Virtual Office: Conference Call Etiquette

By Erin Harrison, Executive Editor, Cloud Computing

In this age of the virtual office with frequent conference calls needed to conduct business, you would think that most workers understand proper phone etiquette. But even for conference call regulars, sometimes it’s easy to forget basic rules when it comes to speaking with a group over the phone.

Phone (News - Alert).com recently provided tips for conference call veterans and newbies alike. Because let’s face it, sometimes we need to be retold to mind our manners. Who reading this has been asked to put their phone on mute because of background finger-typing on a keyboard? Awkward. To avoid such phone manner-snafus, keep this list of etiquette reminders close by:

·         Always identify yourself when you get on the call and typically when you’re speaking if the call has more than a few attendees.

·         Limit or eliminate background noise before you call in.  Put your animals in another room or outside and close your office door if you have kids.  

·         Send the dial-in or bridge number, pass code, and instructions multiple times leading up to the start of your call.  

·         Most people say to skip using a speakerphone if you’re not with a group. However with a Phone.com (News - Alert) HD Voice IP phone, phone calls sounds good even on speaker phone. In general, cell phone speaker phones should be a “no-no” if at all possible.

·         Dialing in from a desktop phone used to be a must but it isn’t really anymore if your cell phone has good reception, as long as the call can stay active if your call drops.

·         Stay away from the hold button if you have to do something else. If you have hold music it may override your phone’s mute and play the hold music for all the participants.  

Finally, when on a conference call, the mute button should be your best friend. Especially if you are working in a virtual office, no one wants to hear your dog barking or the door bell ringing while in the middle of a phone call. It’s distracting and puts out an unprofessional vibe to colleagues participating in the call. Just remember to un-mute when it’s your turn to speak.

To find out more about Joel Maloff (News - Alert) and Phone.com, visit the company at ITEXPO. To be held Oct. 2-5 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX, ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. Maloff is speaking during “Selling VoIP and Unified Communications via Channel Partners”. For more information on ITEXPO, click here.

Edited by Amanda Ciccatelli