The business etiquette of a telephone conversation makes life much easier. Today there are many companies. Some firms go bankrupt not because they are doing something wrong, but because their employees do not know the rules of telephone conversation with clients. Today I would like to tell you about how to conduct business negotiations correctly... If you want your customers not to turn away from you, learn business etiquette of a telephone conversation. This will help you look professional in the eyes of your partners.

1. Watch your intonation. During communication, people transmit information to each other using three methods: "sign language" (55%), intonation (38%) and words (7%). When communicating on the phone, we try to convey to the interlocutor the meaning of our messages using intonation and words ...
Intonation - 86%;
Words - 14%.
Your intonation and voice help the other person understand who you are. When talking on the phone, do not lie back on a chair and put your feet on the table. If a person is lying or half-sitting, the timbre of his voice changes, this happens because the angle of his diaphragm changes. Therefore, a person, even without seeing you, recognizes that you are lying.

2. Be sure to greet the caller. Greeting the caller makes it clear that their call is important to you. When answering a call, you shouldn't say: hello, I'm listening, and so on.

3. Always try to introduce yourself over the phone. After the greeting, be sure to introduce yourself and say the name of the company. When receiving external calls, two methods are used, the so-called "minimum" and "maximum": Method "minimum": Greetings + name of the organization. “Maximum”: “minimum” + the name of the person who answered the phone.

4. You try to answer the calls after the 3rd ring. If you take the phone off after 1 ring, then the caller may think that you have nothing to do. If the phone rings more than 4 times, then the caller will get nervous.

5. When calling, do not say "You are worried about ..." or "You are worried about ...". Just say: “Good morning, Marina is calling you from Ogonyok magazine.

6. Calling, ask if the person has time to listen to you. After introducing yourself, do not start talking about business right away, first find out if the interlocutor has time to talk to you. There are two ways to use these tips:

Introduce yourself + ask about free time + tell the purpose of the call.
Introduce yourself + tell the purpose of the call + ask about free time.

7. Try to get to the most important thing as quickly as possible. Introduce yourself and ask for time for a conversation, do not waste time on meaningless questions such as: Well, how do you like this weather?
When talking on the phone, busy clients don't like to stray from the topic. Of course, there is a small exception to this rule if you have developed a good relationship over the years of joint cooperation.

8. Using the "hold" function. This feature allows you to hold on to a client if needed. This function was created in order to: print the required document; call the right person to the phone; or ask a colleague for help. If you want to put the person on hold, ask if the other person has time to wait a little, be sure to explain the reason for the wait. For example: "Can you wait to help me contact accounting?" After resolving the issue, thank the person who was waiting. If you know you will have to wait a long time, then you shouldn't leave the person on hold. Apologize and say you will call back after solving his problem.

9. If you ask someone who is not at work now, do not hang up right away. If the right person is not available, offer your help. If the person does not agree to your offer, then ask them to leave a message. For example, like this: What should I convey to a colleague? This is called telephone ethics.

10. At the end of the dialogue, say goodbye to the interlocutor. Before you say goodbye to a person, ask: “Can I help you with something else?”, And only after receiving a negative answer, say goodbye.

11. Try to adjust to the speed of the interlocutor's speech. Don't assume that the faster you speak, the sooner the other person will tag you. On the contrary, not keeping up with your speech, people will miss the train of your thoughts and become completely confused. Try to vary the speed of your speech.

12. The rules of etiquette on the phone advise you. When communicating on the phone, you are not distracted: do not drink, eat or smoke. You can hear it very well on the phone and very annoying.

13. Do not apologize to the interlocutor for wasting his time. This advice applies to business meetings as well. If you think that you have distracted the interlocutor from important matters, then do not tell him about it aloud. Just say, “Sorry, our conversation has dragged on a little, I probably took a lot of your time.” Instead of apologizing, just thank the other person. It sounds something like this: I understand your busyness, thank you for the time spent on our conversation.

14. The ethics of telephone conversation recommends to beware of using the speakerphone (speakerphone). You should not use the speakerphone unless absolutely necessary and without warning the interlocutor. If a client hears that you are using a speakerphone, without his consent, he may be alerted. Moreover, he can draw certain conclusions. That person, besides communicating with me, has more important things to do, or most likely someone is eavesdropping on us.

15. Communication with secretaries. If in the course of your work you communicate with secretaries. You must listen to their opinions.

Here a few rules for a telephone conversation with secretaries. Don't consider yourself superior to them. Do not insult and humiliate them. Typically, these people have a lot of power over some of the decisions of their bosses. Secretaries can become either your allies or enemies, it all depends on you. If desired, they can present the information from you as another trick of the obsessive idiot. They are able to make sure that your mail never reaches the director of the enterprise. Using the etiquette of a business conversation on the phone, when communicating with a secretary, you get a faithful assistant. Try to build friendships with the secretary.

