It seems that there are surprisingly many people who have become working adults and have worries such as “I can’t answer the phone” or “I’m not good at calling.”

Company telephone support

• I have to talk to people I don’t know
• I don’t understand the other person’s expression
• no mistakes allowed
• You may receive complaint calls

There is a sense of tension peculiar to business.

Some people are thinking about quitting or changing jobs because they can’t overcome their weaknesses, but in many cases, even if they change jobs, answering the phone will still be there.

Rather than avoiding it because you can’t do it or you’re not good at it, it’s better to get used to it.

In this article, we will introduce the characteristics of people who cannot answer the phone and how to overcome their weaknesses.

Characteristics of people who cannot answer the phone and how to deal with them

What type of people are most of the people who can’t or are not good at answering the phone?

Let’s take a look at the personality traits and characteristics and how to deal with each type.

bad at conversation

For people who are not very good at speaking, the phone itself may be painful.

People who are not good at conversation tend to feel pressure when talking to the other party, saying, “I have to make it exciting” and “I have to make sure I don’t fail.”

However, when answering the phone in business, it is most important to “listen accurately to what the other person is saying and take the necessary action.”

If you focus on responding accurately and politely without raising the hurdles for conversation yourself , your weak feelings will fade.

nervous

On the phone at work, you have to talk to people you don’t know or people you don’t know, so people who are shy may get nervous.

Also, since you have to make calls in an office environment with other people around you, you may be worried about being overheard.

What you need for people who are easily nervous is to increase their telephone response experience anyway.

At first, you may feel nervous about answering each phone call, but as you do it, you should be able to relax and respond naturally .

can’t sum up the main points

During the first call response, you may receive a message for another employee.

In order to convey the other person’s story to other people without excess or deficiency, it is necessary to have the ability to grasp the main points properly and summarize them.

It’s extremely difficult to summarize the main points while talking on the phone, so make use of notes.

Simply write down what you heard and organize it after the call is over .

I’m afraid of talking to people whose faces I can’t see

Some people may find it difficult to convey their emotions over the phone because they cannot see the other person’s face.

There is so much information that can be gleaned from a person’s facial expressions and gestures during a conversation, so it’s no surprise that people feel insecure when they can’t see their faces.

However, since it is natural for business calls to have a specific purpose, in most cases the other party will clearly state the purpose .

Don’t worry if you can’t read the atmosphere or guess something from their facial expressions.

Bringing back bad memories and failures

Memories of failing to answer the phone or being harshly spoken to can become traumatic and can lead to phone phobia.

In order to overcome trauma, it is necessary to face the cause properly .

Learn phone etiquette and how to respond correctly so you don’t make the same mistakes again and again.

If it’s because you hit a nasty customer, you may just be unlucky.

Once you figure out the cause, you may realize that it wasn’t a big deal.

Points that are easy to fail in telephone correspondence

One of the reasons why people are not good at answering the phone is that they tend to make mistakes when they hear or say something wrong.

The contents introduced here are points that even people who are accustomed to answering telephones can easily make mistakes, so please approach correspondence with the stance of “I can’t help it even if I fail, I don’t care.”

bite

Biting on the phone is surprisingly common.

On business calls, you may repeat the long company name or the name of the person you are hearing for the first time.

It’s not good to worry about it too much, as it may bite enough to make you conscious that you should not bite.

You can practice your company name and frequently used words, but it is also important to be defiant when you answer the phone and say, “It’s okay to bite.”

If you can relax and answer the phone, you will surprisingly stop biting.

inaudible

It sounds muffled on the phone, so you might miss a word or mishear it.

It’s perfectly okay to repeat what you don’t understand, so check until you understand.

If you still don’t get it no matter how many times you ask, you can try changing the way you hear it, such as “How do you write it in kanji?”

I made a mistake in honorifics

It is a common mistake to mispronounce honorifics.

Recently, there have been cases where incorrect honorifics have become common in customer service terms, and there are many people who have memorized them incorrectly.

