Most of us use the telephone several times a day to talk with friends or make social arrangements . These calls are usually quite easy and require little planning. Using the telephone for business purpose is different. In any organization the person on the telephone represents the company and gives an impression of the firm to the outside world. If you want to ensure good public relations, you need to master effective telephone techniques. You should try to give an impression of an efficient, friendly, progressive company eager to give good service. Before calling Choose the right time. Consider the cost, urgency and convenience. When calling overseas, you need to consider the time difference. Check the number. A great deal of money is wasted each year on dialing wrong numbers. Plan your call. Make a list of points and questions to be raised. Be prepared. Gather any files, papers or information that may be needed during the call. It is unprofessional to have to say "Hold on while I look for that." If you have to ask a caller to hold on, keep going back and assuring him/her that you will be as quick as possible. Avoid interruptions. Call at a time when you are unlikely to be distracted . During the call Be courteous, polite. Make time for suitable greetings like "How are you today, Jim?" and "Did you enjoy your holiday"? Put a smile in your voice. Remember, your caller can not see you, so use intonation to good effect and try to sound confident, decisive, helpful, and interested. Check your notes. Look back at your notes to ensure that you have covered everything and quote figures and other data correctly. Get feedback. Make sure the caller understands the message correctly, especially deadlines and actions that are involved. Be courteous. Finish by thanking the caller for his or her time and trouble. After the call Make notes. Let it become a habit to make notes of the call and place them in an appropriate file. Take actions. If you need to send a letter of confirmation or inform someone in your organization about any details of the call, do it immediately so that you do not forget important points. During the call, it is unsuitable to   _  .
be heard in low spirits be decisive check your notes get feedback