That's all there is to know about business telephone etiquette.

This is the fastest business contact and special skill. It is impossible not to recall a number of statements from the cart. Until the word is uttered, it is a prisoner of the one who was going to say it. When the word is said, the one who uttered it becomes his captive (Ancient wisdom); "I wrote a long letter because I didn't have time to write a short one" (Blaise Pascal).

The importance of telephone communication can hardly be overestimated, since this is the easiest way to establish contact; telexes, teletypes, faxes only supplement it. The ability of business people to conduct telephone communication affects their personal authority and the reputation of the company, the organization they represent.

Most professionals in the business world do not have special training for telephone conversations and negotiations, and often secretaries of receptions do not have it, although answering phone calls is their primary responsibility. Recently, in-house short-term courses on mastering the basics of working with office equipment, where special attention is paid to telephones, have been widely practiced abroad. Telephone proficiency is seen as an integral part of the new breed of white collar education. It is estimated that each phone call lasts an average of 3 to 5 minutes. Consequently, in total, for example, a manager loses about 2-2.5 hours a day on telephone communication, and sometimes from 3 to 4.5 hours. Phone calls disrupt normal work hours, breaking up the workday into short periods of time on average 10-30 minutes long (and sometimes 5-10 minutes), which makes it difficult to focus on problems and sometimes provokes stress. About 60% of calls on the office phone are in the first half of the day. In this regard, not only the ability to conduct a short conversation is required, but also to instantly rebuild, reacting in a mobile way to different partners and different topics.

Let's try to sketch out a plan for a short telephone conversation. Suppose you have 3 minutes to talk;

1. mutual presentation - 20 ± 5 seconds;

2. introduction of the interlocutor in the course of the matter - 40 ± 5 seconds;

3. discussion of the situation, problem - 100 ± 5 seconds;

4. final resume - 20 ± 5 seconds.

The skill of a laconic interview is acquired over time, as the repetition of conversations in strict regulations.

Documentation: In addition to the plan, the participant in the telephone conversation must know what documents he will need for the conversation (client card index, review, prospectuses, report, acts, correspondence, etc.).

Conversation recording: if necessary, you need to prepare everything for recording information.

Conversation behavior: You should pick up the phone and introduce yourself. Speak into the phone, pronounce words clearly. Find out if the interlocutor has time to talk (if not, ask permission to call back, specifying when.

Tune in to a positive tone. Try not to directly object to the interlocutor, listen to him without interrupting. Avoid monotony by periodically changing the topic and intonation of the conversation. In speech, avoid jargon and primitivism. Use pause effectively. If the interlocutor does not understand something, you must patiently explain what was said. And at the end of the conversation, clarify his (conversation) prospects.

IN AND. Benediktova in her book "On Business Ethics and Etiquette" gives a short list of what not and what should be done at the moment when the phone rings in your office.

In addition, you cannot turn the conversation into an interrogation, ask questions like "Who am I talking to?" or "What do you want?" You need to monitor your diction, do not hold the microphone with your hand when transmitting something from the conversation to those who are nearby - your comments can be heard by a partner talking to you on the phone. In case of making a complaint or reclamation, do not tell your partner that this is not your fault, that you are not doing this and that you are not interested in it!

So, mastering the culture of telephone conversation means the following:

• I only dial a phone number when I am firmly convinced that it is correct.
• I carefully prepare for a business telephone conversation, trying to be as short as possible.
• Before especially responsible telephone conversations, I make the necessary notes on a piece of paper.
• If there is a long conversation ahead, I ask the interlocutor if he has enough time and, if not, I postpone the conversation to another, agreed day and hour.
• Having achieved a telephone connection with the necessary institution, I name myself and my company.
• If I "got to the wrong place", I beg your pardon, and do not hang up silently.
• On an erroneous call I politely answer: "You have a wrong number" and hang up.
• While working on an important document, I turn off the phone or switch it to the secretary.
• In business telephone conversations I "keep myself in control", even if before that I was annoyed by something.
• As a response to the phone call, I give my name.
• During the long monologue of the interlocutor on the phone, from time to time I confirm my attention with short remarks.
• Concluding a business conversation on the phone, I thank the interlocutor and wish him success.
• If a colleague who is asked by phone is absent, I ask what to give him and leave a note on his desk.
• If the phone rings during a conversation with a visitor, I usually ask to call back later.
• In the presence of employees, I try to speak on the phone in an undertone.
• If the interlocutor is hard to hear, please speak louder or call back.

