Strategies for Effective Telephone-based Business Communications

It takes a certain knack to be able to communicate as well over the telephone as can be achieved in person. On a phone call, facial expressions aren’t part of the equation (unless it’s a video call) and even things that ought to be communicated such as tone of voice get lost in the message.

In an era of shrinking budgets, however, face-to-face meetings are often cut in favor of telephone meetings, it’s worth it for companies to ensure that their business phone systems are all they can be, and even educating workers who spend time on the phone how to make the most out of a business phone call.

Some of these techniques are obvious: make sure you have a high quality connection and you choose a quiet place to make your phone call. Some of the strategies are less obvious, as Nextiva’s Staci Matt underscored in a recent blog post. For starters, she recommends having – and sticking to – an agenda.

“Phone meetings have a tendency to get off-topic, so figure out exactly what you want to accomplish before it even starts,” wrote Matt. “Announce this goal at the beginning of the call, and if it begins to stray off-topic, you will feel more comfortable leading it back to agenda.  Be sure to also take notes during the call of what is discussed.  It can be easy to zone out while you’re on the phone and by your computer, but try to give it your full attention and write down important takeaways.”

The point of the call, of course, is to get some work done, not to make small-talk with the person at the other end of the line. Today’s business telephony systems provide a number of productivity-enhancing collaboration features, so don’t be hesitant to use them. You can use chat to share links, or document sharing to ensure everyone is looking at the same material at the same time.

Matt also recommends keeping it short, which makes for a smaller risk of going off-topic and wasting everyone’s time or adding confusion to the important issue at hand.

“In-person meetings provide an environment that make it fairly difficult to get distracted,” she wrote. “Everyone is in the same room, you likely have your laptop closed, and your actions are visible.  People have much shorter attention spans on phone calls.  They can be browsing the web, writing emails, or even mingling with coworkers on mute without anyone knowing.  To get the most out of a phone meeting, keep it short.  If you get down to business right away while people are still listening, it’s likely that you will get more accomplished.”

Finally, be sure to choose a business telephone system that guarantees high voice quality. Poor phone service can lead to wasted time (from the parties having to repeat themselves), errors and misheard information, and a generally unfavorable opinion by the called party of the calling party. (As in, “This company can’t even put good telephone service in place. Why should I trust them with my business?”)

“Choppy audio, disconnecting calls, and muffled sound all make communication extremely difficult,” wrote Matt. “Ensure that you avoid all of these problems by using a provider with reliable service, such as Nextiva.  Offering high-quality phones, a secure network, great conference lines, and Amazing Service, Nextiva makes sure that at least from a tech and service standpoint, your business phone calls will go smoothly.”

Edited by Maurice Nagle