Do you ever get on the phone, mumble your way though the conversation and then say “why didn’t I say this?” or “why didn’t I ask this?” Not me. Before every important (business related) phone call I get myself prepared. This includes:
- having a pen and paper handy
- I write down my concerns or questions in point format, so I know exactly what I want addressed by the conversation
- I make sure to tell everyone (I work from home) I’ll be on the phone and to try and not only be quiet, but keep the dog from barking.
- I let everyone know that when the call is complete, I will let them know.
- I write down the person’s name that I’m calling on the paper with my questions, so I know who to ask for and I try to personalize the phone conversation by mentioning his/her name while we speak.
* If I don’t know the person’s name before I call, as soon as they answer and tell me their name I write it down.
- I also make notes during the call in the vent other questions arise as we speak
IMPORTANT : I also found it very effective when I write down what we’ve discussed, the date and time, the name of the person I spoke to as mentioned above and if the conversation requires a follow-up or action by the next party. This way if I need to call this person back or file a complaint, I can look back at my notes. I had a problem a while back with our cell phone service and when I called back… quoted what I was originally told, the date and time I originally spoke to them, as well as the name of the person i spoke with… things went well