Based on the materials of the books: "Social Psychology and Ethics of Business Communication" (Moscow: Culture and Sport, 1995) and "F. Kuzin Culture of Business Communication" (Moscow: Os-89, 1997)

Modern business life cannot be imagined without phone. Thanks to him, the efficiency of solving many issues and problems is greatly increased, there is no need to send letters, telegrams or travel to another institution, city to clarify the circumstances of any case. You can do a lot over the phone: negotiate, give orders, state a request, etc. Very often, the first step towards concluding a business contract is a telephone conversation.

Humanity has been using the telephone for over a century. It would seem that there is enough time to learn how to use this technical means reasonably ... But the ability to speak on the phone is not inherited. Everyone masters the art of communication with the help of this apparatus. It is good if there are intelligent mentors or successful role models from whom you can learn how to speak correctly on the phone. Corresponding courses, various teaching aids on this topic are widely distributed in various countries of the world.

A telephone conversation has one important advantage over a letter: it provides a continuous two-way exchange of information, regardless of distance. But you also need to carefully prepare for a business telephone conversation. Poor preparation, inability to highlight the main thing in it, to concisely, succinctly and competently express their thoughts leads to significant losses of working time (up to 20-30%). This is what the American manager A. Mackenzie says. Among the 15 main reasons for the loss of time by a businessman, a manager, he put telephone conversations in the first place. Psychologists note that the duration of telephone conversations depends on their emotional coloring. Excessive emotionality creates the preconditions for speech indistinctness, non-intelligibility of phrases, which increases the time of a telephone conversation.

It is also known that during a telephone conversation such a phenomenon as satiety with communication is observed. It can be a source of tension between the parties. Therefore, during a conversation, you must observe the measure. Otherwise, the meaning of communication may be lost and a conflict may arise. Signs of satiety with communication: the emergence and intensification of unreasonable dissatisfaction with a partner, irritability, resentment, etc. You should get out of contact with a partner in time in order to maintain a business relationship. Plus, making long phone conversations can get you a reputation for being boring or talkative. Such a reputation will undermine interest in you and in your business proposals. To restore the good name of the company and its reputation, you will have to spend much more effort than when establishing the first business contact.

The art of telephone conversations is to briefly communicate what follows and get an answer. A Japanese firm will not keep an employee for a long time who does not resolve a business issue over the phone in three minutes.

The basis for a successful business telephone conversation is competence, tact, benevolence, mastery of conversation techniques, the desire to quickly and effectively solve a problem or provide assistance in solving it. It is important that the official, business telephone conversation is conducted in a calm, polite tone and evokes positive emotions. Even F. Bacon noted that it is more important to conduct a conversation in a benevolent tone than to use good words and arrange them in the correct order. During a business telephone conversation, it is necessary to create an atmosphere of mutual trust.

According to psychologists, positive emotions tone up the activity of the brain, contribute to clear rational thinking. Negative emotions lead to a violation of logical connections in words, argumentation, create conditions for an incorrect assessment of the partner, his proposals. Therefore, we can conclude that the effectiveness of business telephone communication depends on the emotional state of a person, on his mood. Skillful expression of ecstasy is also essential. It testifies to the conviction of a person in what he says, in his interest in solving the problems under consideration. During a conversation, you must be able to interest the interlocutor in your business. The correct use of suggestion and persuasion techniques will help you here. How to do this, by what means? Voice, tone, timbre, intonation say a lot to an attentive listener. According to psychologists, tone, intonation can carry up to 40% of the information. You just need to pay attention to such "little things" during a telephone conversation. Try to speak evenly yourself, to restrain your emotions, not to try to interrupt the interlocutor.

If your interlocutor shows a tendency to disputes, expresses unfair reproaches in a harsh form, and conceit sounds in his tone, then be patient and do not respond in kind. If possible, turn the conversation to a calm tone, partially admit his correctness, try to understand the motives of his behavior. Try to be concise and clear about your arguments. Your arguments must be correct in essence and correctly presented in form. In a conversation, try to avoid expressions such as: "good", "okay", "goodbye", etc. In a telephone conversation, it is also better not to use specific, professional expressions that may be incomprehensible to the interlocutor.

· It must be remembered that the telephone aggravates the deficiencies of speech; fast or slow pronunciation of words makes it difficult to understand. Pay special attention to the pronunciation of numbers, proper names, consonants. If in a conversation there are names of cities, towns, proper names, surnames, etc., which are poorly perceived by ear, they must be pronounced syllables or even spelled.

Business telephone etiquette has in its stock a number of cues to adjust communication. For example:

How do you hear me?

Would you please repeat that?

Sorry, very hard to hear.

Forgive me, I did not hear what you said, etc.

