54 Golden Nuggets: The Best of the Telephone Doctor

Controlling Personal Calls at the Office

Do you allow personal calls at the office? Let employees know your policy on personal phone calls. Develop a policy if you don’t have one. Help your staff follow your rules by giving them specific guidelines. Here are a few suggestions:

•   Never let an in-person customer wait while an employee is on a personal call. (Even if it’s a business call, the customer should be acknowledged—even if it’s only with a smile and a nod.)

•   Sometimes employees just don’t know how to tactfully tell a friend or relative they are at work and unable to talk. They may be embarrassed to tell them. Here’s a Telephone Doctor tip on how to handle that graciously:

“Aunt Mary, I’d like to hear more about your trip, but I’m at ...