Telephone etiquette refers to a set of rules that apply when people make calls to others or when they are receiving a phone call. There are slightly different rules for a variety of situations. Making and receiving personal calls are not the same as making/receiving business calls. Within this set of rules there can be differences, especially for business calls where companies may want callers or receivers to say certain things.

For personal telephone etiquette, calling someone means doing several things. A caller should identify him/herself when not recognized right away. In calling a friend or relative, for instance, after the initial “Hello,” the caller should come up with a greeting and identification. “Hello/Hi this is John.” Sometimes a last name is needed if the person being called is an acquaintance or a business representative.

The next thing that is needed in telephone etiquette is a request for something, such as speaking to someone else in the house. Variations exist on this like “May I speak to Horatio,” or “Is Horatio available?” If Horatio is not available, it may be necessary to leave a brief message, but it should be one easy to right down. Sometimes the only thing necessary is to leave a phone number.

Even this simple telephone etiquette takes a while to learn. It’s a good thing to teach children, as they often don’t know it, can’t identify themselves, and won’t leave any form of concrete message. Children should also be taught how to answer a phone, and all people can benefit from the following some standard etiquette concepts, including:

• Pick up the phone promptly with a salutation like “Hello,” and not “Yeah” or “Go!”
• Be prepared to take a message and always have pencil/pen and paper handy.
• If the call is undesired, as from a solicitor, merely inform the person in an even tone that there is no interest for the product or service, say goodbye, and gently hang up.
• Alternately, screen calls and let unwanted calls go to voicemail.

Business telephone etiquette is similar in many ways to home phone calls and reception. Yet, the business should be even more vested in remaining polite, since poor phone manners can have a negative effect on business reputation. Calling out from a business is similar to a personal call. The person should begin with a greeting, identify self, and identify employer. This should then be met with a concise statement or request to speak to someone.

At this point, a message may need to be given and it should include nature of business and contact information. This isn’t always possible because, due to privacy laws, certain businesses can only talk to the person they are trying to reach. When such is the case, simply trying back later or leaving contact information may be the most a caller can do.

In receiving the business call, a businessperson also attempts to be polite, understand the caller’s needs, and take messages if required. There tends to be a code for both businesses and personal calls when claiming someone cannot come to the phone that relates to where the unavailable person is. People should not disclose the desire of the unavailable person not to speak to a caller or any private location like showers/ bathrooms/ doctors visits of that person. Instead, simple statements that the person isn’t available are enough.

Every phone call is an attempt at communication between two people; it’s a method for imparting and receiving information. When telephone etiquette isn’t observed, communication may be thwarted. In general, people are asked to keep language more standard, as opposed to using slang, to be polite to each other, and to make it clear who caller and receiver are. While it may be okay from time to time to depart from etiquette, especially when calling very well known friends, greater adherence to it is useful.