Before calling someone, remember: prolonged exposure to telephone calls negatively affects the nervous system (therefore, try to pick up the phone yourself as soon as you hear the call), unnecessary telephone conversations disrupt the work rhythm, interfere with the solution of complex issues that require deep analysis, discussion in calm conditions, i.e. interfere with the work of those who are nearby.

A home phone call to a business partner, a colleague for a business conversation can only be justified by a serious reason, no matter who you call: a boss or a subordinate. A well-bred person will not call after 22 hours, unless there is an urgent need for this or prior consent has not been obtained for this call.

As the analysis shows, in a telephone conversation 30-40% are occupied by repetitions of words, phrases, unnecessary pauses and unnecessary words. Therefore, you need to carefully prepare for a telephone conversation: pick up all materials and documents in advance, have at hand the necessary phone numbers, addresses of organizations or necessary persons, a calendar, a fountain pen, paper, etc.

Before you decide to dial a number, you should clearly define the purpose of the conversation and your tactics of conducting it. Make a conversation plan, write down the questions you want to solve or the information (data) you want to receive, think over the order of asking questions. State them clearly so that your interlocutor cannot interpret them ambiguously. Try to interest the interlocutor with the first phrase. Keep in mind the dates and numbers of documents, official materials related to the conversation, try to predict the counter-arguments of the interlocutor and your answers to him. If you are discussing several questions, then sequentially end the discussion of one question and move on to the next.

Try to use standard phrases to separate one question from another. For example:

So, we agreed on this issue ?!

As I understand you (in this matter), we can count on your support?

A conversation on each topic should end with a question requiring an unambiguous answer.

When preparing for a business conversation on the phone, try to answer yourself the following questions:

what is the main goal you set for yourself in the upcoming telephone conversation;

can you do without this conversation at all;

is the interlocutor ready to discuss the proposed topic;

are you sure of the successful outcome of the conversation;

what questions you should ask;

what questions the interlocutor may ask you;

what outcome of negotiations will suit (or not suit) you;

what methods of influencing the interlocutor you can use during a conversation;

how will you behave if your interlocutor

• will resolutely object, switch to a raised tone;

  will not react to your arguments;

  will show distrust of your words, information.

To prepare for a business conversation on the phone, especially long-distance and international, it is better to develop a special form in which the future conversation is recorded taking into account the predicted answers, for example, this:

At the end of a business call, spend 3-5 minutes analyzing the content and style of the conversation. Analyze your impressions. Find vulnerabilities in the conversation. Try to understand the cause of your mistakes.

Rules for conducting a business telephone conversation when they call you

If there is a phone call, it is rational to pick up the receiver for any call. You can, of course, not pick up the phone, if you keep working under the telephone trills. But at the same time, it should be borne in mind that with each half hour, calls will be heard more and more often: the number of subscribers you have not served is accumulating, they are forced to call again, for the third and fourth time. In the end, you have to toil with an almost continuous ringing. In addition, you can never know in advance which call will bring you a lucrative contract or valuable information.

It is best to pick up the phone after the first call. If you are alone in a room, you have enough time to finish a sentence or to read a paragraph in a letter you sent. It is perfectly acceptable to pick up the phone after the second or third ring. If you have a visitor, you have enough time to finish the phrase and, having told the interlocutor “Sorry,” pick up the phone. So, in all cases when the phone rings, it is recommended to pick up the receiver, without waiting, during the period from the end of the first to the beginning of the fourth call.

Sometimes there is poor audibility in the tube. But that doesn't mean you need to raise your voice. The opinion that if I hear the interlocutor badly, then he too hears me badly and, therefore, it is necessary to speak louder, is erroneous. Therefore, in case of poor audibility, you should not raise your voice yourself, but ask the caller to speak louder and ask how he hears you.

The most common variants of the first word spoken into the off-hook are “Yes”, “Hello”, “I'm listening”. These words are completely identical and impersonal in terms of their informativeness, and therefore do not in any way characterize the one who picks up the telephone receiver.

Reviews “Yes”, “Hello”, “Listen” can be called neutral, since they do not carry information about who answered the phone and in which organization or firm. Therefore, in business communication, you should abandon neutral reviews and replace them with informative ones. After picking up the phone, you need to immediately name your institution (and on the internal phone the structural unit: department, editorial office, accounting, etc.), as well as your surname.

Thus, when answering a call, you should always introduce yourself. People want to know who they are talking to. It also creates an atmosphere of trust and helps to better understand the interlocutor. Find a formula that you like to be friendly (how you would like to be answered).

Don't let your negative emotions go out. Your interlocutor is unlikely to be interested in the fact that a couple of minutes before that you had an unpleasant conversation with your boss or just got up on the wrong foot.

