I HAVE GOT A PHONE, AND I KNOW HOW TO USE IT! (Part 1)
For years, people had two phone numbers: home and business. Now there are his and hers cell phones, business cell phones, fax numbers, message lines, work phones, and the list goes on.
The phone has definitely become a driving force in our lives, but you must be careful to not let the phone take over your life. By setting limits on your telephone communication habits, you will be more productive and effective.
Make every phone call valuable.
If someone calls you, they are unaware of what you are doing the moment before they call you. Because you answered, they often will assume that you are available to talk. It is your job to quickly find out what they are calling for and urge them to get to the point. It is not rude to say, “Hi, Bob. I only have a couple of minutes, but what did you need?” or “Hi, Samantha. I assume you are calling about that information we talked about earlier. Is that correct?”Take control of phone communication immediately or the caller may dominate the call and waste valuable time.
You also need to evaluate the professionalism of your cell phone’s incoming call voice mail. It should be brief and professional. If your cell phone company has the option, remove the recorded caller instructions, so they do not hear, “To leave a callback number, press five. To leave a message wait for the tone. When you have finished your message, press pound or just hang up.” People already know how to do this. It is grueling to have to listen to those instructions. If you do not know how to remove those instructions, call your carrier and ask them. More info, visit http://www.communicationessence.com
