Business Etiquette
Finally, avoid playing telephone tag by letting callers know specific times when you will be available. (“John, sorry I missed your last call. If you could phone me again at 2:00 this afternoon, I promise to be at my desk and waiting.) Be sure to keep that appointment just as you would any scheduled meeting.
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You’ve Reached the Voice-Mail of . . .
March 26, 2006
This month we’ve addressed how you can better organize you office, paper files, electronic files and e-mail. If you spend some time organizing your thoughts before leaving a voice-mail message, you’ll make the most effective use of that time, too.
Before you place a call, make sure you prepare a list of the discussion points you need to address. Whether you end up speaking voice-to-voice with the call’s recipient or leaving a voice-mail message, tell the recipient up front what you plan to cover. (“Hey John, this is Mary, I need to talk to you about three items.”)
If you leave a voice-mail message, state your name and the name of your firm or company at the very beginning. Summarize key content of your message, preferably in 20 seconds or less. At the very end of your message, say your phone number, slowly and clearly. If possible, repeat your number. Avoid saying your phone number so fast that others are forced to replay the message to accurately discern it.
Finally, avoid playing telephone tag by letting callers know specific times when you will be available. (“John, sorry I missed your last call. If you could phone me again at 2:00 this afternoon, I promise to be at my desk and waiting.) Be sure to keep that appointment just as you would any scheduled meeting.
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