With frequent calls or in a hurry, they usually call the surname with the addition of the word “I listen” (“Ivanov is listening”) or indicate only the name of the institution or its department: “Accounting”, “First department”.

In all of the above cases, the subscriber must know with whom he is talking or at least where he is. If an error occurs when dialing a number, the misunderstanding will be immediately clarified and will not entail a loss of time to find out.

The phone rang. You have picked up the phone. Again - for the umpteenth time - they ask a colleague who is absent. Frowning in displeasure, you sharply answer several times: "He is not!" and immediately hang up. But let's think about whether you yourself provoke repeated calls with your answer. Where is the exit? He is in a polite and more detailed response to every phone call to an absent employee, no matter how annoying you are. The optimal answer in this case may be something like this: “He is not, it will be then. Maybe something to convey to him?

When your colleague sitting at the next table is asked to the phone, you can answer the request: "Now" or "One minute", after which invite a colleague to the apparatus, for example, "Now ... Ivan Ivanovich, you!" Make sure that the information transmitted in someone's absence reaches the addressee. While organizing the exchange of information through third parties is not easy, it can pay off handsomely. In order to find out what you need, ask questions using the questionnaire principle (“Where are you calling from?”, “Your last name and your phone number?”, Etc.).

Below is a short list of what to do and what not to do when your firm's phone rings.

The list is endless. For example, you cannot turn the conversation into an interrogation, ask questions like: "Who am I talking to?" or "What do you need?" You need to monitor your diction (do not smack, etc.). If you speak with an accent, try to speak clearly. Avoid the habit of pinching the microphone with your hand in order to say something to colleagues - the other person can hear.

If your interlocutor makes a complaint over the phone, do not tell him: “This is not my fault,” “I don’t do this,” etc. If you say so, this may negatively affect the reputation of your organization and will not help the client in solving his problems. Therefore, let him talk to the end; express sympathy to him, and if you are to blame, apologize; write down his name and phone number, order number or other details. If you promised to call him back, do it as soon as possible, even if you were unable to resolve the problem by the appointed time.

There are phrases that should be avoided in telephone conversations to avoid misconceptions about your business. These include, in particular:

1. “I don’t know”. No other answer can undermine the credibility of your organization so quickly and profoundly. Above all, your job is to know - that is why you are taking your place. If you are not able to give an answer to your interlocutor, it is better to say: "Good question ... Allow me, I will clarify this for you."

2. "We cannot do this." Instead of “out of the box” refusal, suggest, for example, waiting before you figure out what you might be helpful, and try to find an alternative solution. It is recommended that you always focus on what you can do first, rather than the opposite.

3. “You must ...”. Serious error. Your client doesn't owe you anything. The wording should be much softer: "It makes sense for you ..." or "It would be best ...".

4. "Wait a second, I'll be back soon." Think, at least once in your life have you managed to cope with your affairs in a “second”? Unlikely. Tell your interlocutor something more like the truth: “It may take two to three minutes to find the information you need. Can you wait? "

5. “No”, uttered at the beginning of a sentence, involuntarily leads to the fact that the path to a positive solution to the problem is complicated. There are no universal recipes for getting rid of negative bias. Each phrase containing disagreement with the interlocutor should be carefully considered.

As practice shows, even with a cursory acquaintance with the theory of telephone conversations, the work of employees is significantly improved and at the same time the level of satisfaction with their own work increases - it is pleasant to talk to polite people.

Often, when communicating with an interlocutor, we give preference to talking on the phone. This is not entirely logical. Why does someone who called you on the phone have the right to interrupt your conversation? After all, he turned to you later than the one who is next to you and with whom you were talking. The newcomer is forced to sit and wait, listening to the telephone dialogue, and then restore the broken threads of the conversation interrupted by the telephone call, and sometimes remind again what was discussed before. That is why, if the conversation with the person sitting with you ends, you need to ask the telephone interlocutor to wait without hanging up. If you feel that the conversation will last another 10-15 minutes and it is serious enough, you need to ask to call again in a quarter of an hour, when you are free.

In some cases, telephone messages are used during telephone communication. A telephone message, as a rule, contains information not exceeding 50 words in length. If a conversation on the phone is a dialogue not limited in time, then a telephone message is a written fixation of a monologue, regulated in time.

Obligatory requisites of telephonograms are the name of the institution (company) of the addressee and addressee, the requisites “from whom” and “to whom” indicating the position, surname, name and patronymic of officials, number, date and time of transmission and reception of the telegram, surname of the person who sent and received the telephonogram, phone numbers, text and signature.

The telephone message must have a title. It is composed as for a service letter, that is, it must begin with a noun in the prepositional case with the preposition “o” or “about”.

