With the recent influx of cell phones, the always on work environment and the rapid increase of things needing your time, phone etiquette has been lost in the mix. While I was on the phone with someone the other day, they got upset with me after I hung up on the call after they’d been on the other line for over 30 seconds. So, perhaps a refresher on phone etiquette or perhaps Todd’s Phone Etiquette:
- Always call showing your caller ID information if you want your call answered. Everyone has caller ID and everyone expects you to send caller ID information. So, do me and the rest of the world a favor and don’t use *67 and if you’ve restricted caller ID info at the telco level, have them remove the block.
- If you have called and I didn’t answer the phone, I know you’ve called (provided you show caller ID information). So don’t waste my time leaving a message asking me to call you back, you called for something, I see my missed call, chances are if I like you, I’ll call you back.
- Voice mail should only be left if the call is of the utmost importance. For instance my mortgage has been approved. Perfectly acceptable. The data center or network is offline, again acceptable. What do you want for dinner or just calling to say hi. Not acceptable. Remember, I saw that you called on my missed calls log. I’ll call you back when I have a few seconds.
- If you’re on the phone with me and you receive another call, only take it if you think the world is imploding. Concentrate on getting our conversation done with before moving onto another one. If you split all of your conversations in two, you’re slowly eroding at your available time during the business day. And if you take that second call and you’re not back in 30 seconds, don’t expect me to be there when you click back to me. My time is as valuable as yours, so you should not expect me to sit there waiting for you to finish your other call.
- Worried about not hearing your phone in public so you turn the ringer volume way up? And next thing you know you’re in the office or a quiet environment and everyone within a 5 mile radius can hear your phone ring? Yeah, unacceptable. Do like I do, set your ringer to vibe a couple of times first before ringing. I’d say 95% of the time I can get to my phone or silence the vibing before it goes to ringing. No one else hears my phone ring and I haven’t disturbed anyone around me. So do the world a favor and set your phone to vibe first or only vibe. More often than not, if my phone is vibe only I can hear it a few rooms over on the table. Much better than the alternatives.
- Finally, cell phone microphones are sensitive. Much more sensitive than your standard home phone. So even if you’re in the middle of Times Square, guess what, even if you talk in your normal or quiet voice, the person on the other end can hear you. There’s no need to speak over the street noise–that’s just silly and it annoys everyone around you.
There you have it. Todd’s Phone Etiquette. I know this applies to a lot of people who I’ve worked with in the past and currently work with. And to be honest, following the above makes your life easier as well as the lives of the people you work with.
great post Todd, completely agree with you on all points! this should be made mandatory reading, with a pop quiz. $#%&^%$# cell phones…
Absolutely, especially wrt juggling two calls at once. Not only is it generally rude, you’re spending my cell phone minutes placing me on hold. No, thank you.
(Hi, Todd. :) )