEPHONE LANGUAGE
Although we tell our callers a lot through our voice tone, the words and phrases we use convey a message. Unfortunately, sometimes we send a negative message to our caller. Be aware of the language you are using. Instead of saying “You have to…You need to…Why didn’t you?” try “Will you please…Would you please?”
“Your problem” or “Your complaint,” would sound better phrased as “Your question,” “Your concern,” or “this situation.” Many people use phrases like “I can’t do that” or “it’s not my job.” Instead, tell the caller what you can do (i.e., “While I’m not able to establish policy on this matter, I will speak to my manager about your concern.”)
At all costs, avoid sounding abrupt. The following are examples:
• “Hang on.”
• “Hold on.”
• “Who’s calling?”
• “I can’t hear you, speak up!”
• “I can’t help you. You’ll have to speak to someone else.”
The following would be more appropriate:
• “May I put you on hold?”
• “May I say who is calling please?”
• “I am having a little difficulty hearing you. Can you please speak up?”
• “I need to transfer your call to (dept.) so that they can answer your question. May I do so?”

CLOSING
Telephone techniques are built from a few basic rules and principles. In fact, telephone etiquette can be summarized in one word: COURTESY. Unfortunately, courtesy is not something people are used to being shown routinely in the business world.
If the caller is a potential customer and you are courteous to him, you have an excellent chance of gaining a new customer. If he is an existing customer, you’ll keep him for life!

You and every other entrepreneur have one thing in common: You are almost certainly sitting on a fortune in untapped wealth. This fortune lies in all the areas where you have not yet optimized and maximized the marketing strategies that will create the wealth that you deserve.

Your hidden wealth can be found in the following:

• Every brochure, letter or email you write that does not build, create or nurture a deep and outstanding relationship with your customers and clients.
• Every letter or email that you would like to write but simply don’t get around to.
• Every pound or dollar you spend on advertising that does not work.
• Every pound or dollar you spend on advertising that does not utilize the proven techniques for improving response rates.
• Every customer that you don’t contact on an ongoing basis to ask for repeat business.
• Everyone who contacts you, online or offline who is never converted into a customer/client with effective Marketing.
• Everyone who searches on Google for your products and services who doesn’t see your website show up in the results
• Every magazine, newspaper, radio or TV station that you don’t appear on because you think PR is complicated.
• Every person who visits your web site who you never hear from again.
• Every week that goes by without you sending an email to your customers giving them some information of real value to them.
• Every one of your key team members (including you) who is not trained in leading edge sales skills.
• Every customer that you do not follow up with consistently for repeat business, with an effective Marketing communication strategy.
• Every time you refuse to charge what you truly deserve
• This list should motivate you – because every one of these areas where you are not yet performing at 100% of your potential, represents your hidden wealth – untapped assets that you can turn into extra profits immediately.

Secret No. 1: Focus on strengths not weaknesses (unless of course you want mediocrity)

For too long now, there has been a school of thought which suggests that people development is about eradicating weaknesses.  In some companies, they are even called ‘areas for development’.  However, by focusing on the negative, surely we encourage a workforce of mediocrity?  Wouldn’t our efforts be more richly rewarded by further developing peoples’ strengths and unleashing their unique talents?

You can do this by ensuring that the jobs you design, the training you offer and the coaching and mentoring you provide focus on building strengths.

That is not to say weaknesses should be ignored and allowed to fester.  Quite the contrary, they should be highlighted and understood so that practical ‘workarounds’ can be found, such as re-assigning parts of a job to others who have greater skill in that area.

Secret No.2: Lead by Example

It is well known that the environment in which people work has a measurable impact on their performance.

As the owner/MD of the business, what you do (i.e. how you behave) sets the culture and climate for your business.  You’ll only need to look at the impact people like Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Alan Sugar and Anita Roddick have on their organizations for proof of that.

It’s probably worth, then, taking a moment to consider what you are doing to deliberately and purposefully create the culture which will enable your staff to deliver at their best.  You might even want to get soundings from your employees, customers and suppliers to find out what words they use to describe the culture and how this impacts their experience of your company.  Then, take a look at your own behaviour and see what you are currently doing that supports this.

Armed with this wealth of information, commit to taking action.