Telephone messages are written in the telegraph style, that is, briefly, clearly, precisely, unambiguously, in simple sentences. A two-part composition of a telephone message is allowed: in the first part, the facts that prompted the telephone message are stated, in the second - the actions taken. As a rule, the text of the telephone message is stated in the first person (for example: “We remind you ...”, “We inform ...”, “I ask you to send ...”).

In order to streamline the recording of transmitted and received telephone messages and eliminate the possible incompleteness and inaccuracy of their transmission and recording due to the negligence of the performers, it is recommended to have at hand clean forms of approximately the following form:

TELEPHONOGRAM

Addressee Addressee

Name Description

No. .... date .... No. .... date ....

Transfer time .... hour. .... min. Reception time .... hour. .... min.

Submitted Received

Telephone message header
________________________________________________________________________________________

(Signature)

When it comes time to end the telephone conversation and say goodbye, they follow the rule: whoever started the conversation first, that is, whoever called, should end it.

The person who has been called should not be impatient and do everything possible to “round off” the conversation. This is bad form. You start to say goodbye, and the person talking to you may not have learned everything yet or has not understood everything.

How should you say goodbye to your interlocutor? We will give only two pieces of advice. The first tip is to thank the interlocutor again if he congratulated you on something or provided you with pleasant information. The second tip - if you think it is necessary, assure the interlocutor that you are always glad to receive a call and a personal meeting, or just say goodbye and wish you all the best.

Rules for conducting a business telephone conversation,
when you call

When the thought occurs to you to call, do not grab the telephone receiver right away. First of all, you need to understand for what purpose you are going to call and what the content of the conversation should be.

The number should be dialed carefully, without haste. Do not slide the disc with your finger during the reverse (working) stroke. It is possible to violate the specified speed of rotation of the disk, and you will get a failure or incorrect connection. You should not act as fast as you can. The fact is that the connection speed of searchers on the PBX may lag behind your pace, and you, again, will not get through to the subscriber.

The load factor on telephone lines in our country is higher than we would like. Therefore, we hear short beeps when trying to get through almost more often than long ones. Telephone lines have their "rush hours", when busy beeps may appear not after, but during dialing, after the sixth digit, fifth, fourth, and sometimes the first. Therefore, being able to call is a concept that includes not only the ability to dial a number and conduct a conversation, but also the ability to “break through” on the phone to the desired subscriber.

The easiest way to get through is to dial the desired number continuously over and over again, if possible without pauses. Nothing better than this method can be offered if you are trying to solve a case over the phone, which is very important to you.

"Popular wisdom" has become widespread: before dialing the last digit, take a long exposure. It is assumed that during this exposure, the previous conversation will end, and no one else can get through to this number, since you are keeping the phone line busy (which is incorrect). There is even such an option - not just take a shutter speed before dialing the last digit, but dial this number and hold the disc for a long time. Such "tricks" are meaningless: they do nothing but download telephone networks.

In cases where the business you are calling may wait a while, it is advisable to use the regular dialing method. At the beginning of the working day, you write down the names and phone numbers of all persons with whom you need to contact today on a piece of paper. Then you start calling from the list. If the next number is busy or does not answer, go to the next one. Having “called” the entire list once, you do not return to those numbers that were busy, but go on to perform other work. Mental hygiene requires a short rest after every hour of work. So after about an hour, grab the list again and go through it from top to bottom. As a result, several more names will be deleted. So, with an interval of an hour and a half, you arrange “telephone” pauses in your main work and, giving your head some relief, at the same time gradually solve the difficult task of getting through.

In response to your call, you heard “Hello” from the other end of the line. After that, it is recommended that you always give your last name and say hello before starting a direct conversation, even if you expect to be recognized by your voice. The most acceptable way to start a conversation is the following: “This is Vasiliev. Hello ... (after the answer "Hello") ... ask Sabitov ".

If you are in a hurry, you can refuse the greeting, but then be sure to add the word “please” to your request: “I’m Sabitova, please.”

It is very important to start a conversation without being forced. To do this, it is necessary to link each subsequent question with the previous one, as in a normal conversation. From the responses, you need to quickly isolate information about the client's needs.

At the end of the business part of the conversation, do not indulge in a feeling of relief in the discussion of political or domestic news, even if you have a moment of free time and the appropriate mood. First, ask whether your interlocutor is inclined to carry on such a conversation, maybe he just does not have the time or desire for this.

Introduction

In the absence of an opportunity to speak directly with a client or partner, it is often necessary to resort to communication by phone. According to experts, an average of 27% of working time is spent on business telephone conversations. Business telephone communication is used for the purpose of conducting negotiations, presenting a request, etc. Often, it is a telephone conversation that is the first step towards concluding a business contract, therefore it is necessary to know the culture of business communication on the phone and follow the rules of its conduct.

