Phone Conversations at the Office

A telephone remains one of the most vital office tools in the business world. Hence, it is imperative for any administrative assistant to possess efficient phone skills when handling telephone communication of any kind.

The way you interact on the phone provides a frontline though which customers and stakeholders see the organization so your first impression matters. What you say first will determine the vibe of the interaction no matter how long or short the call is.

As an administrative assistant you have a dual function. You represent the organization and your manager. Others say you also represent yourself.

Any phone conversation must not happen without the following items; pen and paper. You don’t want to run into an embarrassment where you put the caller on hold just because you want to fish out a pen from the drawer. This kills the momentum of the conversation and it makes you look unprepared and unprofessional.

Being a very important job, managing phone calls should not be improvised. You must plan how to answer incoming calls and how to introduce outgoing calls to other stakeholders. Know what you want to say even if it means writing a script which you have to master over a period of time.

Another of the required phone skills is creating an air of confidence between you and the person on the other end. The person on the other end must trust you for the information they are passing to you. Make sure you provide answers; whether negative or positive. It is good communication to tell a caller reasons why you cannot help than telling him a lie which might backfire when they meet your manager through another forum.

When you manage phone calls for your manager you are also managing time. Make sure you communicate efficiently and clearly so that you do not waste a minute of productivity. For example, if your communication is not clear, you will spend more time on the phone thereby hindering other productive incoming calls.

Finally, remember to always concentrate on the phone conversation. Leave every task aside and don’t shuffle papers and other objects because you risk making irritating noise or missing what the other person is saying.