Phone Etiquette - Still A Desirable Feature

As time changes, so do expectations and etiquette as it relates to a large spectrum of things including the telephone. Think about it – what was your experience like as far as using the telephone say, 40 years ago? For one thing there were only stationary phones so you were limited to location when placing and receiving calls.  Then there was no caller ID so there was no way to know who was calling you unless you actually answered the phone. Nor was there any call waiting. So if you were on the phone you would not know someone was trying to reach you and the person calling you would be greeted with a busy signal. Fact is the telephone as we know it has evolved over the years and now includes wireless/mobile ability.  Not only that, it now includes a lot of features that were not even imaginable let alone possible back then, i.e., call return, caller block, three-way calling, call forwarding, repeat dialing, etc. So it stands to reason that as things changed so would what is deemed acceptable as far as phone etiquette is concerned.

Keeping in mind that there are still people who do not have a mobile phone or any of the extra features mentioned above on their house phone, I still offer that for the mass majority phone etiquette is still warranted.  I say that because I have found that some people tend to be unconcerned with how they treat their callers. Either they have never been on the receiving end of the treatment that they themselves exhibit or they just have not given it any thought at all. Let’s say you are on a call and you receive another call. What would you do?  Most people will ask the first caller to hold on while they take the other call but they may or may not click back over in a timely manner. Personally I have a 60-second rule meaning I will hold on for as long as it takes for them to let the other caller know they are on another call and will call them back or for them to click back over and tell me they need to take that other call/need to call me back. 

Sometimes, depending on who the person is or how busy I am, I may give them a little more time to click back over but no more than three minutes, which is generous. Think about it – how much time do you need to tell someone you are on a call and need to call them back or to make a determination whether or not the nature of the call dictates that you take it?  Most times than not when you get a call you already know, based on who the caller is, whether or not you need to take that call right away. So if you are on the phone talking to your best friend and your doctor/boss calls in, why not tell your friend right then that you will call them back before you take the other call, especially since you don’t know how long that call may last? Better yet, if you are going to take another call, why not end the first call before clicking over?

I know that there are lots of reasons why people chose to take a call while on another call, but there is no reason to leave people holding on while you engage in another conversation. One of the most frustrating things for me, besides being cut off in the middle of my conversation, is being told to hold on mid-sentence while relaying a crucial situation only to have the person come back to say “I wish I didn't answer that call.” Or “I hate when people call trying to sell me stuff.” Are you kidding me? Surly you have caller ID but more importantly, you have voice-mail.  Don’t get me wrong – my frustration does not come from the fact that they clicked over to take another call but rather that they gave no consideration to me or who was calling before clicking over. 

When I am on a call I tend to give the person I am talking to my utmost respect and only take calls on a need to basis. So if I get a call while I’m on a call I check to see who is calling. If it’s one of my children or an expected call I tell the person I am speaking to that I have another call coming in and will call them back or talk to them later. If it’s not one of my children or a call I am expecting, I let the call go to voice-mail.  If I do decide to click over, I quickly find out the nature of the call and make a determination whether or not I need to end the previous call. Sometimes, if the nature of the call I am on is very important, I will let my children go to voice-mail and call them back when I get off the call. However, mobile phones now have options where you can send a text message to the caller if you chose not to take their call letting them know why you could not take their call, for example, “I’m on another call” or "I’m in a meeting.”  You can also include your intentions to return the call later if you chose to.  

While no one can dictate to you when and how to answer your phone - and I’m not trying to do that - there are some simple behaviors that are just necessary courtesies. For starters you should value your caller’s time. If you chose to take a call while on another call, be considerate and try to get back to them as soon as possible. If you find that the second call supersedes the first call then simply let the first caller know you have to call them back/you have to go. 

If you find that getting back to the first caller is virtually impossible because the nature of the second call dictates you stay on the line and the first caller subsequently hangs up because they could not wait indefinitely, be thoughtful and call them back with an apology.  Trust me, they will appreciate the gesture because nobody likes being kept on hold and I’m guessing not even you. I’m just saying – I got issues. What about you?)i(

© Copyrights All Right Reserved
 The views and opinions shared here are by the Author and are the property of Todos Escribe.