"The professional ability to conduct a business telephone conversation makes a favorable impression on the interlocutor and all those present, increases the speaker's reputation, contributes to the success of his business, and allows him to solve the assigned tasks." 1

Compared to a business letter, a telephone conversation has an important advantage: it provides a continuous two-way exchange of information. However, it should be remembered that the use of the phone should be justified: the time spent on the call should correspond to the importance of the issue being resolved. It is advisable to streamline telephone conversations during the working day, as this will free up a significant part of the time for the main work.

A business telephone conversation should be preceded by careful preparation. In the case of poor preparation, inability to highlight the main thing, competently, concisely and succinctly present your thoughts, there is a significant loss of working time. You should also learn to predict who will call you and when in order to properly prepare for the conversation.

Features of business telephone communication

"A telephone conversation is a contact in time, but distant in space." First of all, the specificity of telephone business communication is determined by the distance factor of communication. The interlocutors do not see each other, therefore intonation is the only paralinguistic factor here. The main redistribution of the informative load is carried out between the verbal and intonation levels. In other words, in business telephone communication, intonation is as significant as the content of speech. The intonation pattern of the beginning and end of speech should be given special meaning, since it contributes to the consolidation of the entire spectrum of positive emotions: respect for the interlocutor, confidence in their positions, optimism, etc. According to psychologists, if there are discrepancies between the content of speech and intonation, the interlocutor trusts the latter more.

The cost of a business telephone conversation and the impact of the cost of a minute on the features of its textual organization is the next specific aspect of this type of communication.

If the communication is an ordinary intracity one, then the time schedule for a business telephone conversation is from 1 minute to 1 minute 15 seconds (if it is an informative conversation) or 3 minutes (if it is a conversation in order to solve a problem). At the same time, the following compositional parts are distinguished. (Table 1)

Table 1 - Compositional parts of a business telephone conversation

Since the cost of a long-distance telephone conversation is higher, its duration, as a rule, should not exceed 1-2 minutes, therefore, it is necessary to pronounce only what is necessary to understand the issue and present information. Due to the tight time regulation, the rate of speech is quite high. The same reason explains the difference between the presentation during a business telephone conversation and the presentation during a personal meeting: first, you should name the company, then - the position and surname of the caller. The rigid time limit explains the existence of stable speech formulas assigned to a particular situation and facilitating the choice of the verbal form of information transfer. So, when moving to the introduction of the interlocutor in the course of the matter, the following phrases are often used: "I must inform you (explain to you)", "I need to inform you (discuss with you)", "I call you on the recommendation (upon request)" and etc. In the absence of visual contact, it is necessary that the reactive cues ("Yes," "Understandable", "Okay", "Well, well") were more energetic, as they accompany the message. If necessary, they can be expanded into full-blown responses. Moving on to the discussion of information, speakers often use methods of paraphrasing ("In other words, you think ...", "As I understand, you state ...", etc.) and authorization ("According to our information ...", " According to my assumptions ... "etc.) information.

In the case of poor audibility or a large volume of difficult-to-understand information, the interlocutors use corrective remarks ("Sorry, I didn't hear", "You didn't quite understand me", "Did you understand my message?", Etc.).

The interlocutor, seeking to seize the initiative, uses regulatory remarks ("Sorry, I will finish my thought," "Sorry, I have my own thoughts on this," etc.). It is necessary that these kinds of cues follow the reactive cues or begin with the word "sorry" ("sorry"). The possibility of intrusion into someone else's speech is due to the time limit, however, due to the existence of good manners, in this case it is necessary to use etiquette vocabulary.

From the standpoint of the implementation of the speech concept, the resulting stage plays an important role. Unlike everyday communication, in a business conversation, farewell words are the final phrases that complete the topic of the conversation, as well as those containing gratitude for the phone call, congratulations or wishes. It is necessary that the etiquette phrases accompanying the end of a business telephone conversation are used adequately to the situation. So, for help, invitation, offer, information provided, one should thank, for concern, long conversation, unauthorized call - apologize. At the final stage of the conversation, the interlocutors can express hope for a quick meeting, a favorable outcome of the case, and a solution to the issue. Like greeting formulas, goodbye formulas are varied. The most common farewell formulas are discussed in Table 2.

Table 2 - The most common farewell formulas

It is not always possible to speak directly with a partner or client. Therefore, very often we have to contact the phone. It is estimated that business people spend 4 to 25 percent of their working hours on telephone calls. Thanks to the telephone, the efficiency of solving a huge number of issues increases, there is no need to send letters, telegrams or go to another institution, enterprise or firm. Telephone communication provides continuous two-way exchange of information at any distance. Negotiations are carried out over the phone, orders are given, requests are made, consultations are given, inquiries are made, and often the first step to concluding an agreement is a telephone conversation.

