Your Answering Machine Said What?

Most answering machines play a polite greeting from the owner and take a message.  Nothing fancy, just good old-fashioned automated communication.   There are exceptions, though, to all of this bland harmlessness.  I was talking recently with David Wachtel of Hauticam Consulting about business etiquette mistakes we can’t believe happen.  High on David’s list is answering machine greetings that include the phrase, “…and I will return your call at my earliest convenience.” 

 I have experienced this too, and am not sure why it happens.  What appears to be colossal self-centered rudeness might be simple cluelessness.  I always want to reply, “What do you mean “at your earliest convenience?  What kind of thing is that to say?  I would hate to think my call caused you to do anything that was actually “inconvenient.” 

If this phrase is on your answering machine don’t blush, don’t stammer, just erase the message right now and start over.  Say what we all hope you meant to say like, “I will call you back as soon as I can.”  Call several friends or colleagues when you know they are not available and listen to their messages.  Borrow some of their nice wording for your own message. 

If you really do resent having to interrupt your workflow to respond to inquiries there are better ways to express that.  One simple one is to say your current workload means you cannot check voicemail more than once a day and will not be able to return calls until a certain day and time in the future.  Such a statement is honest, is not derogatory, and doesn’t make you sound like a jerk.  A much better solution all around.

Tattoos and Piercings at Work

Much of what is appropriate dress for work depends on the type of work and the type of business in question.  It isn’t always just clothing that creates problems. The popularity of tattoos and piercings has brought many new issues into the workplace.  Business owners may have strong feelings about what their clients expect or will tolerate.  Managers and supervisors can be the ones on the front lines trying to communicate standards without giving offense.  There can be legal considerations as well.  CNN’s Jennifer Westhoven (”Small Business Success”) has some sound advice for supervisors, managers, and business owners about “Managing Employees With Tattoos and Piercings.”

How To Close A Business Email

Do you sail through composing a business email only to come to a standstill trying to decide how to sign off?  Are your business emails closed or do they just stop? 

Kristin Edelhauser has written a very interesting article, “What Your Sign-off Is Really Saying” that was published on Entrepreneur.com back in June, 2007.  Besides great advice there are specific examples included in this article.  Read the article…

Email, Text Messaging, and Job Interviews

Technological innovations impact business etiquette just as they impact everything else in our lives.  I recently ran across a couple of articles discussing the role of new digital technologies in business etiquette.  The first article, by Steve Bruce, was posted on HR Daily Advisor.blr.com back on September 3, 2008.  The article provides details of a survey of Human Resources interviewers and applicants regarding interviewing etiquette and behavior.  The information about the importance of writing thank you notes is especially interesting.  A very large percentage of interviewers surveyed said email thank you notes are now the norm.  Evidently things really aren’t the way they used to be in some respects.

This article references another article from the Wall Street Journal that is also well worth checking out. 

Employee Training by the Golden Rule

A Simple Handshake Isn’t Simple

An interview with Mary Starvaggi, The Etiquette Advantage

Mary Starvaggi (The Etiquette Advantage) has been an etiquette consultant for 17 years. BizCustoms sought her advice on the subject of handshake etiquette.

BC: Mary, why are handshakes such a concern in business situations?

MS: For a simple gesture, handshakes can be very confusing. I get a great many questions from both men and women about when handshakes are appropriate. In fact, handshake etiquette has changed over time as more women have entered the professional workforce. In business, a handshake is always appropriate and necessary for both men and women.

We are equally at fault in creating this confusion through differences in our behavior in business and social situations. Men do not make a distinction between business and social situations when shaking hands. They are more apt to extend their hand and give a firm handshake in every situation than women are. Socially, however, men rarely extend their hand to a woman first. They wait for her to make the first move and respond accordingly.

Women do make a distinction between business and social situations when shaking hands, but they shouldn’t. In their personal lives, women usually don’t shake hands automatically, if at all. When a woman is introduced to another woman in a social situation there is often no handshake. When I am with my husband and we are introduced to another couple it often happens that both the men will shake his hands, but not the women. However, I always shake both of their hands. This carries over into business situations where women sometimes shake hands and sometimes don’t.

