In this age of Internet, email and electronic communication, the telephone is still one of the most important business tools.
Customers expect to be dealt with professionally and competently, so effective phone communication skills are vital.
Good customer service can give a company a competitive edge, while ineffective telephone behaviour can cost millions in lost sales opportunities.
Apart from a positive attitude, whatever business you are in, staff dealing with phone enquiries need training in a number of essential skills.
These include transferring a call, placing a call on hold, dealing with angry callers, responding to enquiries about correspondence, using a caller's name and taking messages correctly.