To master the rules of effective telephone conversations, you must first understand the distinctive characteristics of this type of contact and take into account all the significant components of this typical communicative situation.

Communicative setting - to arrange the interlocutor for further business contacts; receive, transmit reliable information without wasting time and money on business trips or correspondence.

Role-based installations. In a business conversation on the phone, the roles of the interlocutors are no different from those in direct contacts, however, the initiator of the conversation gains an additional advantage, since he thinks over his behavior in advance, choosing a convenient moment and manner of conducting the conversation.

Non-verbal means of communication on the phone can be pauses (their duration), intonation (expressing enthusiasm, agreement, alertness, etc.), background noise, and in addition, the speed of picking up the phone (after a dial tone), parallel addressing another interlocutor, etc. .d.

According to the "telephone etiquette" accepted in the business world, each speaker must, regardless of the course and end of the conversation, adhere to a certain set of etiquette-speech formulas for telephone communication (Table 3).

Table 3

Etiquette and speech communication formulas

business communication conversation negotiation

The ability to speak on the phone without wasting time and at the same time, solving all issues, presupposes possession of a certain set of speech formulas.

There are phrases that should be avoided in telephone conversations to avoid misconceptions about your business. These include, in particular:

• 1. "I don't know." No other answer can erode your firm's credibility so quickly and profoundly. Above all, your job is to know - that is why you are taking your place. If you are not able to give an answer to your interlocutor, it is better to say: "Good question ... Allow me, I will clarify this for you."
• 2. "We cannot do this." If this is true, your prospect will turn to someone else, and it is very likely that his new conversation will turn out better. Instead of giving up out of the way, suggest, for example, waiting before you figure out what you might find useful, and try to find an alternative solution. It is recommended that you always focus on what you can do first, rather than the opposite.
• 3. "You must ...". Serious error. Your client doesn't owe you anything. The wording should be much softer: "It makes sense for you ..." or "It would be best ...".
• 4. "Wait a second, I'll be back soon." Think, at least once in your life have you managed to cope with your affairs in a second? Unlikely. Tell your interlocutor something more like the truth: “It will take me two or three minutes to find the information I need. Can you wait? "
• 5. "No", uttered at the beginning of a sentence, involuntarily leads to the fact that the path to a positive solution to the problem is complicated. There are no universal recipes for getting rid of negative bias. Each phrase containing disagreement with the interlocutor should be carefully considered. For example, for a refusal to a customer demanding monetary compensation for a poor-quality product, an explanation such as: "We are not in a position to pay you compensation, but we are ready to replace your purchase."

The ability to speak on the phone without wasting time and at the same time, solving all issues, presupposes possession of a certain set of speech formulas.

Start a conversation

Information occasion:

They call you from the company ..

My last name ... I would like ...

The sales manager is talking to you ...

Request, request for information, desire to receive advice or support:

Are you worried about ...

Can I talk to ...

I want to know...

Could you give information ...

Researchers claim that a person makes the decision to continue the conversation in the first four seconds. But the opening phrase is usually neutral to the main subject of the conversation. First of all, the timbre of the voice, the intonation of confidence and friendliness, the measured rhythm of speech will help you to make a good impression right away. Next, you need to think over the main phrase that decides whether to continue the conversation; it should contain promise, intrigue, novelty of approach to the problem, etc.

Highlights of the conversation

An intriguing promise: benefit, profit, effect, free services, speed of execution:

We have an interesting offer for you ...

We would like to make you a mutually beneficial offer ...

We would like to acquaint you with the new system of our discounts ...

We now have the opportunity to provide a number of services for free

We recently changed the system of supplying goods, so ...

You cannot be sure that every telephone conversation will end with an immediate agreement. But if you are a polite person, do not interrupt the conversation, do not grumble, do not dismiss this interlocutor forever; who knows, maybe later you yourself will refer to him.

End the conversation

Neutral:

Goodbye.

All the best. Thanks for the information.

Good luck, all the best.

Looking forward to future contacts:

I am sure that our contacts will be productive.

I think we found a common language.

I was glad to hear. I hope we will continue our conversation when we meet.

Thus, a telephone conversation as a type of business interaction, due to the lack of visual contact between interlocutors, increases the importance of oral and speech means. Requirements for preliminary thinking over the scheme and content of the conversation, the possession of a certain set of speech formulas that allow you to win over the interlocutor, inspire confidence in your organization, and also tactfully regulate the duration of the conversation, are increasing.