For Employees: Handling The (Fairly) Obvious

I would like to start this out by saying that I can understand how interactions over the phone can be harrowing and confusing, especially if you are making any attempt to multitask. That being said, this post (Wednesday, July 27) is about handling phone calls.

Last week, I had three calls for interviews. One was with a local fitness facility chain, another for my new current employer. The third was from another branch of the fitness chain, whom I missed because I was interviewing with the first branch. However, in an effort to be polite, and increase my chances of making a good impression, I called the second location back. I figured being honest would pay off. What follows is an actual transcript of my phone conversation with an employee in the fitness facility. She had a very high voice and seemed very young.

Girl: "[Blank] Club. How can I help you?"
Me: "Hi! I received a call from [Manager]. May I please speak with her?"
Girl: "Umm......(1) [Manager] is gone for the day." She sounded confused here, almost as if it were uncommon for a manager to be contacted via telephone.
me: lol
Me: "Can I leave a message, or would there be another day that's better to call?"
Girl: "Ummm....... Hold on a sec..." She put the handset down and came back a few seconds later. "She's working tomorrow."
Me: "What time would be good to call her?"
Girl: "Umm, let me check the schedule..." Again, she put down the handset and returned after a few more seconds (2). "The morning..."

I admit, this girl seemed sweet and genuine. However, I felt slightly put off by the idea that there was a possibility this would possibly be a future co-worker. This poor girl, whom I am unable to even censor because she did not provide a name to do so, triggered several negative responses with her lack of any telephone composure. First, I had almost immediately formulated a judgment about the girl and the rest of the staff at that location. Second, I had begun to theorize what kind of person and administrator [Manager] was if she had hired this girl, and what expectations (or lack thereof) awaited me for an interview. Third, I was slightly disenchanted with the idea of patronizing that particular location because I had doubts as to the staff's capabilities. None of these responses were negative enough to trigger anything more sever than minor annoyance and disappointment, but it did not make their particular location stand out as Shangrila, either.

It bears consideration that employees should be given some semblance of training in telephone etiquette, and that calls for the manager be expected without a total loss of capacity to think (3). If you are unsure of how to speak to strangers when not face-to-face, answering the telephone might not be the wisest choice for an employee.

When I worked at [BLANK], I was given a speech for the phone: "Thank you for calling [BLANK], this is Richard. How may I help you?" Over time, I adopted a more specialized, longer speech: "Hello, and thank you for calling [BLANK] in [Branch Location], my name is Richard. How may I help you today?" Perhaps some supervisory guidance on how to make that over-the-phone connection should be provided.

Notes:

1- I used the ellipses twice because the trail-off was about twice the appropriate timing for what ellipses denote.

2- The time the Girl put down the handset was minimal. It was a minor inconvenience that was more abrupt than anything else.

3- This is an exaggeration. Sometimes we all get flustered and/or blind-sided, especially if we are doing multiple things at once. The trick is to not let anyone else realize that is happening.