Secret No.3: Recruit for attitude

We are all familiar with the distinction that is made between technical skills (such as computer literacy, accountancy skills etc), and so-called ‘soft’ skills (such as team work, interpersonal skills etc).  Is one set more important than the other?  By the very fact that they are called ‘soft’ skills suggests they are in some way less important than technical ability, and certainly that is often reflected in the way in which people make recruitment decisions. Is this, though, the best way?

Faced with the two candidates below, who would you rather employ?

Candidate One

A seasoned engineer who has several years experience of the piece of software he would be using.  During the interview, he is unable to give examples of how he goes about building good working relations with colleagues.  Equally, he doesn’t express any interest in his own development, favouring instead to just get on with the job in hand.

Candidate Two

An individual who has only recently started to learn about the piece of software she would be responsible for.  However, she has a good track record of learning about and then using other software.  To date she has taken an active interest in developing both herself and others.  She’s keen to ensure that she fits in well with the team and gave some good ideas about how she could ensure that this happens.

Our preferred choice would be Candidate Two.  Whilst Candidate One is most likely to be able to ‘hit the ground running’, how long would it before problems arise from his apparent lack of interpersonal skills?  Also, as the company’s needs change, how willing will he be to adapt and learn?

Candidate Two may require more help in the early days to learn the technical aspects of her role.  However, given her willingness to learn, and her ability to form good working relationships, this should not be a problem.  Recruiting for growth is something to keep in mind in all recruitment campaigns and Candidate Two’s flexibility, will serve the company better in the medium to long run.

Secret No. 4: Remove the blinkers

All too often when recruiting people, we filter out the skills which, at the time, don’t seem relevant.  As time passes by and your business develops, the needs of the job may change.  Also, it’s likely that your employees have developed new skills which you may be unaware of.

To help uncover these hidden talents, a great question to ask your employees is:

“What skills and capabilities do you have which we don’t currently use?”

By asking this question, perhaps during appraisals, new possibilities will emerge.

Secret No.5: Promote for future success, not past successes

When you employ someone who consistently demonstrates good technical ‘know-how’, always gets the job done and is regularly dreaming up new ways to improve processes, the temptation is to promote them to manager.  Wait! Be sure they possess the skills and capabilities that are needed to be a good manager; that is, being able to control, direct and organize the work of others whilst keeping them motivated.  Simply because someone is good at technical aspects of their job, doesn’t automatically equip them with these essential ‘people’ skills.

Whenever you promote someone be as vigorous in your selection process as you would be if you were recruiting externally.  If development gaps emerge, be certain that the skills required are ones which can be learned AND the employee wants to develop them.

If the individual isn’t right for the job, find other, more appropriate ways to recognize their hard work and the skills in which they do excel.

Secret No.6: Use cost-effective but effective training

One of the most cost effective ways of developing staff is ‘on the job’ training.  For the impact of this to be truly enduring, encourage more experienced employees to use a coaching approach.   By doing this, they will encourage the more junior employees to think for themselves, and so they will be more likely to remember what they need to do next time, and will take ownership of the task itself.

This contrasts to being told what to do which means the employee is likely to forget what they need to do next time they are faced with the problem.  This will mean coming back time and time again for instructions – a waste of everybody’s time.

Useful coaching questions include:

• “How would you go about the task?”
• “What options have you considered?”
• “What alternatives do you see?”
• “Reflecting on what you learned from doing this before, what would you do differently next time?”

Secret No.7: Completing the jigsaw

When recruiting a new person to an existing team, give due consideration to how the skills and qualities of the new recruit will impact on the performance of the team as a whole.

Along with observation and performance reviews there are also many robust techniques available for assessing team capabilities and balance (e.g. Myers Briggs Type Indicator).  If the results of the assessment reveal that the existing team has a tendency to think up great ideas, but regularly runs out of steam before the job is done, consider recruiting someone who likes to see things through to the end.  If the existing team often get so immersed in detail that they fail to see the ‘wood for the trees’, select someone who likes to see the big picture.

Essential in this mix, is to explain the recruitment choice to the team members so they understand the reasons for your selection and they can start to value the contribution the new member will bring.

Author: Kate Turner