Honorifics used in telephone correspondence are limited to some extent, so let’s memorize fixed phrases.

could not answer the question

Have you ever had an experience where you couldn’t answer a sudden question on the phone, or you rushed and gave an irrelevant answer?

You can’t predict what kind of questions the other person will ask you over the phone, so it’s okay if you can’t answer them right away .

If you don’t understand the question, ask the other person for clarification.

If you can’t answer on the spot, it’s OK to call back and secure time to check.

How to graduate from “people who can’t answer the phone”

However, these traits are due to prudence and seriousness, and are also the person’s strengths.

The important thing to overcome “I can’t do it” is to eliminate the resistance to answering the phone.

People who can’t answer the phone have the potential to greatly improve their skills by preparing and practicing.

Learn how to respond, practice how to speak fluently, and get rid of the fear of phone calls.

Learn telephone etiquette

It is effective to learn manners and honorifics in order to gain confidence in answering the phone.

Work phone calls have a set flow and pattern.

If you know what to do and what to say, you won’t be lost or rushed to respond.

practice role-playing

Once you’ve mastered the phone-handling procedures and honorifics, get help from others and try role-playing on the side of the person making or receiving the call.

You can practice more practically by assuming various cases such as inquiries, intermediaries, and absence correspondence .

Being able to experience a simulated caller (customer) will also be helpful in brushing up on your telephone support skills.

Listen carefully and imitate people’s reactions

Let’s listen carefully to the response of people who are good at answering phones at the company.

You should be able to learn a lot, such as the tempo of conversation, the use of words, and how to backtrack.

If you take in the parts that are helpful to you by watching and imitating them, you can improve your telephone response.

Impression improvement tips that can be executed immediately

However, on the phone, even if you don’t have such high skills, you can make an impression with a little effort.

Here are some quick and effective phone-handling tips.

The first voice is a bright voice

First impressions on the phone are important. Answer the phone in a lighter tone than usual.

The first word is “Thank you for calling. We are XX Co., Ltd.”

Speaking in a bright and pleasant voice will give a good impression of the company.

speak clearly and slowly

Make sure to speak clearly on the phone, as it may be difficult to hear each other.

If you speak too fast, you may not be able to hear what you are saying and you may have to ask again and again, and it may even cause you to chew.

You can speak at the pace of the other person, but if the other person is not in a hurry, you can speak at a speed that makes them feel like they are slowing down.

Make a conscious effort to speak slowly and politely, especially when dealing with an elderly customer.

become a good listener

When answering the phone, it is more important to be a good listener than to try to speak well.

Since the person you are speaking with cannot see your face, you should give a moderate nod to show that you are listening.

Acknowledgments are not just “yes” or “yeah”

• You are right
• goodbye
• That was tough, huh

It is effective to use words that are close to the other person’s feelings .

take notes

Be sure to have a pen and paper ready to take notes while answering the phone so you can review what you said on the phone later or report it to your boss.

If you can’t take notes quickly while talking, just scribble key words.

If you write down even the smallest things, they may come in handy in unexpected ways.

Call back if you can’t answer right away

One of the reasons why customers feel uncomfortable when answering the phone is that they have to wait.

If you put it on hold and check it out, the other person has to wait without doing anything during that time.

If you can’t answer the call right away, you can return the call so that you don’t have to waste time waiting.

The characteristics of people who are not good at telephones are also advantages

I introduced a method to overcome the awareness that I’m not good at answering the phone.

People who can’t answer the phone tend to be nervous and overly afraid of failure because they have a serious personality.

Seriousness and prudence are powerful weapons in business, so be confident.

You just have to get used to the anxiety of answering the phone.

If you learn phone etiquette and practice enough to get rid of the anxiety factor, you won’t feel afraid of the phone.

You can improve your phone skills by gaining experience, so please be patient and say, “If you get used to it, you’ll be able to do it.”