BC: What sorts of questions do you get on this subject in your workshops?

MS: In one of my recent programs, a young professional woman said she had experienced a situation in which a male corporate manager shook the hands of male colleagues but not hers. She wasn’t sure how to interpret this or what to do. It is always appropriate for a young professional woman (or man for that matter) to shake hands. Often men, especially those of an older generation, are confused by the changes in the corporate culture that they have witnessed during their careers. This man may not be sure he still knows what is appropriate. He may wish to avoid giving offense or he may have concerns about sexual harassment.

“The essence of etiquette is to put others at ease” so I advised her, “You make the first move. Extend your hand because you are a professional and you know it is the right thing to do. He will probably shake your hand graciously in response.”

As soon as I finished this response a senior executive in his mid 50s spoke up to say he appreciated having all of this clarified. He said he was just not sure what the appropriate protocol was because so many things including laws have changed. In his position he wants and needs to make the right choices regarding professionalism.

BC: How do you recommend handshakes be done?

MS: Handshake must be firm; if the hand you are offered is not firm push your hand in further and lock thumbs to create a firm grip. Avoid “vice” grips or overly firm handshakes. These as well as a handshake that covers the top of the hand may be an attempt to dominate. Gentlemen, do not grab fingertips, grasp the entire hand. Ladies, return a handshake firmly rather than offering a limp one.

Handshakes have other uses as well. For instance, someone is walking toward you. You have no clue about the name but remember the face. Just extend your hand, say your own name, and wait expectantly, basically reintroducing yourself. (“Hello, Mary Starvaggi…” with outstretched hand.) Yes, they might think you can’t recall their name but it is a graceful way out of an awkward situation and usually they state their name in return.

Talking about handshakes always brings up the subject of hugs. Handshakes work better than hugs in professional situations, even with close friends. A hug is for personal relationships or strong connections. If you see a hug approaching and want to deflect it extend your hand for a handshake. A warm greeting is still possible without hugging.

BC: Any closing words of advice?

MS: A firm handshake does nothing but say “Confidence!” A weak or limp handshake says “I am not professionally confident” or “I have a weak self-image.” A good firm handshake is appropriate for both men and women in every business and social situation. It is also one of the three main parts of an introduction as well as vital in creating a positive first impression.

BC: Thank you for this excellent advice. Where can people reach you with questions?

MS: Questions are always welcome. Write to me at mlstarvaggi@fuse.net.

What is “Business Casual?”

by Amy Woodall, owner of Image Savvy and Professional Image Consultant.

That is probably the most common question I am asked as an Image Consultant. I hate the term.  No wonder everyone is so confused. On one hand we have “business” which most people understand quite well. It usually consists of a suit and tie for men and a suit or skirt/blazer combo for women. Then we have “casual” and that is where we get into trouble. Everyone has a different idea about what “casual” actually is. My idea is jeans and a nice shirt with heels, other people thinks it’s a t-shirt and jeans with sneakers and some believe “casual” to be pajama pants and an oversized sweatshirt. So we combine the two words “business” and “casual” and we have a crazy combination. Let me clarify how we should address this issue. First examine your profession.   What does a                                     look like? Next think of your clients. What do they look like? Now how about the company you work for? What is their image? Then dress accordingly.

When it comes to “business casual” just remember less casual and almost all business. So men lose the tie and keep the suit. You can even mix and match jackets and pants but please NO GOLF SHIRTS! For us women it doesn’t change much.  Play with color and mixing and matching while still looking professional.  Wardrobe can be quite hard to figure out and that is why I stay in business.  Never under estimate the power of dress.  We wear who we are on the outside……..so what is your clothing saying about you?

Amy Woodall can be reached at amy@imagesavvyindy.com

Training and Customer Service Etiquette

People with very nice table manners do not necessarily have good customer service manners.  If a company wants employees to exhibit particular good customer service manners those expectations must be clearly communicated.  That means including good customer service in the mission statement, orientation materials, job descriptions, handbooks, and all written materials that describe what the company does and how they do it.  Specific guidelines like the following make employee coaching easier:

Five Customer Service Guidelines

These guidelines apply the principles of etiquette to customer service. Performance appraisal training can help supervisors and managers use these guidelines appropriately to improve performance of existing employees.

