The telephone plays a key role in everyday life. Whether for private or professional reasons, we speak to others on the phone several times a day. The focus is always on making a good impression. It is therefore important not to forget yourself when on the phone, simply chatter away or make the other person on the phone aware of your bad mood. The trick is to always come across as positive, irrespective of whether you have achieved your own objective or that of the caller or not. Only then will you be considered a trustworthy contact person on the phone for future calls. In this way, you not only do yourself justice, but also the reputation of the company is at least not impaired due to a negative attitude on the phone. It can only be improved. This applies in particular to receptionists or telephonists at the switchboard. This is precisely where it is important - also in today's digital age - to make a professional impression and to quickly handle and put through the call in the queue. 

But what is the best way to do this? There are people who are open and have a good telephone manner by nature, and those who come across as reserved and hesitant. But there are some principles. And we want to present these to you here briefly in the form of a list of 6 Dos and Don'ts.

Dos - 6 basic recommendations on how to conduct yourself on the telephone:

• When you receive a call, don't let the telephone ring for too long (max. 3 times) – on the other hand, if you only let it ring once before answering, this will be too much of a surprise for the caller. State your name and company or position in order to ensure a comprehensible and good start to the conversation. The caller immediately knows who he is dealing with and this does away with the need for initial questions such as: …who am I speaking to?...which company is this…?

• Then you should speak calmly and clearly. The person you are speaking to will thank you for this. There should not be any superfluous and unnecessary questions on what has already been said, and no annoying repetitions. If the quality of the transmission is adequate, and we will assume this for the moment, a focused conversation can be established.

• Be friendly on the phone. The person you are talking to will sense that you are smiling. Has your boss just told you off? Your PC has crashed and the monthly report which you have been working on for the past three hours will have to be rewritten? You see that your six numbers have come up on the lottery, but you forgot to buy a ticket this week? These and more are good reasons for being in a bad mood. This is understandable. But the next caller in the queue shouldn't notice your mood. You have to be a professional in this situation. On no account should you let the person you are speaking to notice any negative influences, which are not his business anyway. In this situation it is important to separate your private life from your professional one. Here you can show your true strength and the caller will see in you a reliable contact person.

• Address the caller directly, using the appropriate degree of formality. This adds a sound basis to the conversation. This way, you won't beat about the bush and there will be less reference to undefined responsibilities as in sentences such as: …that needs considering…a call will have to be made…there's nothing can be done… ‘’. Use the correct name of the other person when addressing them. They will have the feeling that attention is being paid to them. This lends an air of professionalism to the conversation.

• Unless your best friend is calling from the hairdressing salon because she wants to kill time while sitting under the dryer hood, or your great uncle is calling from the rehab clinic to tell you about his daily experiences…, then you should be brief and stick to the essential points. What is the aim of the call? How can you help the caller with as little interaction as possible? For nowadays, no-one in business has any time, people want everything done quickly. In this respect, you can also help by greeting the caller with as few words as possible and yet still satisfy his needs.

• Give the caller the feeling that you are taking his wishes seriously. Either you can spontaneously help him yourself, or you immediately find the correct contact and put him through to this person. If this is not possible, take responsibility and promise him that he will receive a call back or an e-mail reply. The caller feels he is being taken seriously. At the end of the call, wish him a nice day or something similar.

Don'ts - 6 basic recommendations on how not to conduct yourself on the telephone:

• Avoid cliché phrases such as: ...What can I do for you? How can I help you?... These phrases were the basis of a large number of training courses for telephonists for many years. But today they sound hackneyed, overused. It is better to let the caller speak after the greeting. Only in case he doesn't say anything, you could ask ... Can I help you? Otherwise, using clichés sounds like you are reading from a script.

• Avoid background noise. The caller should have the feeling that you are focusing fully on him. The sound of a radio or TV set in the background does not give the caller the feeling that you are taking him seriously. Also wireless headsets should not make the caller think that background noises are the sound of a toilet being flushed. This is a definite no-go. It is of course also self-evident that the caller may not hear the sounds of chewing, eating or yawning. If you have to cough for health reasons, you should apologize briefly and either place the microphone at a distance or keep the mute button pressed. The caller will then always have the feeling that he is being listened to and taken seriously.

• The situation where the caller does not feel he is being taken seriously can also arise without background noise. If the caller has the feeling that you don't have any time for him, he will not take away a good impression of the conversation. Even if you are under stress and really don't have much time, never let the caller notice this. Because after all you answered his call. This fact alone demonstrates your willingness to engage with the caller. Let the caller finish his sentence and do not interrupt him. And already you are a pleasant conversation partner.

• Modern-day telephone systems are able to place a caller on hold. At this moment, he is no longer directly connected to you, and instead hears music, an announcement or even nothing at all. This depends on your system's settings. But please never place a caller on hold without prior notification. Explain to him the reason why he will not be connected to you for the next few seconds.  Placing him on hold without telling him beforehand will annoy the caller and he might even hang up.

• Imagine the situation where you really don't have much time or in a very short time realize that you cannot help the caller. Please do not simply hang up. For your own time management will not benefit from this, the caller may possibly be on the line again in the next few seconds, because he believed he was the victim of a bad joke or thought a technical error had occurred. Always finish a conversation with friendly words.

• At the end of a conversation, you also improve a caller's day if you wish them a pleasant day. A friendly: ‘’goodbye’’ or ‘Have a nice day’’ only costs you 3 seconds, but the caller will remember you favorably and be happy to call you again.

One example of a workplace where a large number of phone calls are constantly made is the desk of a telephonist, a receptionist or call center agent. But equipped with a professional attendant solution (such as talkbase.com) and taking into consideration the Dos and Don'ts listed here, he/she will be able to carry out call handling tasks in a competent and friendly manner.