📞 Professional Telephone Etiquette Guide 📞

1. Answering the Phone Professionally

✅ Answer within 3 rings to show attentiveness.

✅ Greet with a warm and professional tone

Good morning

Titan Builders

Susan speaking

How may I help you?

✅ If answering a personal business call, a simple “Hello, Susan speaking” works well.

2. Speaking Clearly & Confidently

✅ Use a clear, steady tone—don’t mumble or speak too quickly.

✅ Smile while speaking—it naturally makes you sound more approachable.

✅ Avoid slang, jargon, or filler words like “umm” or “like” in professional settings.

3. Using Professional Language

✅ Stay polite and respectful at all times.

✅ Use positive language—for example, instead of “I don’t know,” say “Let me find out for you.”

✅ If the caller has an accent or speaks quickly, politely ask them to repeat rather than guessing.

4. Active Listening

✅ Let the caller finish speaking before responding.

✅Take notes for complex queries.

✅ Repeat key details to confirm accuracy (“Just to confirm, you need this by Friday, correct?”).

5. Using the Phonetic Alphabet for Clarity

✅ When spelling out names, addresses, or reference numbers, use the phonetic alphabet to avoid confusion.

✅ Example: “That’s ‘B’ for Bravo, ‘E’ for Echo, ‘N’ for November.”

Letter	Code Word	Letter	Code Word
A	Alpha	N	November
B	Bravo	O	Oscar
C	Charlie	P	Papa
D	Delta	Q	Quebec
E	Echo	R	Romeo
F	Foxtrot	S	Sierra
G	Golf	T	Tango
H	Hotel	U	Uniform
I	India	V	Victor
J	Juliett	W	Whiskey
K	Kilo	X	X-ray
L	Lima	Y	Yankee
M	Mike	Z	Zulu

✅ This is especially useful for difficult names, postcodes, email addresses, and reference numbers.

6. Transferring & Holding Calls

✅ Always ask before placing someone on hold: “Would you mind holding for a moment while I check that for you?”

✅ If transferring, explain why and let them know who they’re being transferred to.

✅ Check back every 30-60 seconds if they are on hold.

7. Making Professional Calls

✅ Plan key points before calling to stay concise.

✅ Identify yourself and your company at the start.

✅ If leaving a voicemail, keep it short: “Hello, this is Susan from Titan Builders. Please call me back at 09569874125 regarding your quote."

8. Handling Difficult Calls Gracefully

✅ Stay calm and professional, even if the caller is frustrated.

✅ Acknowledge their concern and offer a solution: “I understand this is frustrating, and I’m here to help.”

✅ If necessary, escalate to a supervisor rather than arguing.

9. Ending the Call Professionally

✅ Summarise any key points or next steps.

✅ Thank the caller: “Thank you for calling, have a great day!”

✅ Allow them to hang up first to avoid accidental disconnection.

Mastering these telephone techniques ensures clear, courteous, and effective communication—keeping professionalism alive in an increasingly digital world! 📲