How to Make the Perfect Professional Phone Call

Professional phone calls are an important part of communication in the workplace. They are a great way of building client relations, gaining trust, and communicating effectively. Making your first few calls, however, can be intimidating. Nerves can get the better of you, meaning you forget key details and favour hiding away in e-mails in the future.

A few helpful hints can help you overcome these nerves and make sure your professional phone calls are productive and enjoyable. Learn how to make a professional phone call with confidence in the workplace. Here are five things to bear in mind to make your phone calls in the workplace a success.

Make a clear, confident greeting

If you’re unsure how to start a professional phone call, keep it simple. This may sound obvious, but whether you are making or receiving the phone call, it is vital to introduce yourself quickly and clearly. Say hello, give your name and company details, and (if you’re the caller) let the recipient know why you are calling. Doing this makes life easier for the person you are conversing with and gets the conversation off on the right foot.

Remember this is not an e-mail

Being brief and to the point is great in an e-mail. It allows people to access information easily and efficiently. Approaching a phone conversation in the same manner, however, can come off as abrupt or cold. This is not the impression you want to give to clients and colleagues.
To avoid this, remember to conduct the phone call like a normal conversation. Make small talk and ask how the other person is, rather than jumping straight into your work. This will allow the conversation to flow naturally and help to build a good working relationship with the person at the other end.

Speak clearly

Make sure you speak slowly and clearly throughout your phone call so that you are audible at all times. It is important to be as accurate as possible, especially when asking someone a question or if you need to quote a reference number. Smiling and remembering to breathe regularly can help you maintain a good speaking voice throughout the call. If you tend to speed up or become unclear whilst speaking, it may be worth practising in front of a mirror or with a friend to improve.

Enhance your phone call experience and concentrate on conversation without disruptions. Ensure that the audio is good and consider using high-quality telephone headsets for an improved performance.

Structure your call

Whilst it is important to be pleasant and polite on the phone, remember to keep your call on topic. It can be easy to get distracted during conversation and lose track of what you are saying. Doing so can waste valuable time and leave the person you are speaking with feeling lost or annoyed.

Before making your phone call, think about the reason why you are ringing. What do you need to get out of the call and how will you go about doing this? Some companies, particularly if you are working for a telemarketer, will have procedures for how to go about this. If not, create your own by noting down what you need to say during your conversation. Make a flowchart of how you want the conversation to flow and use this as a prompt whilst on the phone.

Clarify any follow-ups and give a clear sign-off

At the end of your conversation, summarise what has been said and clarify what, if any, follow-up actions have been identified. This makes all parties clear on what happens next. It is a good idea to write down all action points as they are summarised during the conversation, so they are easy to remember at a later date.

Now that you have discovered how to speak on the phone professionally with these tips, put these into use for your next call! And remember to give a clear sign-off to the people you have been speaking with. Thank them for their time and say goodbye.