As part of your daily tasks at work, you may be required to make and receive phone calls from colleagues, clients, and suppliers. If this is the case, you may want to consider the ways that you can improve the efficiency of call times, as well as make sure that calls are conducted safely and professionally.

Check Who Is Calling

Each call that you take will reduce the amount of time you have throughout your day. Due to this, you want to make sure that you are not wasting time. Something as simple as being called by a market research company can be tedious and annoying, especially if they try to get you to stay on the line, or keep calling back. By looking at who is calling, reporting any nuisance calls, and making good use of telephone blocking services, you might be able to limit any wasted telephone time. Another good idea can be to save the numbers of clients, colleagues, and even suppliers onto the phone itself, so you can easily see who you will be talking to.

Limit Personal Calls

There may be times where you need to make a personal call, either to arrange childcare, or make a medical appointment, however, numerous personal calls throughout the day can stop clients from getting through to you, and take up valuable working time. While companies should not record their employees’ private calls, there may also be disciplinary measures that come into place should you be found to be spending excessive time not focused on work. If possible, only make personal calls on your mobile, when away from your desk, such as during breaks. Many employers will recognise that there will be times where these calls might be urgent, and allow more leeway if this is the case. To keep in good standing with your company, it is advisable to not take advantage of their phone plan. 

Improve Confidence

While being polite is essential for meeting with success on the phone, you may also want to consider how confident you feel in talking to others. As an employee, you may need to be able to discuss solutions with clients, or even try to push for a sale. Without a level of confidence, you may find that your success rate is not as high as some of your colleagues. There are ways that you can improve your confidence, and self-esteem as a whole, such as through extra training, and even practice. In addition to this, clients may feel more assured about the services you offer when you don’t sound as hesitant while selling them.

Some people feel quite anxious when talking on the phone, which should be taken into account prior to applying for a job role which requires this skill. By considering the needs of the company, and your own skills and knowledge, you may be able to equip yourself with the tools you need to successfully speak to others, and avoid any unwanted callers.