But We Have Guidelines

What if clear behavioral guidelines already exist in job descriptions or other company documents and there are still problems?  It could be a simple problem of lax enforcement.  A little supervisory training or coaching may help. 

It could be that the wrong people are in public contact positions.  This does not mean you have hired dreadful anti-social people.  Everyone has preferences and you may have hired people who prefer working with data like reports.  They may prefer working with tools like machines or computers.  They may be excellent workers and very competent at what they prefer but they are not very good at public contact.  By contrast you may have people very good at public contact who cannot seem to make the copier work.  Placing those most comfortable with public contact in public contact positions will improve customer service.  Those less comfortable can benefit from training that helps them identify more effective ways of handling customer contacts. 

High Stress?

Staff might ignore customer service guidelines if they are highly stressed.  What are some indicators you might see that people are feeling over-stressed?

·          Voices are rushed and/or cold or speak too rapidly to be understood on the phone

·          The phone rings many times before being answered

·          Staffers show reluctance to stop other work to greet customers

·          Off-site customers indicate their technician was abrupt, non-communicative

·          There is on-going friction between departments

If staff members know a call will probably not be a pleasant experience they will avoid answering the phone.  If customers commonly arrive with complicated or unpleasant problems, staff will avoid engaging them.  Reaction to the occasional angry customer can be improved with stress management training and supervisory or managerial skills training as appropriate.  If customer discontent is caused by the something inherent to the organization, training won’t help.  All organizations change over time and a reduced level of customer service may be the first clue that adjustments are needed. 

 Sometimes staffers avoid customer contact because responsibility is not well defined.  That which is everybody’s responsibility becomes nobody’s responsibility in practical application.  Job descriptions that include specific descriptions of performance standards are a good way to define responsibility.   Supervisors and managers can be trained to use job descriptions to reinforce responsibility. General guidelines regarding customer service can be very helpful in setting expectations, especially when they are carried across all operations publications.  Here are two examples of general customer service guidelines that are specific about performance standards.

Two Customer Service Guidelines

·          The phone will be answered in no more than three rings.

·          Customers will be acknowledged within 10 seconds of arriving.

Sometimes work groups develop hierarchies that are counter-productive.  For example, an employee establishes rank among peers by exempting him or herself from the bother of answering the phone or greeting customers.  Over time the one-upmanship can get out of hand.  Strong supervisory skills are required to control or eliminate such game-playing.  This usually happens in companies where managers, and especially the company owner, exempt themselves from engaging in customer service activities.  “Higher-ranking people don’t have to deal with customers” becomes an unwritten rule.  Owners who want employees to give exemplary customer service must literally train by setting the example.  Customer service is one area in which leadership really counts.

Emotionally Intelligent Signage

 

 Emotionally Intelligent Signage: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here is an video by Daniel Pink, contributing editor of Wired Magazine, on the subject of “signs that convey rules of behavior in public places” and how such signs might influence greater compliance.   What a great idea - signs that acknowledge common concerns and show respect for the reader.   

Why Bother?

Why bother with Business Etiquette - or character or integrity or ethics?  There are plenty of people who don’t and sometimes they seem to be getting the upper hand.  People who deceive, cheat, and conduct business as if it was a war, don’t worry about showing respect for others. 

Perhaps it is the destruction they leave in their wake that gives the rest of us a reason to live differently.  Developing character is the hard work of a lifetime.  Following our personal sense of ethics in business is not always the easiest thing to do.  Those who advance civilization have, up to this point, always stayed ahead of those who destroy it - maybe because we work so hard at it.

It is up to those of us who value character and ethics to carry on the fight.  Every day each of us decides whether we will use respect for others to build a civil society or sink into rude indifference.  Business Etiquette is about being civil to each other.   That is what we choose.  That is why we bother.