7 Tips for Even Better Phone Calls
Many of us have felt the significant increase in unsolicited phone calls to our cell phones, homes phones, and even work phones, in the last couple years. We’re getting calls about various products and services we may or may not want. We’re getting calls about political campaigns or polls we may or may not want to participate in. And can you believe that just the other day I got a call alerting me that I had won the vacation of a lifetime?!?
So many of us are reluctant to answer the phones at all anymore. In fact, there are a number of people out there who really dislike talking on the phone. In some cases, you might say this is generational, and there might be some truth to that. But it’s not just about age, it’s about communication styles and communication preferences regardless of when you were born.
Today we offer some tips on getting better at phone calls, whether you’re receiving or placing them, whether it’s for work or for pleasure, that might help us all out just a little bit.
Tip #1: Answer well
I’ve heard people answer the phone with “Yo” or “Go” or “What?” This kind of a greeting makes it really tough for the caller, who may not know quite how to respond to that abrupt answer, to begin the conversation. A simple identification of who we are is important. If you’re in a workplace, identify your company, “Thank you for calling Your Clear Next Step, this is Sinikka, how may I help you?” Some of those phrases wind up getting a little long and some of us are more impatient than would allow for a lengthy greeting. But, because the person on the other end of the phone might very well be a potential customer, or someone who could influence your potential customers, especially in the workplace, when we identify ourselves with our place of employment and our name, we are setting ourselves up for even better success.
Tip #2: Identify yourself first
If you’re the one placing the outbound call, beginning by identifying yourself is a critical first step. Identify who you are and why you’re calling. Even the spammers know to do this, certainly we can too. It’s best not to assume the other person has caller ID or voice ID (the ability to recognize us from the tone or sound of our voice) already knows we are. We need to identify ourselves with a quick phrase: “Hi, this is Sinikka from Your Clear Next Step.”
Tip #3: Ask if now is ok
Next, you need to pause and check in with the person you’ve just called. Even if it was a scheduled call, it’s always best to say something like “Is now a good time to talk?” Confirming that now is an ok time allows the call recipient a chance to say “Yes, this is great” or “Yes, let me just grab my notes and shift my focus to our conversation” or “No, it’d be best if we could move this call to another time.” If you don’t extend this courtesy, you could find yourself in an unproductive, or even harmful, conversation with someone who can’t or doesn’t want to be there, either mentally or physically.
Tip #4: Restate the objective
Before you launch into the rest of the conversation, now’s the time to be sure you are on the same page as the person on the other end of the line. Restate what you believe the objective is for the call by saying something like “The reason I’m calling is…” or “If you’ll recall we set up time to talk about this particular project we’re working on.”
This does two things. First, it gets both of our heads in the game, to make sure we’re focused, on topic, and not wasting too much of each other’s time on other issues. Second, it allows us to set expectations and remind ourselves that the topic at hand has a beginning, middle and end.
Tip #5: Ask if the connection is clear
This quick and simple tip can save lots of time and headaches. Simply asking “Can you hear me ok?” or “Is our signal working alright” gives us a chance to double check our reception and make any necessary changes (like switching from speaker phone to headphones or moving to a quieter space). If you know you are in a place with spotty cell service, now’s a great time to give the person on the other end a heads-up and instructions on what to do if the call is dropped.
Tip #6: Pause for questions
Many of us have been on those calls that feel very one-sided. The person on the other end continues to talk without ever giving us the opportunity to respond or ask questions, leaving us trapped and silenced. The continuous conversation leaves us mentally juggling the words that are still being said, the questions we now have, and our responses for the thing that was said five and half minutes ago.
Since we all know how crumby and uncomfortable these conversations can feel, let’s all commit to avoiding in them when we can. When you realize you’ve been talking for more than a minute or so, pause intentionally, and say something like “Hey I've talked for a bit here. I want to pause and see what questions you have.” to allow the other person to chime in.
Our conversations are most productive when they have the chance to be a dialogue, rather than a monologue. We shouldn’t engage in a conversation if we aren’t committed to making it a two-way exchange.
Sidebar: The same tip applies on our personal calls. If you realize you’ve dominated the conversation for some number of minutes, it's not unreasonable to pause for a second and say something like “I'm sorry, this has all been about me. How are you doing today? How are your kids? How is your family? What's new with you?” Give the person you're talking to a chance to realize you are aware of your monopolization and you want them to join in on the conversation.
Tip #7: Watch the clock
Especially since we've worked hard to lay the groundwork in tips #3 and #4, just as you would in any face-to-face meeting, it’s important to keep an eye on the clock. In general, many of us believe phone calls shouldn't last more than five to 10 minutes, unless they’re previously scheduled for longer.
If your phone call is running longer than you’d planned for, don’t hesitate to wrap it up and find some additional time on the calendar. If you find you're having trouble bringing the conversation to a close, try using a phrase like “I've been abusive of your time already, let me wrap this up,” or “Oh, time is getting away from us I'm so sorry to have gone on so long, how can we bring this to a close?” or “Thank you so much for your patience in this conversation! I realized we went a little long. Let me wrap this up quickly so I can get you back to what you were doing today.” Any one of those types of messages might be useful, especially if you're engaged in a conversation with someone who does value their time and might appreciate knowing that you do too.
So, there you have it, a handful of tips to help make our phone calls, even better. What will you apply?