Phone Etiquette: The One's I haven't Come Across
Not a day goes by when I receive calls and emails from people introducing themselves or calling me back regarding work. One would think that in 2010, we pretty much nailed down art of leaving voice mails or greeting someone on the phone or replying to a voice mail. But I guess, for the majority, it is still a learning experience. A lot has been written over the years about phone etiquettes but here are some that I have not come across and ones that drive me crazy and I wish people would be a little more diligent about how they communicate in general:
When you talk to someone over the phone, in addition to above, here are a few more:
Link
When leaving voice mails:
- Context: PLEASE PLEASE tell me why you're calling me. Don't give me your name and # and expect me to remember why you called. If you are Mike, I know 8 Mike's so tell me your last name and the company you're calling me from and regarding what.
- Clarity for Return Communication: When you leave me your call back number, do not so fast as I have to replay your message 10 times to get each 10 digit. Slow down a bit and think if you could remember a 10 digit # yourself if you spoke that fast. Talk fast until you reach a communication point where you need me to take down your tel #, email or an address. Second, do not assume I have your cell phone # on my phone because my phone could have been switched off, out of network or you may be calling from a private line.
- Black-Out Awareness: Most calls I receive are from people on cell phones. Cell phone technology in the US is ~12 years behind (I am being generous here) the rest of the developed world. So things like 'dead spots', going in and out of network, latency, etc is very common even on our so-called 3G networks. Be aware of this fact and don't expect that I got every word of what you said. I know - this is not your fault but as far as possible, make sure you have network on your cell phone before you touch that dial-pad.
- Story Telling Habits: If it takes you >1 min to convey something in a voice mail, wait to talk to me or email me. Either clarify your thoughts before you call and if the topic is indeed big, just wait till you get me on the phone. A voice mail is meant to convey a quick message for a follow-up, not an engaging but 1 way conversation.
- Device Awareness: I avoid talking to certain people when they call me from their cell phone when they sound like they have a wet towel around their mouth. Then there are phones which do not have any concept of back-ground noise cancellation and pick up every little sound forcing me to hear everything else other than the message in the voice mail. This is true for both land-line as well as cell phones. Be aware of how you sound to the other person. There are folks out there with devices that are 10 or more years old so honestly - get a new device. They're not that expensive you know!
- Call back Protocol: Almost everyone that leaves a voice mail expect me to return their calls. But the question is, I don't know when to call you because I don't know your time zone neither do I know when you are free. Tell me the time and date you left me the message because carrier voice mails are not reliable and are sometimes not instant. I could be in the airplane and switched off my cell phone or my battery could have died. Then tell me a few times i can call you at and on which time zone. I have landed up returning someones call at 5 AM California time and that is embarrassing for me as much it is for you.
- Location Awareness: So you have great network availability, a high-end smart phone and you are a pro at leaving voice mails. But you call me from the airport or you are in a food court of a mall or you are walking the streets of New York. That means I can't hear a word of what you just said in the voice mail. It is difficult for me to decipher your message from the gate attendant or that crying child at the mall. Especially when you have a Bluetooth ear-piece around you.
- Context: I love it when people call me and say "Hi, this is Ben". My instant reply to something like that is "Hello, and I am Harry Potter". Because I have no idea who Ben is - unless I work with a Ben or have a friend/family who is called Ben and I have talked to you a hundred times before. Refer to the context piece above for voice mails because the conversation only gets interesting after the Harry Potter retort! :)
- Time Sensitivity: Most people just start talking to me once they make an introduction. It reminds me of call center sales calls from people reading scripts as soon as I pick up the phone, unaware of whether I have the time or the appropriate frame of mind or the opportunity to have whatever conversation you seek to engage me in. Unless we have scheduled a call, be courteous enough to ask if this is an appropriate time and that how long I can talk for. Do not assume that I will listen to you as soon as you open your mouth. And be respectful of people's times for work calls. I have received calls at 9 PM on a Friday and 2 PM on a Saturday. Unless we mutually decide on a time like this, I am not sure I would want to give you a call back if I hear from you at ungodly hours.
- Topic Sensitivity: This may sound like common sense but I have had folks call me regarding confidential and very private topics in a public place. Just wait till we meet or till both of us are in a place where we can talk freely. Maybe you don't want to talk about certain topics over the phone at all.
- Stop Multi Tasking: Stop typing, chewing, eating, drinking, taking a dump, constantly cough while in a conversation. I really don't need to hear you when you poop!
- Group Conversations: Conference calls are interesting, especially when a group of you are on a speaker phone. Most corporate conference devices are downright bad and sound like a Jedi's hologram relayed from a distant galaxy. Get closer to the device if you have one of those star-fishes in your conference room or any device owned by companies like Nortel, Cisco or Avaya! :)
posted by Janak Joshi @ 12/29/2009 04:43:00 PM
2 Comments:
Simple and important. Thanks
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